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Have you heard about a pylon design competition that took place in the UK? Do you know the programme “Natural Grid” that aims at enhancing ecosystems through innovative use of National Grid’s assets? And have you ever thought about engaging with your stakeholders with the help of an old sofa?
How can we agree on the dimensions of the future electricity grid? Where do we want to build new power lines? How can we assure that local impacts and concerns are fully understood and – if necessary - compensated in the best possible way? All these questions cannot be answered by one single actor. On the contrary, we need procedures, formats and tools that allow for closer collaboration and joint solutions of different groups of society.
Developing Europe’s electricity transmission network is essential to maintain secure and affordable energy supplies, and for the transition to a sustainable energy system. To help achieve its energy and climate policy objectives, the EU selects certain electricity, gas and oil infrastructure “projects of common interest” (PCIs) and promotes them as the highest priority investments for the EU.
On the 9th of August of this year, more than 27 percent of consumed electricity was generated by renewable energy sources in California. A new record. The most populous US-state with more than 37 million inhabitants is considered a pioneer in sustainable climate and energy policy – the goal of having renewable energy make up 33 percent of the power mix by 2020 is ambitious, as similarly seen in Germany.
The impact of overhead power lines is a key trigger for public opposition against grid extension projects. Often local pressure groups demand that a new line shall be put underground. Expectations into undergrounding are high while actual experience is comparatively low. In Europe, first projects include some kilometres of highest voltage underground cables, but the integration of innovative cable solutions into an aging power grid remains a challenge. As a consequence a lot of questions remain highly debated.
In order for Europe to meet its targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and successfully make the transition to a low carbon economy, large quantities of variable renewable energy sources will need to be integrated into the European electricity transmission network and transported across Europe to areas of demand. This will require both grid modernisation and expansion. Our challenge is to understand how this can be achieved while minimising the negative impacts on our natural environment, and where possible, delivering environmental improvements.
