European super grid
Possible future super grid From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Possible future super grid From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The European super grid is a possible future super grid that would ultimately interconnect the various European countries and the regions around Europe's borders – including North Africa, Kazakhstan, and Turkey – with a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power grid.[1]
 | This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Information mostly from around 2010; needs update with European Green Deal plan f.i.. (May 2020) |
It is envisaged that a European super grid would:[1]
A recent study from the University College Dublin (UCD) Energy Institute indicates that implementing a pan-European 'supergrid' could lead to a 32% reduction in energy costs across the continent.[2]
The most comprehensive study has been carried out by Dr Gregor Czisch, of Kassel University.[3][1] His study optimised a vast grid covering North Africa, Eastern Europe, Norway, and Iceland. His study ran a number of scenarios, wind, concentrating solar power (CSP), nuclear etc., and the optimisation showed that all European power could largely come from wind energy, with relatively low amounts of combustion plant needed during universal low wind periods. Furthermore, the study showed that no new storage would be required; existing hydro would be sufficient. The total cost, including for new combustion plant, fuelled by biomass, the cost of the interconnections, the inefficiency of starting and stopping the combustion plant, all indicated a power price at the same as Germany was paying in 2005.
A number of other specific schemes have been proposed to create super grids of varying extent within Europe. These include:
On 24 November 2011, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Medgrid and Desertec Industry Initiative (Dii) to study, design and promote an interconnected electrical grid with Desertec & Medgrid projects.[10][11][12][13] The medgrid together with Desertec would serve as the backbone of the European super grid and the benefits of investing in HVDC technology are being assessed to reach the final goal – the supersmart grid.[14]
A report by Pöyry stated that a super grid would only partially reduce the problems from intermittent renewable energy production. While it found that spreading renewables across Europe produced a smoothing effect, large scale weather patterns would impact many European countries at similar times. This still results in large highs and lows of energy output. However this report does not consider the super grid covering the much larger area as the Czisch study, which would further smooth energy output to some extent.[15][16]
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