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6 March, 2024

CurrENT, the European association of innovative grid companies, presented the results of new research from KU Leuven and the University of Strathclyde, on the feasibility and value proposition for a European overlay DC grid. Supernode presented a technology agnostic analysis of an optimal decarbonised European grid. The results were discussed in relation to the EU Action Plan for Grids and ENTSO-E’s recently launched Offshore Network Development Plans – all vital elements for achieving a decarbonised European energy system.

When: 6th of March 2024, 9:30am   Where: Brussels L42 Business Centre & Workshop Space, Online

The Speakers at the event spoke about a variety of topics relating to decarbonising Europe’s grid:

• John Fitzgerald, CEO SuperNode – Presented the grid challenge and a technology agnostic model of a decarbonised European Network.
• Professor Dirk Van Hertem, KU Leuven – Overview of the current technologies that are available, and whether current technology can deliver decarbonisation. 
• Professor Lie Xu, University of Strathclyde – Study demonstrating the first ever feasible approach to a continental-scale meshed DC overlay grid. 
• Eoin Hodge, Chief Engineer, SuperNode – Discussed next generation superconducting cables and the ways in which they can fill the grid technology gap.                
• Antje Orths, Chief Engineer Energinet, and Core Group Convenor ENTSO-E – Presented ENTSO-E’s first ever Offshore Network Development Plans for 2024.                              
• Eric Lecomte, DG ENER – Presented the EU Action Plan for grids. 

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In its call for evidence, the European Commission is right to highlight that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered “the strategic vulnerability that comes with dependence on the use of fossil fuels, which is the main driver of climate change.” The European Commission also correctly links the stabilisation of the world’s climate to our ability to end our reliance on fossil fuels, pointing out “the need to step up the transition to clean energy, energy efficiency and climate neutrality in the EU”. However, the need for modernising and establishing new, innovative electricity grid infrastructure to support the transition to decarbonisation seems hugely unappreciated. The call for evidence does not mention grids at all.

On 15 June, the EU’s advisory body on climate change – The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC) – presented its science-based recommendation of achieving EU net emissions reductions of 90-95% before 2040, relative to 1990 levels. Such a reduction would require a doubling to more than 50 % of electricity’s share of final energy demand (see graphs). Renewable energy source, especially solar and wind (and excluding bioenergy) would be likely to meet more than 85% of electricity, according to ESABCC.

All pathways to meet Europe’s agreed 2050 decarbonisation target, would imply a 2040
energy system largely dependent on a fully decarbonised electricity supply, predominantly based on variable wind power and intermittent solar power. For such an energy system to materialise, Europe must start planning and deploying innovative grid enhancing technologies and advanced power cable technology. These pathways and the Union’s growing ambitions (Green Deal, Fit For 55, REPowerEU, Net-Zero Industry Act) underscore the need for a realistic consultation framework that puts our future electricity transmission and distribution system at the centre of the analysis. CurrENT recommends the development of reference grids for 2040, as well as for 2030 and 2050. The main reference grid should be the 2050 grid required for a decarbonized Europe and all intermediate reference grids must comply with the pathway and carbon budgets needed to reach the goals agreed by the European Climate Law (Regulation (EU) 2021/1119).

For 2040, the Ten Year Network Development Plan must reflect what is needed to reach European economy-wide decarbonization in 2050. For the electricity sector, that would require full decarbonization well before 2040. In addition, the infrastructure must be able to support the decarbonization through electrification of the heating, transport, and industrial sectors. No European grid model depicting the supporting grid infrastructure needed to reach our climate and energy targets currently exist, including the ten-year network Development Plan (TYNDP). CurrENT suggest that such a grid plan with decarbonisation reference grids, that are compatible with the carbon budgets, is developed for the European Commission, by an independent agency in an open and transparent process, for example the Joint Research Centre.

Dowload the currENT input to the EU 2040 Climate target here

Download currENT’s full response to the input questionnaire here

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Include a reference to grid optimisation 

currENT welcomes the recognition of both mature (technology readiness level of at least 8) and emerging grid technologies (technology readiness level lower than 8) as a respectively ‘net-zero technology’ and ‘innovative net-zero technology.’ However, while there is a frequent reference to smart grids, it gives the impression to be referring only to demand-side solutions that “help the EU reduce and control its energy consumption” as stated in paragraph 7.  Also in paragraph 8, innovative grid technologies refer to a whole range of technologies related to demand-side flexibility. While extremely important, this overlooks an entire range of commercially available grid technologies, such as dynamic line rating, advanced power flow control systems, and smart sensors that can optimise the use of the existing electricity grid and increase its capacity to integrate renewables at both the transmission and distribution level. A reference in these paragraphs to optimising the existing grid would be an important signal to use all technologies at our disposal to reach net-zero and keep the costs of the energy transition as low as possible.  

Improve access to EU funding for enabling technologies 

While the proposal states in paragraph 46 that the “Innovation Fund also provides a very promising and cost efficient avenue to support the scaling up of manufacturing and deployment of renewable hydrogen and other strategic net zero technologies in Europe,” currENT believes that a thorough review is needed in order to make the Innovation Fund suitable to finance innovative grid technologies. Many currENT member companies and research institutions are having trouble applying for funding under the EU Innovation Fund. While innovative grid technologies, e.g. new transmission technologies based on superconductors, are crucial to support wind and solar as the backbone of Europe’s energy independence and decarbonization efforts, these enabling technologies do not fit the current eligibility criteria on greenhouse gas reductions of the Innovation Fund. We would suggest that the Commission takes initiative to review the appropriateness of the Innovation Fund, as well as the REPowerEU, InvestEU, and other EU funding vehicles such as the Important Projects of Common European Interest, with regards to innovative transmission technology based on superconductors. 

Manage demand for critical raw materials as much as possible 

While the Critical Raw Materials Act identifies lists of strategic and critical raw materials, there should be a greater emphasis on how to manage the demand for these materials. In the context of electricity grids, this means reducing the vast amounts of copper that are going to be used for transmission and distribution cables. 

One of the four main objectives of the regulation is “ensuring a high level of environmental protection, by improving their [critical raw materials] circularity and sustainability”. The proposal suggests measures on how to increase the environmental impact of increased extraction, processing and recycling of critical raw materials. currENT supports such measures, however, suggests that these are complemented by measures targeted at specific sectors to identify and promote technology options with lower environmental impacts and raw material use in line with the energy efficiency first principle.  

In the electricity transmission sector, European companies are currently preparing superconducting transmission technology that would be commercially available from around 2030. These would reduce the materials use of energy transmission dramatically. To carry one kA one metre, superconducting cables requires 150 times less raw material than conventional, copper-based power cables.  Superconducting transmission technology will be able to transfer 5 or 6 times as much energy as conventional HVDC technology at a given voltage level.  

Download the pdf of the response here.

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currENT has therefore launched an effort to promote standardised modelling for innovative grid technologies, in order to ensure that best practices or standardized generic models are available to interested entities to correctly represent these innovative grid technologies.

This report focuses on the modelling of SSSC and high capacity superconductor DC cable technologies as provided by currENT member companies Smart Wires and SuperNode respectively. currENT is convinced that by enabling the modelling of these technologies, organisations that plan and operate the power system will be encouraged to study the impact of these technologies and to have more alternative approaches when innovating the power system.

Read the full report and recommendations here.

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First of all, the benefits of solutions that can be delivered in the next 1-2 years. Using a scenario 5 years in the future as a basis for a CBA is not adequate for fast-acting solutions. This is because it does not take into consideration the benefits that can be delivered before the given year of the scenario. In all likelihood congestion will be higher in earlier years, while awaiting traditional solutions to be developed, and the value provided in these earlier years much greater. At the same time, given past experience (e.g. ACERs appraisal report on PCI progress and development) the scenarios are likely to be overly optimistic about the completion of projects by the given year, and do not sufficiently factor in the likelihood of delays. Given this uncertainty, the methodology needs to find a way to compensate for the inherent lack of information when dealing with future scenarios. For example, if there is no information on the early years 0-5, this will negatively distort the NPV overall. 

Secondly, the methodology does not fully take into consideration the challenges of a fully decarbonised European economy in 2050, and therefore does not give enough weight to innovative grid technologies that can address these challenges. At the end of January 2023, Member States have submitted their offshore development plans for each sea basin. From these plans, it logically follows that continuing with only existing technologies would result in an excessive amount of landing points by 2040, and new technologies will be needed. At the same time, it will be a challenge to access all the raw materials for this kind of grid expansion. This scarcity of raw materials needs to be factored into the CBA methodology and their impact on lead-time for development[s]. For example, meeting the capacity needs with existing cable/line solutions will require a multiplicity of circuits and materials that is likely to be unsustainable, socially acceptable or that be timely delivered.     

currENT recommends that the CBA should have overall more flexibility to deal with new technologies, so they can be fairly assessed against conventional technologies.

Read our full consulation response here.

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