A pan European supergrid could play a major role in helping the European Union achieve an ambitious 45 per cent share of renewable energy by 2030, according to a new report from Greenpeace today.

 

The report, based on analysis by Energynautics, sets out a case for a supergrid that could save European member states from wasting billions of pounds a year accrued by switching off wind and solar farms when demand is too high.

 

Using data from the International Energy Agency, the report models three potential scenarios out to 2030 that examine how much countries could integrate their national energy markets. It found that renewable energy could be installed extensively and cheaply across the bloc if it could be traded easily across member states.

 

Without a more sophisticated grid network, renewable energy operators are forced to switch off their generators when demand on the grid is too high, the report warned.

 

However, the report finds that mixing "inflexible" coal and nuclear plants with flexible renewables could cost €33bn compared to the alternative of opting for a supergrid which allows a significant amount of flexibility in the grid.

 

The European Commission has proposed that the EU should aim for a 27 per cent renewable energy share by 2030, but the Greenpeace report estimates that a supergrid could allow the bloc to achieve a 45 per cent share without costing much more.

 

Significantly, the report found that the high investment in HVDC cables would be offset by the savings offered in reducing the need to curtail wind and solar power when power supply peaks. The report calculates that reducing curtailment costs by just two per cent would save €60bn, equal to the costs of installing the grid in the first place.

 

However, in the "conflict" scenario, where a number of countries continue to rely on high levels of coal and nuclear power, renewable energy would frequently clash with other sources of energy and would have to be switched off in order to balance demand on the grid, the report warns.

 

The report predicts that such as conflict would cost €4.9bn per year due to the need to curtail renewable energy sources, based on an electricity price of €60 per MWh in 2030.