Renewables can continue even with grid expansion delays

August 29, 2013 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Renewable energy deployment is possible even with delays in transmission grid expansion. Deployment of renewables can still take place within the next 15 years, according to a recent study by Ecofys energy consultants -- the installations would just have to be distributed more evenly across the country to save costs.

The Ecofys study examined the impacts of a delayed grid expansion for scenarios with a different mix of renewable energy technologies employed for the Smart Energy for Europe Platform (SEFEP). With restricted grid expansion, more regional storage and flexible power plants need to be installed and renewable energy output has to be increasingly curtailed. The corresponding costs can be reduced if the renewable energy installations are distributed more evenly.

"If grid expansion is delayed, about 800 million euros can be saved per year if we spread wind and photovoltaic installations more evenly across the country," said Christian Nabe, electricity market specialist at Ecofys.

By 2030, renewable energy is expected to comprise 70 percent of electricity production in Germany and CO₂ emissions are expected to be reduced to one-third of current levels.

An increased grid expansion not only supports renewable energies but facilitates the transport of electricity from cheap lignite. As a result, additional political measures are crucial to reducing emissions from those power plants.

"The study shows that rapid expansion of renewable energies can continue. If grid expansion is delayed, we need to manage geographical distribution of renewables wisely. With rapid grid expansion, effective measures to reduce emissions from lignite become even more important," said Raffaele Piria, program director at SEFEP. "These are relevant message for the next government coalition in Germany."

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http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/renewables-can-continue-even-grid-expansion-delays/2013-08-29