The proposed European Offshore Supergrid will even out the bumps in the power supply. The Supergrid will transmit energy across Europe to where it is most needed and carry wind generated and other power. It will also more than double the UK’s energy trading capacity and offer greater choice to consumers.
Supergrid is an ambitious project that could help to solve an impending energy crisis in Europe. Proposed by the renewable energy company, Airtricity and actively supported by ABB, the first phase of the sub-sea Supergrid will cost around £15 billion to create. Eventually running from Spain to the Baltic Sea, the network will link national grids as well as delivering power from offshore windfarms.
The scale of the need for such an ambitious solution is highlighted by the fact that Europe’s reliance on imported energy has risen from 20 per cent 50 years ago to 50 per cent today and is expected to reach 70 per cent by 2025. Global political, economic and social pressures mean that a radical solution is required if Europe is not to find itself highly vulnerable to external forces.
The new high-voltage AC/DC grid will perform two roles. It will carry energy generated by wind turbines to on-shore grid connections. And when the wind is not blowing the grid will carry electricity around Europe, making its power markets more efficient at energy trading.
When fully operational, wind energy is likely to be available at all times because the wind is almost certain to be blowing somewhere on the grid at any given time.
The first phase will involve some 2,000 wind turbines generating some 10GW of power – 50 times more than today’s biggest windfarms. The turbines will be located in the southern part of the North Sea between Britain, Germany and the Netherlands.
The power produced will be a European asset rather than belonging to any one country. ABB technology, HVDC Light will be used to convey DC current over long distances to connect to the grid.
The Supergrid offers a unique opportunity for countries in the European Union to increase their security of supply.
What is more, the result will be a more integrated European market with the benefit of securely delivered power at lower prices. It will also enable the continent’s grid to include a higher proportion of clean, but variable, wind power. This will make it easier for the EU to achieve its aim of having 21 per cent of its electricity produced by renewable sources by 2010.
A major benefit of the Supergrid is that it links wind power generated across widely spread areas and smooths the overall output from this source. In the first phase, DC power lines will take power westwards to the UK and eastwards to the Netherlands.
When the wind is not blowing, the lines will go into interconnect mode, using ABB’s HVDC Light technology, to carry power in either direction. This would more than double the UK’s energy trading capacity and bring greater stability to the grid, as well as giving consumers access to a wider range of power suppliers.
Visionaries see the European Supergrid ultimately being extended to reach North Africa where wind supply is more consistent. A scenario including wind and solar power supplying power to 50 countries and 1.1 billion people is already being considered.