Linking Europe's power grids

Solar panels

Wind is fickle, and as such on days when a gust is reduced to a breeze that couldn't even rouse branches on a tree, necessary power can switch from wind turbines and be sourced by coal. However this familiar story is going to be very different in 2050.

Now imagine that there is no coal, except now we must not only power more homes and infrastructure, but also electric cars and the millions of air conditioners that are keeping us cool as the planet warms.

This is a tough ask, but 40 years ago Europe and all other developed nations vowed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent before the middle of the century. And it seems that a recent published report outlines exactly how it can be done.

So what is the best way to ensure Europe has surplus energy? Well according to the European Climate Foundation (ECF), it is by linking Europe's power grids. Using a breeze-less day in Denmark as an example, without coal power the Danes would import their power from Germany, where there is some wind, and biomass-fired power plants make up for the difference. In turn, the Germans compensate by importing energy from France, where nuclear power plants are as reliable a source of electricity as ever. And if that still isn't enough, solar cells in Spain are ready and waiting to provide some more power.

And the good news, according a report titled 'the Roadmap 2050: a practical guide to a prosperous, low-carbon Europe published by the ECF is that this energy pass-the-parcel is a scenario that lies well within the realms of current economic and technological capabilities.

Almost zero emissions

Even the EFC's conservative scenarios allow for reducing greenhouse emissions to practically zero. The EFC researchers were so surprised they sought a second opinion from other researchers, who came to exactly the same conclusion. The German E.on energy company went over the numbers a third time, and its findings were no different.

The challenges of linking power grids would mean a rethink of infrastructure. According to nrc.com, Spain and France already share linked power cables with a capacity of one gigawatt. But if Europe wants to enjoy the full benefit of the European sun, the challenge for 2050 is to obtain a power capacity of 47 gigawatts.

Such a proposal isn't without its challenges. Infrastructure would need a serious upgrade, and there is sure to be disquiet from citizens who are wary of electromagnetic fields generated by power cables. It would also force power companies to create a new market. If one company has a power shortage at a certain time of day, for instance, and another has its solar panels running at full capacity, the two will have to find equal terms for trade.

Then there is the cost. The EFC has calculated the total costs for power in Europe will rise from the current 30 billion per year to 65 billion in 2025. Putting things off would be even more costly though; waiting another ten years would raise costs to 80 billion a year.

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Ross Densley

Ross Densley is a graduate from Bath Spa University, and has freelanced for several magazines ranging across a section of topics such as animation, business, film and lifestyle. When Ross is not working he writes and edits his own satirical website.

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