Roadmap 2050: Linking EU power grids

A possibility by 2050?

While every EU country is dedicated to cutting their own emissions by turning to solar, wind, geothermal and nuclear projects, the European Climate Foundation has come up with a plan that could cut the continent's carbon footprint in one swift move - a pan-European power grid.

What this would mean is if wind turbines are operating at full blast in Germany due to a windy day, but in Denmark it is a completely calm day, Denmark would be able to import power from Germany to keep their air conditioners and electric cars running.

This concept of power sharing is not new, but previously it has been solved by firing up coal-fired power plants to plug the 'energy gaps'. However if the continent is to cut emissions by 80 percent by 2050, this is no longer an option.

By creating a system where European countries can subsidies each other's energy, the possibility of a low-carbon Europe is all that more achievable. After all, if it is not a windy day and the continent's wind farms aren't generating enough power, solar farms from the EU's sunnier countries such as Spain can compensate, as could hopefully nuclear plants and biomass-fired power plants.

This is the proposal put forward by the European Climate Foundation (ECF), an independent think tank for climate policy, and it is a bold one... but a smart one.

A low-carbon Europe

The proposal was published in a report entitled Roadmap 2050: a practical guide to a prosperous, low-carbon Europe. The idea that linking European power grids could have such a massive impact on cutting emissions has, of course, drawn suspicion so the EFC researchers sought a second opinion from other researchers, who came to exactly the same conclusion.

The research was confirmed a third time by the German E.on energy company who again found no fault with the figures.

Of course while the numbers may be everything the EU has hoped for, it will not be cheap or easy to do.

The report cities a problem with Spain and France; the two countries already have linked power cables with a capacity of one gigawatt, but because of its nuclear power, France doesn’t need Spain’s solar energy. If Europe wants to enjoy the full benefit of the European sun, the cables’ capacity will have to be expanded to 47 gigawatts.

This, of course, would not be cheap but with the EFC calculating total costs for power in Europe will rise an extra 35 billion euros to 65 billion euros in 2025, the cost of putting the project off could be even higher - waiting another ten years could raise costs by an additional 80 billion euros a year.

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Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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