Innovative grid technologies
The scale of the problem facing Europe’s energy grids and Europe’s energy future is huge. Innovative grid technologies are already revolutionizing how electricity grids operate by unlocking significant increases in grid capacity, optimizing energy flow, and reducing network congestion. However, in order to meet Europe’s ambitious electrification and decarbonisation, the speed at which they are being deployed must be drastically increased.
Attempting to reach these targets with conventional technologies alone, where building a new line can take 10+ years, will further amplify existing problems facing Europe, such as a declining competitiveness and intensifying climate disasters. Innovative grid technologies can be deployed quickly and offer increased efficiency of the existing grid, helping to achieve these targets in a shorter time frame. Looking past the short-term, innovative grid technologies can act as central pillars to building out the pan-European decarbonised supergrid of the future.
By supporting the deployment of new transmission and distribution technologies with ten times the transfer capacity of the currently best-in-class technologies which can reshape how electricity grids are planned and operated, Europe has a much better chance of achieving its ambitious targets.
These technologies enhance grid flexibility and resilience, enabling a greater integration of renewable energy. Compared to conventional technologies alone, increasing capacity with innovative grid technologies can be a more cost-effective way to increase grid capacity, with reduced lead times for deployment and lower CAPEX costs. By addressing key operational challenges, innovative grid technologies can pave the way for a smarter, more efficient electricity network that supports Europe’s evolving energy needs.
Beyond these grid-level benefits, innovative grid technologies also drive wider impacts such as accelerating decarbonisation and lowering costs across the energy system all the way to the end consumer.
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Benefits
The electricity grid is the backbone of our energy systems, and its optimization is crucial to achieve a sustainable, decarbonised, and reliable energy future. While on the surface innovative grid technologies are most known for their ability to increase the capacity of electricity networks, their benefits extend far beyond that. These technologies play a transformative role in multiple areas, including:
1. Driving decarbonisation
Innovative grid technologies facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid. By reducing curtailment and improving grid stability, these solutions help maximize the use of renewable energy sources, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating the transition to net-zero.
2. Lowering costs for consumers
Innovative grid technologies reduce operational and capital expenditures for electricity systems. By optimizing existing infrastructure, they can extend the life cycle of existing assets, minimizing the need for costly replacement of infrastructure, lowering overall costs for utilities and consumers. Increasing the capacity of energy systems through the deployment of innovative grid technologies, as opposed to conventional infrastructure expansion alone, has a much lower overall cost. Projections from CurrENT’s study with Compass Lexecon, ‘Prospects for Innovative Power Grid Technologies’, show that widescale deployment of innovative grid technologies as part of the toolbox for future grid buildout could lead to a €700 billion reduction in conventional expansion costs by 2040.
3. Reducing environmental impact
Deploying innovative grid technologies improves the performance of existing infrastructure through upgrading materials in cables, installing technology onto the line to increase capacity or through optimization software. In addition to this, new transmission and distribution technologies with ten times the transfer capacity of the currently best-in-class technologies can facilitate the bulk transfer of power with lower losses, costs, and environmental footprints compared to conventional technologies.
These types of solutions are far more sustainable than traditional expansion of electricity grids, using both less raw materials and less space, increasing the capacity of the electricity grid while reducing its environmental footprint.
4. Efficient use of critical raw materials
The availability of sufficient raw materials, such as copper, could be a defining factor in whether Europe reaches net-zero by 2050. The problem is not only whether there are enough raw materials available, but whether they can be realistically mined in the coming decades, when very few new copper mines are being built at today’s prices. Innovative grid technologies use less critical raw materials than conventional grid technologies, making these vital resources go further.
5. Supporting policy goals
Innovative grid technologies play a pivotal role in meeting national and regional policy objectives. Our members’ technologies support countries in achieving the targets outlined in their National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) by improving renewable energy integration, enhancing grid reliability, and ensuring that energy systems align with decarbonisation and energy security goals.
Superpowers
Innovative grid technologies can greatly increase the capacity of the existing network, projected to be between 20 – 40% up to 2040, according to CurrENT’s recent study, ‘Prospects for Innovative Power Grid Technologies’ with Compass Lexecon. The impact on individual lines can be even greater, where transfer capacity can increase up to 1000%. Crucially, these technologies can increase capacity of the network without compromising the safety or reliability of individual lines or the network as a whole. In fact, innovative grid technologies offer increased visibility on the grid, which can enhance the ability of the operator to safely control and react to changes on the grid.
We have broken these benefits into five functional ‘superpowers’ of innovative grid technologies and how they can increase the capacity and efficiency of the electricity grid.
Capacity increase for a given line
Innovative grid technologies enhance, support and maintain the power-carrying capacity of existing lines without requiring extensive infrastructure improvements. Technologies such as High Temperature Superconductors, Advanced Conductors (CTS or HTLS), and Storage as A Transmission Asset (SATA) can all increase the capacity of a given line through the high transfer capacity of their cables or the replacement of the N-1 criterion to allow for a higher capacity on the line.
Better understanding of actual line limits
A better understanding of actual line limits means more power can be pushed through the line, increasing the overall transmission capacity. Without real-time data, the line limits are kept within conservative limits to ensure the safety and reliability of the line. Technologies such as Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) use sensors on the line to get more accurate, real-time readings of external conditions, such as weather. For example, the cooling effect of wind increases the safe functioning limits of a line, allowing the operator to push more power through the line on cool, windy days.
Dynamically controlling power flows on the grid
In a similar way that traffic congestion can be managed in a busy city, Advanced Power Flow Control (APFC) can push power from overutilized lines and pull power onto underutilized ones, unlocking additional capacity on the grid. Smart technologies such as APFC enable operators to direct power along optimal paths with projects providing GWs of additional capacity, reducing congestion by TWhs and improving overall grid efficiency.
Better understanding of actual inertia limits / stability limits
Better measurement of inertia allows for a safer use of the existing grid and increased penetration of renewables due to higher levels of assumed inertia. Grid inertia acts as a buffer, keeping the power grid stable by slowing down sudden changes in electricity supply or demand, giving time to balance the grid and avoid outages. Integrating renewables into the grid reduces natural inertia, meaning the grid can then become more sensitive to sudden changes. Grid inertia measurements use real time frequency data to provide a better understanding of the actual level of inertia in the grid. Without accurate grid inertia measurement, networks need to be operated with significant security margins, leading to excessive curtailment.
Optimizing network flows efficiency
Innovative grid technologies not only enhance capacity but also optimize the performance and reliability of electricity networks. By leveraging tools like digital twins and flexibility management systems, grid operators can make informed, data-driven decisions to ensure the most efficient operation of their networks. An example is peak shaving to shift consumption to lower demand zones’ while leveraging the benefit of increased digitalisation across the grid.