POWER May 2023 - 6

Europe Ramps Renewables,
Looks for New Gas to Reduce
Reliance on Russia
European countries have moved quickly
to adopt new energy sources after
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February
2022. Governments have reduced
imports of Russian-produced energy,
with demand for natural gas in the European
Union (EU) dropping by 13%
last year compared to average annual
levels. The International Energy Agency
(IEA) in March of this year said that was
the largest annual decline in EU gas demand
ever recorded.
Governments have pivoted to renewable
energy, with additions of solar and
wind power generation capacity across
several countries. Fears of an energy crisis,
driven by Russia's actions in Ukraine,
have accelerated policies supporting alternatives
to coal- and natural gas-fired
generation. But while policymakers recognize
the need to take more control of
their energy resources, there are many
challenges to a rapid build-out of renewables,
which means natural gas, coal,
and nuclear power-which some consider
" green " energy and important to decarbonization-will
remain a part of the
continent's generation mix. Germany, in
fact, said it will keep some nuclear plants
online at least temporarily after promising
a complete phase-out of nuclear
power by the end of last year.
SolarPower Europe reported that the
EU installed 41.4 GW of solar in 2022, up
47% from the 28.1 GW installed in 2021.
Germany led the way with 7.9 GW of solar
installed last year, followed by Spain
with 7.5 GW. The group said the EU solar
power generation fleet increased by
25% year-over-year, to nearly 209 GW.
Energy think-tank Ember, in its recent
" European Electricity Review 2023, " said
solar and wind together generated about
22% of all electricity in the EU last year.
Energy storage also is making inroads
across Europe. Technology group Wärtsilä
in early March announced it had
brought online a 25-MW/100-MWh battery
energy storage system (BESS) in
Belgium, in a collaboration with Japan's
Nippon Koei Energy Europe and Aquila
Clean Energy EMEA, the European clean
energy development platform of Aquila
Capital. The grid-scale BESS (Figure 1),
located on the site of a former 800-MW
coal-fired power plant, is among the
6
largest connected to the Belgian highvoltage
power grid, and also one of the
first four-hour-long duration BESS units
in the EU. Officials during a launch ceremony
in March said the project " highlights
the importance of battery energy
storage systems for the energy transition
throughout Europe. "
Gabriele Buccini, general manager for
Business Development Energy Storage
at Wärtsilä, told POWER the company
" is proud to deliver one of the largest
energy storage systems in Belgium to
date. Our energy storage technology is
playing an important role in supporting
the energy transition in Belgium and
the surrounding Benelux region by balancing
the grid and helping to integrate
more renewable assets as the country
phases out of nuclear power by 2025. "
Buccini continued, " As Europe looks to
reduce its use of fossil fuels and nuclear
dependency, there is a growing opportunity
for companies like ours to lead
the way to a 100% renewable future, "
which she said includes a focus " on
delivering flexible solutions and power
system optimization technology
to
make net-zero a reality. "
Officials acknowledge that energy storage
becomes more important as the use
of renewable energy grows, supporting
integration of solar and wind, and stability
of power grids. It's among several factors
impacting Europe's electricity mix.
" The viability of renewable energy
technology in Europe will depend on maturity
and cost-effectiveness, availability
of natural resources, infrastructure and
regulation, among other factors, " said
Neil Walker, director of Macro Modelling
and Scenarios at Oxford Economics.
" These conditions are different in each
country. In general, the more-established
technologies like solar PV [photovoltaic]
and offshore wind are the most viable
given their technical maturity and costs,
which have come down over the past
decade. But there are some exceptions;
for example, hydropower is dominant in
Austria and Latvia due to their rivers and
high precipitation. "
Some countries that have relied on
hydropower are concerned about a mild
winter across much of Europe. A lack
of snow and rainfall over the past few
months, following heat waves in some
areas last summer, mean there could
be less water available for hydropower,
which historically has been Europe's second-largest
renewable energy resource.
The IEA said electricity produced by hydropower
in Europe was down 18% last
year. That could mean a bigger role for
other generation resources.
Said Walker, " For renewable technologies
to take on a bigger portion of the
energy mix, investments in storage solutions
[batteries], upgraded grids, and
transmission connections will be necessary.
Government policy should also be
predictable and supportive to encour1.
The 25-MW/100-MWh grid-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) in Ruien is one of
the largest connected to the Belgian high-voltage grid as well as one of the first four-hour long
duration BESS units in the European Union (EU). Courtesy: Wärtsilä
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