IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2015 - 28

dc
New

Subsea Cable
Underground Cable

Update

Overhead Line
Subsea Cable
Underground Cable

Overhead Line

New

Subsea Cable
Underground Cable
Overhead Line
0

2,000

4,000

6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000 18,000 20,000
Number of Kilometers

figure 6. A breakdown of transmission technologies foreseen by TYNDP 2014.

2014 after further consultation with stakeholders. The four
visions it presents regarding the generation mix in Europe by
2030 (see Figure 5) are not a forecast of the future but rather
a wide range of possible alternatives. It is highly probable
that the pathways will in fact fall within the range described
in these visions.
The key findings of this exercise are:
✔✔ RES development will be the major driver for the
development of the European electricity grid through
2030. Much of the existing generation capacity will be
replaced by new capacity, most likely located differently
and farther from load centers and incorporating substantial RES development. This transformation of the
generation infrastructure is the major challenge for the
high-voltage grid, which must be adapted accordingly.
✔✔ Up to 2030, approximately 100 major investments are
needed. The value of these investments is €150 billion, out of which €50 billion relates to subsea cables.
These investments will bring significant positive economic and environmental impacts. It is expected that
due to further market integration, bulk power prices
will be reduced by €2-5/MWh. These investments will
also enable the mitigation of 20% of the power sector's
CO2 emissions by 2030.
✔✔ Interconnection capacity must double throughout
Europe. In certain regions, however, these capacities
should increase even more-in some cases, triple-
by 2030. The most critical areas of concern are the
four main "electric peninsulas" in Europe. The Baltic
states have a specific security of supply issue, requiring a stronger interconnection with other EU countries.
Spain, Portugal, Ireland with Great Britain, and Italy
show a similar pattern. These are all large systems (50-
70 GW peak load) supplying densely populated areas.
They also have high RES development prospects, and
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ieee power & energy magazine

as such they require increasing interconnection capacity
to enable the development of wind and solar generation.
✔✔ Various solutions will contribute to these developments. The technologies that will be used to ensure
they become reality are presented in Figure 6. In 10%
of the cases, the upgrade of overhead lines should
prove sufficient. For overseas connections, however,
dc technology is required. A coordinated effort of
TSOs will be needed to optimize the use of dc links
and to create an offshore grid across the northern seas.

R&D Road Map
The R&D road map is the deliverable having the most overarching and general view, encompassing issues across all
categories of energy system challenges over a 20-year window. It outlines the R&D actions needed to meet European
energy policy targets. The R&D challenges will be addressed
together by the TSOs, especially through the further development of the ENTSO-E R&D road map and with projects
developed in common (for more details, see the article by
Van et al. in this issue).
The R&D road map is organized into six clusters around
issues of grid architecture, integration of power technologies,
new tools for network operation, market designs, asset management, and collaboration between TSOs and DSOs. One
major issue addressed by the R&D efforts and supported by
common efforts of the EC and the TSOs is the integration of
fluctuating renewables (for more details, see the article by
Lorenzo et al. in this issue).
The size of the investments required for effective TSO
R&D is relatively small, yet the potential long-term benefits
of R&D work are enormous. For R&D to be truly effective, resources must be invested in both capital goods and
the workforce. The total R&D budget is estimated to be
€1 billion for the period 2013-2022.
january/february 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2015