Deploying marine renewable energy in the EU

A Celtic perspective on interconnection

Adam BruceGlobal Head of Corporate Affairs, Mainstream Renewable PowerChairman, BWEA

The last EU Energy crunch

• 1970s oil shock• Europe’s answer – North Sea oil and gas – or Nuclear

Today...

Security of Supply: Sources of Natural Gas 2010

Norway

Russia

Neitherlands

AlgeriaEgypt

Libya

Romania

Deutschland

Ukraine

Azerbaijan

Kazhakstan

Turkeyenistan

Uzbekistanstan

Great Britain

France

1.000 km2.000 km

3.000 km

Security of Supply: Sources of Natural Gas 2025

Russia

Turkeyenistan

1.000 km2.000 km

3.000 km

Norway

The challenge for today

• 2020s fossil fuel shock• EU answer – North Sea wind and marine energy

• Challenge for today – how to build for that tomorrow

Full Load Hours/Year

Europe’s marine energy resource

• Richest resource in the world• Sufficient to provide all of EU’s

electricity requirements• Technically efficient and

commercial competitive to exploit

• Predictable fuel cost• Indigenous• Independent of external

political influences• Clean

Rising to the challenge

• Climate change: large scale CO2 free generation

• Security of supply: indigenous and sustainable energy source

• Economic competitiveness: develop new EU energy market

Marine energy will have to deliver most of the bulk renewable electricity required for 2020

• A solution: Large-scale interconnected grid for marine renewables

The

2020

Impe

rativ

e

Offshore grids – not new

Interconnection

“The value of an offshore grid...lies in its contribution for increased security of supply, its function for the aggregation of dispatch of power from offshore wind farms, and in its role as a facilitator for power exchange and trade between regions and power systems.”

A North Sea Electricity Grid Revolution 2007Greenpeace-3E

Interconnection – the benefits

Source:A North Sea Electricity Grid Revolution 2007Greenpeace-3E

Celtic Connections

• Irish, UK and Scottish governments all looking to increase renewable generation

• Existing interconnection at capacity• New onshore grid underway• But – offshore connection required

• A Celtic-Nordic Connection?– Offshore wind– Wave & Tidal– Hydro Source: Imera / New Energy Focus

A M P S • I N N O V A T I O N E F F E C T I V E N E S S S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 7

Necessary pre-conditions for regional effectiveness

Challenges ahead• The economics

– the accelerated development of an offshore grid will require a Europe wide support scheme (EU Grid Incentive)

• The technology – VSC HVDC - very low electrical losses and meshed connections

But - development work required to scale up VSC HVDC technology

– a common set of standards must be developed for connecting HVDC platforms (avoid VHS/Betamax)

• The regulation– Create a European operator who will run (not own) the network

interconnectors (The “Airbus” approach)

Conclusion

Celtic-Nordic-EU interconnection is Scotland's route to market for its renewable future

and its safety net against fossil fuel volatility.