Europe’s Renewables Grid Upgrade Has a Multitrillion-Dollar Price Tag

Contact Your Elected Officials

An unprecedented investment is needed to refit fossil-era grids for renewables and surging electrification. Analysts warn the cost will fall on consumers.

Europe’s ambition to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 hinges on ramping up solar and wind power, potentially tripling the amount of electricity crackling through the power grid.

Its grid, however, is a network built for steady, centralized coal-fired power. Turning this into one capable of managing vast, intermittent flows is the biggest engineering challenge since its inception.

And the potential costs of that infrastructure upgrade, without including the price tag of the solar arrays and wind farms, are increasingly being laid bare.

Recent estimates put total costs for upgrading transmission lines across continental Europe at between 2 trillion euros and 3 trillion euros ($2.2 trillion–$3.3 trillion) by mid-century.

In the United Kingdom alone, National Grid ESO projected in 2020 that achieving net-zero will require roughly 3 trillion pounds ($4 trillion) of investment over the next three decades.

Samuel Furfari, who served as a senior official at the European Union’s Energy Directorate-General from 1982 to 2018, told The Epoch Times, “The problem is that if you multiply renewable energy, you need to multiply the interconnections [between countries].”

He said that decentralized renewables demand new interconnections among hundreds of thousands of sites, each requiring costly copper cables and substations, driving the overall price tag ever higher.

“That means that you need to build new lines to interconnect all those decentralized plans, and they need to be linked … with cables, with copper cables, and this is very expensive, so it’s why they say that the price will explode.”

With binding net-zero laws in place across the EU’s 27 member states and the UK, the rapid rollout of renewables means that networks originally designed for fossil-fuel power flows need to be upgraded to cater for electricity generated by renewables.

Electricity from the power grid currently meets about 18 percent of UK energy demand (23 percent in the EU), but by 2050, it is forecast to account for roughly 60 percent of the power supply.

In the near term, total power demand to the grid may rise by up to 40 percent between 2023 and 2035.

Last month, the European Court of Auditors, authors of the 2 trillion euro to 3 trillion euro valuation, said that this sum must be spent on the grids so they can be expanded, upgraded, and digitalized to ensure “both reliable integration of renewables and security of supply. “

By Owen Evans

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

This Is America: Target™ Reparations

“This Is America” explores the cultural undercurrents pulling Western...

Blind Man’s Shutdown

Congress is playing the equivalent of Bind Man's Bluff. With the shout “tag your it” they seek to blame the other party for the government shutdown.

A Reluctant Acknowledgment: What Conservatives Can Admire in Everyday Progressives

Admirable ideological qualities seen in liberals and left-wing individuals are those of the everyday believer not their political leadership.

Ensuring Domestic Tranquility

The Supremacy Clause in Article VI of the U.S. Constitution establishes it as the highest law of the land, taking precedence over conflicting state laws.

Is There a 9/11 WTC and 9/10 Charlie Kirk Connection?

Strange parallels in online stories raise questions about whether Israelis and Mossad intelligence are our allies or adversaries.

Beef Prices Rise to Record High Amid Tight Supply From Shrinking US Cattle Herds

Beef prices hit record highs in the US and worldwide in September, with both international and US markets squeezed by shrinking cattle herds and demand.

Kennedy Center Annual Gala Raises Record-Setting $3.45 Million  

National Symphony Orchestra raised $3.45M at its annual Kennedy Center gala, as patrons and donors gave record support to the arts.

‘Joe Rogan Experience,’ ‘SmartLess’ Among 25 Podcasts Eligible for New Golden Globes Category

Joe Rogan’s show and “SmartLess,” hosted by Bateman, Hayes, and Arnett, are among 25 programs eligible for the Golden Globes’ new Best Podcast award.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Prison

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to 50 months and a $500,000 fine for transporting individuals for prostitution or other illegal sex acts.

Department of Energy Cancels $7.5 Billion in Project Funding

The Dept of Energy (DOE) said on Oct. 2 that it had terminated 321 federal grants funding 223 projects, amounting to about $7.56 billion in cuts.

White House Withdraws EJ Antoni’s Nomination to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics

The White House has withdrawn economist EJ Antoni’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the White House confirmed on Sept. 30.

US to Impose 100 Percent Tariffs on Foreign-Made Movies, Trump Says

President Donald Trump announced on Sept. 29 that he will impose a 100 percent tariff on all movies produced outside the United States.

Trump to Host Netanyahu at White House to Discuss Gaza Peace Plan

President Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House on Sept. 29 to discuss a ceasefire and broader peace plan for Gaza.
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

MAGA Business Central