e-Highway 2050: Media

Downloads

Press release November 2015 project results

Brochure e-Highway2050 (PDF)

Press Release April 2013 (PDF) (RTF)

Poster e-Highway2050 (PDF)

Poster e-Highway 2050 (PDF)

Presentations

Introduction: e-Highway2050: A Modular Development Plan on Pan-European Electricity Highways System for 2050 (PDF)

Press Contact

In case of any questions journalists please contact:

Deutsche Energie-Agentur (dena) GmbH - The German Energy Agency

Tel.: +49(0)30 726165-804
E-Mail: contact(at)e-highway2050.eu

For other questions or any concern, please use the contact form.

FAQ

What are the objectives of the e-Highway2050 Project?

The project aims at delivering a top-down method to support planning of the pan-European transmission network, including possible highways, capable of meeting European needs between 2020 and 2050. Further objectives of the project are to increase public acceptance of grid expansion, to optimise investment cost, to propose governance and regulatory aspects and to support standardisation of grid technology components to optimise future investment. The project aims to increase the acceptance of grid expansion by means of information exchange and consultation processes that incorporate stakeholder opinions. A portfolio of expansion plans will be proposed in which the 2020-2050 proposals optimise the investment costs over this period of time. Governance and regulatory aspects are being analysed to produce a set of proposals which will be reviewed by regulatory authorities. Standardisation efforts are focused on the optimisation of future investment with the support of the manufacturing industry.

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What is the e-Highway2050 Project?

Eight transmission system operators (BE, CZ, FR, DE, IT, PT, CH, PL) and ENTSO-E, together with 4 associations of technology manufacturers, and 16 RTDs are developing and applying a methodology for the long-term development of the pan-European transmission network. Planning of the transmission network will assume a crucial role when it comes to implementation and realisation of the European single electricity market and the decarbonisation process over the next 40 years. The results will be presented and debated with the whole electricity value chain as well as representatives of all impacted stakeholders in Europe, thereby addressing the main drivers and potential barriers for the proposed grid architecture options. The project is supported by the European Commission via the seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development.

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What are the benefits of electricity highways?

Electricity highways support the development of a single European electricity market and the decarbonisation of the EU economy.

The development of a single European electricity market emphasises the critical role of interconnections between transmission network operators. The European Commission has highlighted the need to expand interconnections. The liberalisation of the European electricity market aims to create a competitive and truly integrated electricity market in the European Union.

There is a political will to decarbonise the EU economy (see ‘20-20-20 Strategy’ and ‘2050 Energy Roadmap’). Renewable energy sources, key tool of the decarbonisation process, are located at a great distance from consumption centres, e.g. offshore wind in northern Europe or solar resources in the Mediterranean region. Integration of the large potential of renewable energy sources will dramatically change the geography of electricity flows across Europe. There is great variable renewable potential across Europe. The intermittency of renewable energy sources requires more network development for balancing purposes.

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