L R AS Published on Saturday 24 February 2024 - n° 477 - Categories:various sectors
The cost of adapting the global electricity network is considerable
To limit global warming to 1.8 °Celsius by 2050, the world needs to invest 3,100 billion dollars in electricity network infrastructure before 2030, according to the consultancy firm
Rystad. This investment would add 18 million kilometres of connections to the grid and use 30 million tonnes of copper. This underlines the challenge facing the physical capacity of the grid, as solar installations are being built faster than the grid is being expanded.
Last year, Ember estimated that the European grid would need to double in size over the next fifteen years to meet the continent's climate change targets. However, with recent installations of solar and wind generators, European networks are often already saturated. The grids need to be extended if we are to continue building renewable energy plants.
At the end of 2022, the FERC in the United States estimated that there was around 947 GW of new solar generation capacity waiting to be connected to the grid.
To avoid investing too much in transmission networks and building too much long-distance infrastructure, Rystad suggests developing local/residential production.
PV Tech of 16 February 2024
