Germany – First designs for networking projects in the North Sea have been given by the transmission system operators (TSO) 50Hertz, Amprion, and TenneT along with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK).
Future plans call for networking connecting lines from offshore wind farms with a combined 10 gigawatts of power. The power connections allow for the interchange of electricity not just with Germany’s neighboring European nations, such as Denmark and the Netherlands, but also with wind farms in other countries in the region.
There are emerging “hybrid” interconnectors that allow for more extensive international electricity trade. Trade between regions improves the welfare and supply security of Germany and Europe. Moreover, networking at sea results in better and more effective utilization of the power lines.
Benefits
In addition to the planning, the BMWK commissioned a research to look at the overall advantages of a North Sea international power grid. The findings demonstrate that networking lowers greenhouse gas emissions, improves supply security, makes better use of existing space, and saves a significant amount of money.
Increased supply security
Offshore wind farms can be linked together to greatly increase the amount of renewable energy-generated electricity that is incorporated into the European grid. Because more electricity can be imported from nearby nations during periods of high electrical demand, Germany’s supply security is increased. As a result, less electricity from fossil fuel power plants is required. By connecting offshore wind farms, greenhouse gas emissions in the power sector are reduced. When there is a large demand for electricity, costs are also lower than they would be without networking. Renewable electricity can also be exported from Germany if there is a large production of renewable energy and a low demand for electricity. German wind farm curtailment can be avoided in this way.
The TSOs’ ideas for connecting offshore wind farms will next be put into recognized planning procedures in Germany and Europe. The North Sea international offshore grid’s foundation is laid in collaboration with the TSOs of the surrounding nations.
