WindEurope: Wind Can Power Quarter of Europe by 2030

Wind energy can serve a quarter of Europe’s electricity demand by 2030 if policymakers take ambitious measures to reform EU power markets, WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson told the Flame conference in Amsterdam.

Electricity market reform is the most important way of managing a higher share of renewables in the power mix, according to Dickson.

“We can achieve this through more intraday trading, fostering demand response, balancing the system across a wider geographical area and allowing renewables to participate in these markets,” Dickson said.

On infrastructure, Dickson highlighted that transmission networks and the build out of interconnectors will also have a vital role to play in the deployment of renewable energies such as wind. Currently, the European Union has a target of 10% interconnection by the end of the decade with an indicative target of 15% by 2030.

“Flexible power generation is another central piece of the puzzle in managing the variability of renewables in the short to medium term. Of course, energy storage will also play a role in the longer term,” Dickson said.

“Flexible power must not come at the cost of reinforcing structural problems in the electricity market such as the overcapacity of polluting and inefficient power plants that are afflicting Europe today.”