wiredinUSA August 2015

Ulrich Spiesshofer

Germany’s growing green power

ABB will link the power grids of the United Kingdom and Norway, increasing security of power supply for both countries and supporting the integration of more renewable wind and hydroelectric power into their networks. The order was placed by Norway’s Statnett and the UK’s National Grid. ABB will supply HVDC converter stations at both ends of the North Sea network (NSN) link between Norway and the UK. “We are very pleased to be working with Statnett and National Grid to support the integration of the European energy market,” said ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer. “HVDC is a core technology pioneered by ABB and a key business focus in our next level strategy.” When wind power generation is high and electricity demand low in the UK, power will flow via the link to Norway, allowing it to conserve water in its reservoirs. When demand is high in theUK, but with insufficient wind, electricity fromNorway’s hydroelectric plants will flow to the UK. The NSN link will have the capacity to transmit 1,400MWof power, passing through Norwegian and British waters. The 730km link will be the world’s longest subsea power interconnection, and is expected to enter commercial operation in 2021. Give and take power link

In the first half of 2015, Germany added over three times the amount of offshore wind capacity than in the same period of 2014. Data from VDMA, the engineering association, showed that 1,765MW of new offshore capacity was installed in the first six months of 2015, compared with 492MW in January–June 2014. With regulatory hurdles and questions over onshore connections resolved, investors are attracted to the technology and are helping Germany achieve its ambitious plan to use more renewable power. Current permissions and construction activity mean capacity additions for the whole of 2015 are likely to reach 2,250MW, taking overall installed capacity to 3,300MW. Legislation planned by the government for 2016 will change the fixed-price schemes of the past to auction-based models. This will bring green energy into the wholesale power market, and away from the subsidies that allowed operators to overcome initial problems, stand the costs of new technology and exploit the advantages of big turbines and steady winds far out at sea.

wiredInUSA - August 2015

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