Europe's grid is stuck in the slow lane and it's hurting renewables

Frans van Hulle says the fault does not lie entirely with TSOs

There is good news and bad news regarding ­Europe’s much-needed grid overhaul, according to Frans van Hulle, senior technical adviser at the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

First the good. Never has there been a greater appreciation of the need to massively integrate, modernise and expand Europe’s scattershot electricity networks to make way for renewables in the run-up to 2020, when it is committed to getting 20% of its energy from renewables; cutting energy consumption by 20%; and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20%.

“This is not a problem that can be solved in the little corners of various countries, and everyone understands that clearly,” van Hulle says. “This is a problem that needs to be approach…

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