EU Urged to Double Energy System Flexibility by 2030

The EU faces the challenge of doubling power-system flexibility by 2030 to accommodate its aim of achieving a 42.5pc share of renewables in final energy consumption. Increasing interconnection availability and using effective price signals are crucial according to a joint report involving European Environment Agency (EEA). The report highlights the significant rise in solar and wind power, constituting 60pc of all renewable power generation by 2022, with a three-times increase in capacity. Meanwhile, nuclear and fossil-fuel-fired generation decreased by about 25pc, with no major change in demand. It is expected that renewable electricity would make up 50pc of overall production by 2030. The call for complementary national and EU-wide flexibility assessments in energy and climate plans, along with strategies for distributed resources and interconnectors, is essential. Improved demand response and energy savings could potentially reduce consumption by 2030. Carbon pricing could be one of many ways to push for change and new business models.