Current power transmission infrastructures, especially in China, the United State,s and the European Union, do not effectively channel energy sourced from renewable sources, a report released by a think tank shows.
The report from Washington-based environmental policy organization World Resources Institute examined the relationship between renewable energy and electricity transmission, in the process highlighting challenges that the alternative sector faces especially in the three large markets where the problem seems to loom large.
Issues seem to be largely political. In the European Union, investments in transmission projects tend to be difficult because of local opposition to large-scale infrastructure projects in some areas.
But the study asserts that the bloc’s slow economic growth can be traced to poor transnational coordination and enforcement powers.
In China, current transmission investments go to wind farms in the country’s remote northern and northwest regions.
However, disagreements between grid operators and wind developers on technology standards and planning complicate the transmission of renewable electricity.
Meanwhile, in the United States, weak jurisdiction coordination in transmission siting and approval impedes transmission projects.
The institute says transmission policies globally must evolve, and planning must be done on how exactly intermittent sources of electricity can be effectively connected to the power grid.
A huge factor preventing policies to be on par with clean energy ambitions is concern over associated costs and reliability.
The report’s authors, however, say the current transmission infrastructure must shape up if investors and policymakers want to be a part of a $240-billion worth renewable energy market.
