EURELECTRIC Annual Convention & Conference

Fabien Roques, Senior Vice President of FTI CL Energy, presented the results of a major multi client study on key market reforms needed to decarbonise and maintain security of supply in Europe – and thus “unlock” the investment challenge of the next decades. Focusing on international case studies, Latin America was identified as the most relevant region for Europe to learn lessons from. Their approach is based on a hybrid of government involvement in planning and market mechanisms to dispatch. Due to the uncertainties on the development of the sector it is difficult to determine where the power market should go in the long term. Short term “no regret actions” such as improved short term price signals for scarcity, reformed ETS and market integration of RES should be taken without delay.

Rowena McCappin, Project Director at Glen Dimplex, presented the ‘RealValue’ Project, funded under the European Commission’s ‘Horizon 2020’ research framework programme. RealValue involves testing pioneering, smart, electric thermal storage technology on a large scale to accelerate innovation. It is the first large testing of this game-changing new model for renewable energy storage. Under the project, appliances will be installed in 1,250 homes in Germany, Latvia and Ireland to collect data and analyse the business case but also barriers for the integration of small-scale energy storage in the electricity grid and market. The lessons will allow a better understanding of the challenges linked to integrating storage as a new link in the evolving energy chain.