Page 34 - European Energy Innovation - summer 2018 publication
P. 34
34 Summer 2018 European Energy Innovation
CLEAN POWER
small consumers and producers
make deals.
When electricity is set to be fully
decarbonised, electrification is a no
brainer. It makes it possible to power
clean transport, improve air quality
and bring solutions for buildings and
industries.
In cities, we could deploy large
scale electric public transport which
would greatly improve traffic and air
quality. China deployed over just a
few years’ time more than 150,000
electric buses. It will undoubtedly
require significant political will,
but Europe can nevertheless do
it. Cars will not only be electric,
but they will also be shared,
autonomous and connected. With
Tesla launching its E-truck and
significant developments on costs
and size of batteries, the future of
road freight seems to be more open
to technology competition, or to
a range of solutions: electric and
hydrogen or green gas trucks could
well coexist. The most difficult bits
will be maritime and aviation. But
we see already small electric and
hybrid electric planes popping up for
shorter flights which offer promising
prospects. The first one came in
2017 from Norwegian Avinor and
announced that all short-haul flights
will go 100% electric by 2040.
To achieve this clean power system, resources. We will need a predictable Electric solutions are also increasingly
we’ll need significant investments and regulatory framework and a available and cost-efficient to cool
that will come from different sources. sustainable investment environment. and heat buildings, and to replace
Utilities, service providers, but also We will need to keep capital costs in highly emitting industrial processes.
consumers will be betting on their check, with no retroactive changes As in transport, it is a matter of
own generation and storage, engaging and provide longer term investment tackling a segment at a time with
in peer-to-peer exchanges and local signals through an upgraded market tailor made solutions. Electricity can
energy communities. The same goes design. Power Purchase Agreements play a very significant role, but alone it
for grids. There is significant value between large consumers and won’t get us to a 100% decarbonised
embedded in power grids and they electricity producers have a European economy. The Paris
will be modernised and digitalised, promising future as well, with 1.1 GW Agreement has set the ambition, it
underpinning high electrification contracted in the EMEA region in is now time to innovate and create
levels and integrating decentralized 2017. In future aggregation will help solutions for all sectors of the
economy. Paris forces us to deliver
and to join forces between sectors,
industries and citizens. Because it will
take all we have to reach it. l
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