currENT Study: The Benefits of Innovative Grid Technologies
In December 2021, the WATT Coalition’s European counterpart currENT released The Benefits of Innovative Grid Technologies with research firm Concentec. This study evaluated dynamic line ratings, advanced power flow control, and superconductors in Western Europe.
The study found that these technologies could reduce the congestion and redispatch costs by more than 90% and the congestion-related curtailment of renewables infeed by 3 TWh in 2030.
Another important result was that the three technologies were complementary in their impact on reducing congestion and enabling more renewable energy production. See a webinar presentation on the results below.
This study adds to the body of literature demonstrating the value of Grid Enhancing Technologies. The WATT Coalition’s Unlocking the Queue with Grid Enhancing Technologies by the Brattle Group demonstrated that dynamic line ratings, advanced power flow control showed that GETs could be deployed in the to:
- Reduce carbon emissions equal to taking 20 million cars off the road (90 million tons per year)
- Save $5 billion every year on energy, with upfront investment for the technologies paid back in just 6 months
- Create 330,000 local construction jobs, and 20,000 high-paying operations jobs
- Double the amount of renewables that can be integrated prior to building large-scale transmission lines.
See the rest of the results from Unlocking the Queue here, and download the currENT/Concentec Benefits of Innovative Grid Technologies here.