As the United Nations climate meetings in Copenhagen get under way, nine European countries have pledged to create a “supergrid” in the North Sea to encourage the growth of offshore wind power.
The move, announced on Monday, did not allocate any funds, but stipulated that a plan for moving forward should be crafted next year.
“It is a huge step towards meeting our common renewable energy goals and in guaranteeing a low carbon future,” said Eamon Ryan, Ireland’s minister in the department of communications, energy and natural resources, in a statement. Europe aims to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
The countries signing the “North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative” include Denmark, the host of the climate meetings, as well as Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, Britain and Ireland.
According to Mr. Ryan’s statement, the supergrid would mean that “Irish wind farms will be able to connect directly to Europe, not only securing our energy supply but allowing us to sell the electricity produced on a wider market.”
Hans Erik Kristofferson, who heads the Danish national grid, Energinet, said in a telephone interview that the project would allow existing and future offshore wind parks to connect seamlessly across national boundaries.
“We’re in the first phase now of something that could be quite huge,” he said. “The benefit is that you would be able to send the electricity where it is needed and when it is needed.” He acknowledged, however, that the cost and shape of the project were unknown.Read more: http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/europe-plans-offshore-wind-supergrid/
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