Spain will require an investment of 30,000 million euros in new electricity networks to be capable of integrating, in an appropriate way, the additional renewable power set to be installed in the country until 2030, estimated at between 45 and 55GW. This is confirmed by a study on the contribution of electricity networks to the decarbonization of electricity generation and mobility, developed by Deloitte, in collaboration with the network operators.
In this study Deloitte analyzes the enormous transformation that the implementation of the new environmental requirements established by the European Union for 2030 will bring for Spain, and for the rest of Europe. The targets and obligations set in areas such as emissions, renewables and energy efficiency, will lead to the development of a decarbonization process for electricity generation and also for mobility.
The fulfillment of 32% of renewable penetration by 2030 will require the installation in Spain of between 45 and 55GW of additional technologies from renewables. This does not take into account the increase of self-consumption facilities, which today represent thousands, -according to the records-, and can reach up to one million, according to the Deloitte study. All these tremendous changes will require the electrical networks adaptation to guarantee security of supply. Likewise, the expected boost of the electric car will require, for its seamless operation, electric power transport and distribution infrastructures.
Investments in electrical networks
“To face all these challenges, 30,000 million will be necessary up to 2030 to modernize and digitalize the electricity grid and facilitate the integration of renewable and electric vehicles in the system,” said Alberto Amores, partner of Monitor Deloitte, during the presentation of the report.
The investments would be allocated to new advanced sensors that allow remote monitoring of voltage, flows, generation or frequency; the digitization of equipment such as substations and transformation centers to automate the management of networks and intermittent generation; advanced algorithms for meteorological prediction or predictive maintenance and communication infrastructures for efficient and remote management of distributed resources.
Security of supply
The Deloitte study points out that a large part of the new renewable power (solar photovoltaic and wind) will be non-dispatchable, which will involve a more complex operation of the Spanish electricity system and new monitoring and prediction equipment to guarantee security of supply.
In short, these are challenges in the short and medium term that will only be viable with an increase in the capacity of the electricity grids and through the correct management of the additional renewable gigawatts. On the other hand, the increase in international interconnection capacity will also allow a greater efficiency in the integration of renewables, improving the security of supply and the operation of the European electricity market.
The conclusions of the Deloitte study suggest that the energy transition and the integration of renewable generation and the electric vehicle will depend on an appropriate definition and integral planning of the electrical system that coordinates the renewables and recharging infrastructure deployment in priority areas and investment in electricity networks; the adaptation of the regulatory framework; and the stimulation of investments in modernization and digitization.
