1. No Transi*on without Transmission
Assuring Public Par*cipa*on in the
EU Renewable Energy Policy
source: flickr.com
Neringa Stroputė
2014 December

2. Outline
• Context
• Public par*cipa*on and RES
• Obstacles
• RES – weakest link…
• Infrastructural blindness
• EU Policy panacea
• Transmission network – public par*cipa*on
• Conclude…no good solu*ons: only bad or
worse

3. Context
Renewable Energy Sources (RES)
79% of GHG – energy
sector
The Energy Strategy
2020 (2030)
EU – “Environmental Union”
Climate change
source: economist 2014

4. Public par*cipa*on and RES
What?
• Democracy
• Ci*zen par*cipa*on
• Who par*cipates?
Why?
• RES characteris*cs: abundance,
dispersal, variability
• Independence and economic benefit
• Integra*on of isolated regions
How?
• RED 2009/28/EC
• Decentraliza*on
• Independent producers
• Simple authoriza*on
source: Lee et al 2012

5. …In Prac*ce
Renewable energy co-opera*ves
Sources: zmescience.com 2014; guardian 2012; folkcenter.net
Connec*ng rural Europe Household genera*on

6. (V)RES – the limits to growth?
Ceiling Storage “Dumb” grid
Sources: bloomberg 2013, dailyfinance.com

7. The Crucial Cable – RES Weakest Link
ENTSO-E à 100 boflenecks in their network development plan - 80% thanks to RES!
Sources: ec.europa.eu

8. “Grid blackout threat weighs on
renewables take up in Europe”
Source: eurac*v 2012

9. Infrastructure Blindness…
Window of opportunity for change
Wider
Interconnectedness:
na/onal and EU level
Newer
HVDC vs HVAC
Smarter
“Smarten up”
Source: Andersen 2014

10. Sources: Rofmann 2013; Boie et al. 2014; Andersen 2014; Steinbach 2013

11. The EU policy panacea
Energy infrastructure – climate and energy goals
Regula*on (EC) No 714/2009 on cross-border
exchanges in electricity
2011proposal for a Regula*on on “Guidelines
for trans-European energy infrastructure”
Digital Electricity Space
Regula*on No 283/2014 trans-European
networks of telecommunica*ons infrastructure
Sources: eur-lex; falkondigital.com

12. Connec*ng Europe Facility
Source: ec.europa.eu

13. …what about the Public?
source: entsoe.com

14. Early Par*cipa*on Why?
• More efficient,
crea*ve, feasible
solu*ons
• Solu*ons - befer
accepted
• Solu*ons - respect
ci*zens rights à
Aarhus Conven*on How?
• Transparency
• Room to Maneuver
• Publicity
• Inclusiveness
(stakeholder
mapping)
• Feedback
source: Rotmann 2013

16. Conclusion
• No good solu*ons: only bad or worse…
• New perspec*ve to think about renewables!
• Transmission infrastructure mafers!
• Why?
– Climate change … (?)
– Public par*cipa*on: opportuni*es and challenges!
• The crucial cable for energy security in a
democra*c society!

17. Thank you!

18. References
• Andersen, A.D. 2014. No Transi4on without Transmission: HVDC electricity infrastructure as an enabler for Renewable Energy. In
Environmental Innova*on and Societal Transi*ons.
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• Bloomberg. 2013. Lithuania seeks renewable energy cap, producers say – they’ll sue. URL:
hfp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-14/lithuania-seeks-renewable-energy-cap-producers-say-they-ll-sue.html
• Economist. Building an energy internet. hfp://www.economist.com/node/2476988
• Economist.2013.
URL:hfp://www.economist.com/news/europe/21629387-climate-change-if-lifle-else-europe-s*ll-aspires-global-leadership-
environmental
• Steinbach, A. 2013. Barriers and Solu4ons for Expansion of Electricity Grids – the German Experience. In Energy Policy 63 (2013)
224-229.
• Rofmann, K. 2013. Recommenda4ons on Transparency and Public Par4cipa4on in the Context of Electricity Transmission Lines. Bonn:
Germanwatch.
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hfp://www.zmescience.com/ecology/renewable-energy-ecology/german-village-renewable-energy-28102014/
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hRp://grist.org/ar*cle/2009-10-13-our-old-electric-grid-is-no-match-for-our-new-green-energy-plans/
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hfp://providus.lv/upload_file/Publikacijas/2011/Energy%20islands%20in%20the%20EU%20–%20a%20challenge%20to%20a
%20common%20EU%20energy%20policy.pdf
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hfp://www.scenichudson.org/news/ar*cle/ci*zens-rally-fight-massive-power-line-proposed-valley/2014-02-11