Connecting offshore wind farms to more than one energy market at a time, through what are called hybrid interconnectors, could play a key role in Europe’s transition to renewable energy.
That point is made in an opinion piece by Catherine Vandenborre, who is the interim CEO of Belgian system operator Elia Group, and Olivia Breese, the executive vice-president for Europe at Ørsted, a Danish wind developer, published by the Energy Institute, a London-based professional membership organization for those who work in energy sectors.
So far there is only one project — the Kriegers Flak Combined Grid Solution in the Baltic Sea, which connects Germany to Denmark — that does this.
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They argue the existing regulatory framework does not ensure cost-sharing agreements that recognize the asymmetrical benefits and burdens of such projects across different countries and call for a better approach.
That is why international co-operation and a political focus on the issue from the European Union are so important here. If these asymmetrical benefits are not reflected in cost-sharing agreements, the acceleration that we need will be obstructed.
The development of an international mechanism may sound complex – but examples of cross-border critical infrastructure already exist and there can be no doubt that the benefits of resolving these regulatory and planning issues significantly outweigh their complexity, both in terms of the speed at which assets can be deployed and also in terms of the cost reduction potential.
“Making hybrids happen: the case for shared offshore interconnectors in Europe,” Catherine Vandenborre and Olivia Breese, Energy Institute, May 8, 2024.
Read the full report, “Making Hybrids Happen,” presented at the WindEurope conference in March 2024.
Read the opinion piece originally published by the Energy Institute on May 8, 2024.
