Connecting 25 gigawatts of offshore wind to the grid among the goals. Fresh off the record-setting solar weekend in Germany, the country's transmission operators say plans are in the works for a huge transmission line buildout to accommodate growing wind power resources.
The goal is to build 3800 kilometers (more than 2300 miles) of high-voltage lines—2100 km direct current lines and 1700 alternating current lines—stretching from the Baltic coast in the south to the North Sea, which is already home to a few offshore turbines (and the government wants about 10 gigawatts of offshore wind installed by 2022 in order to help meet the country's renewable energy goals). By 2030, the hope is that more than 25 gigawatts will be installed—something on the order of 5000 turbines, depending on size.
Transmission is no easy thing to build, however. The new lines will cost around €20 billion (close to $25 billion), and there will need to be some serious buy-in from the public and politicians alike to get the project done.
Via
Dr. Stefan Gruenwald