14 DAY TRIAL // Specialists working with The Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research (SINTEF, for short) are now looking into the possibility to use Norwegian hydropower as a so-called blue battery for Europe.
Specifically, they wish to determine whether or not it would be possible to harvest this green energy source and use it to meet demands whenever environmental conditions make wind farms roll out less power than they normally do.
High officials in the European Union say that, by the end of the year 2011, Europe gained a total of 3.8 GW offshore wind power capacity, Alpha Galileo Foundation reports.
Besides, the European Wind Energy Association estimates that, between 2030 and 2050, this output will up to an impressive 150 GW. To put things into perspective, the Association details that this energy output is roughly the same as that of 150 medium-sized coal-fired power plants.
The SINTEF researchers say that, in order for Europe's wind energy industry to develop to such an extent, it is mandatory that efforts are made to set up power safety nets, i.e. energy-generating capacity that can at least temporarily replace wind farms whenever the latter fail to provide as much power as is expected of them.
“Today, forecasts of wind velocities provide the only information which gives us any indication of power generation levels from wind farms for the next 24 hours,” specialist Huertas-Hernando explains.
“If these prognoses turn out to be wrong, or if bad weather makes generation from the turbines impossible, we will need an effective stand-by source which can fill the energy supply gap at short notice. And this is exactly what Norwegian hydropower can do, because it makes it possible to store energy which can then be released on tap as and when it is needed,” he adds.
Interestingly enough, the SINTEF researchers argue that, according to their investigations into the matter at hand, the hydropower plants that are already installed in Norway are more than enough to offer Europe the “blue battery” it so direly needs.
Apparently, all one has to do is spruce them up a wee, and then connect them to the grid.
“We don't have to build any more new hydropower plants which have a negative impact on the natural environment. We have calculations that show that we will obtain sufficient capacity if we upgrade our existing hydropower turbines and install pump storage power plants,” Huertas-Hernando argues.