SuperNode has submitted a comprehensive response to the EU’s public consultation on the EU Climate Target for 2040. The response underscores the critical need for modernising and supporting innovative electricity grid infrastructure to support Europe’s transition to decarbonisation.
SuperNode welcomes the European Commission’s commitment to proposing a Union-wide climate target for 2040 in alignment with the EU Climate Law. In its response, SuperNode acknowledges the strategic vulnerability posed by reliance on fossil fuels, as highlighted by the recent events involving Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, SuperNode strongly emphasises the urgent need to incorporate modernised and innovative electricity grid infrastructure into the EU’s strategy for decarbonisation. Notably, the call for evidence surprisingly omits any mention of grids.
The consultation response underscores that achieving Europe’s agreed-upon 2050 decarbonisation target necessitates a 2040 energy system that predominantly relies on fully decarbonised electricity, primarily sourced from variable wind power and intermittent solar power. To realise such a system, SuperNode emphasises the importance of proactive planning, demonstration, and deployment of grid-enhancing technologies and advanced power cable solutions. This includes superconducting cable systems, a technology in which SuperNode specialises. These superconducting cable systems have the capacity to move substantial amounts of power with zero electrical losses and minimal reliance on critical raw materials.
SuperNode also stresses the need for a ‘realistic consultation framework that puts our future electricity transmission and distribution system at the centre of the analysis’ and advocates for the development of reference grids for 2040, 2030 and most critically 2050. These reference grids should serve as intermediate milestones on the trajectory toward a grid configuration capable of supporting a fully decarbonised energy system by 2050.
Crucially, there is currently no existing European grid model depicting the supporting grid infrastructure needed to reach 2050 climate goals, including the Ten Year Network Development Plans (TYNDP). SuperNode strongly recommends the formulation of a comprehensive grid plan to be undertaken by an independent agency. This process should be executed in an open and transparent manner, with the Joint Research Centre being one possible candidate for this role.
Furthermore, SuperNode calls for the establishment of a technically competent body, independent of assets, to oversee the deployment of a pan-European transmission grid, to identify technology gaps, and support the path to decarbonisation. The European Commission’s central role in this process is emphasised, with the aim of modeling a post-carbon energy system that is affordable and reliable across all sectors.
You can find SuperNode’s full response here: EU Climate Target for 2040