Europe and North Africa could be powered solely by renewable electricity by 2050 through the implementation of a "SuperSmart Grid", according to a report issued this week by global
advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
According to Energy Source, the achievement of 100 per cent renewable electricity would address energy security and supply concerns, while decarbonizing electricity generation and reducing energy poverty, according to the study. The proposed SuperSmart Grid would allow load and demand management for power independently of where and when the electricity is generated. The system would capitalize on natural resources and established weather patterns and would incorporate: southern Europe and North Africa's solar power potential; the hydro
capability of Scandinavia and the European Alps; onshore and offshore wind farms in the Baltic and the North Sea; Europe's potential for tidal and wave power; and biomass generation across the continent. According to Gus Schellekens, director of sustainability and climate change at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Europe is now at a crossroads, where the choice and ability to achieve renewable power at scale is evident. "Opportunities to use clean and affordable natural sources of electricity have been flirted with over the past 150 years. This study lays out a clear framework of how this time could be different", he says. The dominant source of European power is fossil fuels (55 per cent), while nuclear power provides 30 per cent and 15 per cent is derived from renewable sources. According to the PwC study, a renewables-powered Europe would change the landscape for consumers and business. Electro-mobility could be introduced on a mass scale, eliminating the carbon costs of day-to-day transport for people and goods.
