Claire and her three team members are researchers at Technical University of Denmark and are participating in the final with their idea; Flexibility in the Nordics.
Nordic Energy Challenge has asked the team to talk a little about their idea.
What is your idea about?
In our proposal, we develop a pathway for policy actions to develop future transmission grids in a concerted way, and to eliminate price distortions that currently disadvantage electricity in heat generation. Accordingly, we assess how fast the energy mix will transition in response to:
- Strong Nordic cooperation that brings forward the common Nordic interest as a single entity and makes the best of the Nordic electricity mix as a whole.
- The introduction of distortion-free regulatory framework conditions at the interface between electricity and heat. This means removing all subsidies and introducing capacity-based electricity grid tariffs to support flexibility signals from the NordPool market.
- Communicate the impact of limited acceptance for wind and grid projects in terms of over cost for the system and the electricity end-users.
Why and how did you come up with your idea?
The idea emerged from a common consensus from all the Nordic partners who joined their efforts into realizing this project:
The Nordic region already unites the ideal conditions (in terms of technology, resources, well-functioning market, and strong political will) to meet its sustainable energy transition targets. However, this may not be sufficient to fully meet our targets at the least cost, nor to support other countries to limit their carbon footprint. For that to happen, policy makers must take the challenge a step further and define a common energy sustainability pathway. This pathway should build on coherent regulatory framework conditions that support the best geographical and sectoral integration and promote efficient market price signals.
Our idea brings new insights into such policy and regulatory pathways. We show that the pathways should be implemented now, in a proactive manner, to hit our only window to meet and go beyond our energy targets.
How does your idea contribute to the green transition?
We demonstrate that market and sector coupling together and backed by coherent regulatory frameworks have the potential to accommodate future variable renewable energy (VRE) participation and to guarantee the reliable security of supply of energy at the least cost for the consumers.
Market and sector coupling will give access to enlarged flexibility potentials at both sectors while accelerating the use of VRE and the decarbonization across borders and energy sectors. With more interconnections, the Nordics optimally send their surpluses of wind and solar energy where it is needed and give access to their hydropower plants’ flexibility. With stronger electrification, district heating becomes free of CO2 emissions, completely integrated into the electricity system, and fully flexible.
A fully CO2 free energy sector can happen as early as in the 2030s, granting the Nordics the chance to actively contribute to the transition of its neighboring countries and to accelerate the decarbonization of other sectors of the economy.
Why is an event as the Nordic Energy Challenge important?
Events like the Nordic Energy Challenge are a base for discussion, creating consensus, and as a showcase of the Nordic approach to inclusion and sustainability.
Such events shed light on recent research and give a forum to present our main findings, reach policymakers, industry stakeholders, and civil society.
Even though our methods may differ, we are all engaged in the same race towards a common goal. Such events are therefore essential because they help us to share difficulties, but also best practices; to stimulate curiosity and new ideas and to engage in reflections, but also to warn of limitations and point to where further work is needed.
Besides Claire Bergaentzlé the team behind the idea; Flexibility in the Nordics is Philipp Andreas Gunkel, Daniel Møller Sneum, Adam Krzysztof Suski.
Rigister to watch the free livestream of the Nordic Energy Challenge