A vision for the European supergrid
When it comes to grid planning, Switzerland needs to take a long-term view beyond its borders. With the «grid of the future», Swissgrid is laying the foundations to strengthen Switzerland’s connection to the surrounding electricity system by 2040 – because the Swiss energy system is only robust if it is connected to the European grid.
Switzerland and the EU are pursuing the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050, which will require greater integration of renewable energy resources into the electricity system. However, this presents a challenge: the large-scale power plants of the future, such as onshore and offshore wind farms or solar farms, are increasingly located far away from consumer centres and large storage facilities. Huge volumes of energy therefore need to be transported over long distances in the form of electricity or hydrogen.
From grid to supergrid
With this in mind, a new course is being set for large-scale grid development in Europe through the creation over the next few decades of an HVDC supergrid. The abbreviation HVDC stands for «High-Voltage Direct Current». The supergrid is a high-performance grid operated at 525 kV. It enables large volumes of electricity to be transported efficiently over long distances with minimal losses and at lower costs. Another major advantage of direct current technology is that the electricity flows between the grid nodes are very easy to control.
Swissgrid is working with European partners on a study to show how a supergrid could enhance the current European transmission grid (high-voltage alternating current). The aim is to improve the organisation and control of cross-border electricity exchange on the north-south axis.
The HVDC supergrid is already under construction. A number of underwater cables between continental Europe and Scandinavia, the British Isles and the Mediterranean region have already been installed and are in operation. HVDC lines have also been built on land between Belgium and Germany, France and Italy, and Spain and France in order to overcome grid congestion in the existing extra-high-voltage grid.
The following map illustrates how the HVDC supergrid complements the existing extra-high-voltage grid, which is operated with alternating current (HVAC).
Advantages of the supergrid for Switzerland
The HVDC supergrid would connect Switzerland to the offshore wind farms in the North Sea and the solar farms in southern Europe. Additionally, Switzerland could also better market its storage services from the Alpine reservoirs. This would increase the availability of electricity, strengthen grid stability and bring added economic value.