Siemens in cooperation with the Technical University of Munich has analyzed the electrical power producing systems across Europe and identified considerable potential for optimization, especially in connection with plans to expand power generation from renewable energy sources. The crux lies in the choice of correct location. If installations were built at the sites in Europe that offer the highest power yields, some EUR 45 billion of investment in renewables could be saved by 2030. This figure already includes the associated extension of the power grid. As a comparison, around EUR 10 billion were invested in new solar and wind power generating installations in Germany in 2012.
Siemens has spotlighted four main levers for optimizing energy systems worldwide that can be more or less effective depending on the regional characteristics of the power grids and the power plant fleet:
- Local optimization of renewable power installations;
- Enhancing the efficiency of the power system as a whole;
- Improvements in the power plant mix;
- More use of electric power for energy needs.
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