REALISING TOTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN EUROPE’S

ENERGY SUPPLY

Dr. Eddie O’Connor, Founder and Chief Executive, Mainstream Renewable Power

20th January 2011

Complete Decarbonisation of Electricity Sector by 2050

Implies in the most likely scenario:

• 50% Wind; • 30% Solar; • 10% New Renewables; • 10% Nuclear;

So no thermal plant built after 2030.

WindExtent of the Resource:

• Limited only by the size of grid.

2050:• 50% wind generated electricity;• @2% growth in demand 1.24m MW wind plant;• @3% growth in demand 1.86m MW wind plant;

Only 0.250mMW can be built on land.

The Supergrid• 1m – 1.6mMWs to be built offshore;

• Needs the Supergrid to connect this vastly dispersed generation to where customers are at.

Definition: “An electricity transmission system, mainly based on direct current,

designed to facilitate large-scale sustainable power generation in remote areas for transmission to centres of consumption one of

whose fundamental attributes will be the enhancement of the European market in electricity. It mirrors existing AC grids in its

reliability and standards of customer service.”

Phase 1 of Supergrid

Size: 23,000 MW Length: 2,700 km.Cost: €28,000 Million Cost per Customer €0.23 Euro Cents

SupernodeThe Great Enabler:

Function: Like a router in I.T. Collects wind power from offshore wind farms, blends it with traded power from countries and dispatches it to where the price is highest.

Size 23,000 MW Length:Cost €28,000 Million Cost per Customer €T