According to CNN and other sources, nine European countries have signed an agreement to form a “supergrid” of green power sources to supply power in their area.
The idea is to have a diverse set of sources: wind, tidal, solar, all interconnected so that when wind is lighter than average, sun or tides take up the slack, and so on.
Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and the UK — hope to have the grid working within the next decade. It is seen as an essential step towards the European Union’s pledge to source 20 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.
Estimates for the cost for building such a grid connecting countries across this region including the Baltic Sea, Irish Sea and English Channel would cost in the about $40 billion, and as you might imagine, Mr. and Mrs. Project Manager, will involve the hiring of a significant number of you.
The head of the Danish national power infrastructure, Hans Erik Kristofferson, said the North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative would allow existing and future wind farms to send electricity across national boundaries whenever it is needed. “We’re in the first phase now of something that could be quite huge,” Kristofferson said.
Yes, I think $40B is rather large.
Another example, this time almost literally, of the green wave.
And…speaking of green…here is a statement on the subject from the Irish government.
Renewable Energy Resurgence
If you’re a member, make sure you log in and read the online version. You’ll find quite a treasure trove of articles on the subject and you’ll see mention of a strong upsurge in the number of projects starting to take place worldwide in this practice area. Striking examples of project management prowess overcoming obstacles are plentiful, especially in a very well-written article about the Danish Horns Rev 2 project. In particular, read about the way that PM Henrik Lehmann overcame the problem of risk identification for a project taking place far offshore, in icy waters with 10-foot-high waves. Lehmann knew that he didn’t know all of the risks himself and so brought together a team of 50 selected employees with the experience and competency in this area to help brainstorm and identify risk, which of course had the side benefit of gaining buy-in from a diverse set of contributing functional organizations. This is a huge project and the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
At the moment.
Turns out, this will be dwarfed in only a few years by another wind farm which will be thrice the size. Where is this new one to be, you ask? Well, the name will give it away – it’s called the London Array. And we suggest you go have a look at a brief video that will tell you all about it, right on PMI’s web page.
Go here to see that video. And the London Array project site is worth a visit as well.
The inspiring overall message of the issue is the fact that we’re at a sharp upswing in the deployment of these types of projects, “the steepest upward climb to date”, according to Gaynor Hartnell, director of policy at the Renewable Energy Association, London, England. This is the green wave in action and it sits right there – at the intersection of green and project management – an increasingly satisfying place to be.