Laura Otýpková
Lawyer and Head of the Responsible Energy Team
Frank Bold participated in the preparation of a new report examining the changes underway in the European energy sector and the need to modernize electricity grids to accommodate more renewable energy sources with emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
The report, led by Climate Action Network Europe, finds that aging electricity infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe is limiting the integration of renewable power like wind and solar. About a third of Europe’s low voltage grid is over 40 years old and often unable to handle two-way power flows from distributed energy resources. This has resulted in renewable energy projects being denied connection or facing high costs due to grid upgrades.
To fully realize the benefits of the clean energy transition, the report recommends governments prioritize upgrading grids, ensure regulations that allow system operators to procure flexibility services, and empower small renewable projects and energy communities. It also calls for greater regional cooperation on grid planning and cross-border interconnections.
“The study addresses one of the main sore points of the current energy transition in the CEE - the state of our grids - not only describing the current situation, but more importantly offering recommendations on how to improve it. In the Czech Republic improving grid capacity will be especially important as new rules allowing electricity sharing in energy communities take effect in 2024," says Jan Bakule from Frank Bold.
If Central and Eastern European countries act on the report's recommendations, they could accelerate deployment of renewable energy and position themselves as leaders in developing modern, decentralized and climate-friendly power systems. Upgrading electricity networks is essential to cut fossil fuel dependence and meet European Union climate and renewable targets.
You can find the interactive infographic with the report's recommendations here and also read the full report here.
To start the New Year with an interesting and thought-provoking event, Frank Bold and ClientEarth organised a screening of This Changes Everything, a documentary based on Naomi Klein’s international non-fiction bestseller.
In his political guidelines for the new EU Commission, President Juncker pledged to create a European Capital Markets Union (CMU) to increase non-bank financing of the European economy and further integrate capital markets. In this context, the EU Commission launched a public consultation in February 2015.
Frank Bold co-organised the screening of the documentary “A Dangerous Game” as part of the One World Film Festival, the largest human rights film festival in the world. Organised by the NGO People in Need, it represents a major event in the Czech Republic involving 33 cities and attracting more than 100.000 viewers every year.
