Future-proof technologies
The growing shares of variable renewable electricity challenge the stability of the power grid and security of energy supply – a critical factor for Europe’s economy. Flexible generation and storage capacities will increasingly be needed to balance supply-demand variations, compensate weather forecast errors and ensure supply during longer periods of time – as provided by thermal power generation. In combination with medium-, long-term and seasonal storage solutions, such as thermal or chemical storage, turbine-based power plants offer flexible, reliable and stable power and heat – independently from weather conditions.
Investments in turbine-based renewable power generation are sustainable and future-proof,
which do not result in stranded assets nor lead to carbon lock-in.
Where both electricity and heat are needed, turbines offer one of the most efficient solutions: the simultaneous provision of power and heat in so-called cogeneration plants. These may be used in industrial settings or in connection with district heating networks, where the use of resources is maximised, contributing to achieving the EU energy efficiency target and helping decarbonise the heat sector.
The energy system needs can be met in a sustainable manner with the help of gas and steam turbine technologies, since they can operate with gases and heat of renewable origin in the same way they do with some more conventional sources. This ability includes the switch of existing power plants to decarbonised options when these become increasingly available, supporting the transition to a climate-neutral economy. Investments in turbine-based renewable power generation, therefore, do not result in stranded assets nor lead to carbon lock-in.