Research tour: Get the grid working - how Europe's climate goals depend on a modern power network
Reaching a carbon neutral economy by 2050 means that a substantial amount of new renewable energy sources (RES) has to be integrated into the European electricity grid. Renewables are variable in nature, often decentrally located and not always naturally placed next to population centres. To overcome these challenges, electricity grids all over Europe need to be built, improved and better connected. Current projections foresee investment needs of 114 billion € into electricity infrastructure by 2030 if Europe is to reach a share of 48-58% RES. If it is to meet more ambitious targets, even more investment will be needed.
Today, grid infrastructure projects all over Europe face similar hurdles and challenges. Next to legal and resource constraints, there are concerns by citizens and environmental organisations about health and environmental risks. It is therefore necessary to rethink the way grids are developed to reach more transparency and protect nature from the outset.
The tour aims to answer the following questions:
-
what role do grids have in the energy transition?
-
what challenges arise when integrating high shares of renewables?
-
how are grids planned on a national and inter-European level? What are the political priorities for the coming years?
-
how is grid development regulated?
-
what are citizens' concerns and how can they be involved in a meaningful way?
-
what options are there to protect nature when developing infrastructure?
Application deadline is 25 October.
Frequently asked questions on logistics, documents and costs
The research tour is open for journalists from the European Union and the U.S.
By submitting your application, you agree that your name, medium, country of residence and e-mail address will appear on the list shared with all participants. Application is possible via the form on our website.
Please apply by clicking on the red 'Apply Here' button above and apply in English. The deadline for applications is 25 October 2019. We will inform you of the outcome of your application no later than 4 November 2019. Please make sure to have access to your e-mail, and check the spam folder. If your application has been sucessful you will receive a confirmation e-mail from CLEW not later than 4 November. In that event please confirm your participation until 6 November. Otherwise we will give your place to another applicant.
Presentations during the workshop will be in English.
Participation in the research tour is free of charge. All expenses incurred during the tour, including vegetarian food, accommodation, and transport, will be organised and covered by Clean Energy Wire. We book the rooms for Sunday night and Monday night.
The official programm will start on Sunday afternoon, November 24 at 3 p.m. in Aachen, Germany nearby Aachen central station at Hotel ibis Aachen Marschiertor (Friedland Strasse 6-8, Aachen 52064) and will end on Tuesday, November 26 at 5 p.m. in the centre of Brussels, Belgium at First Euroflat Hotel (Boulevard Charlemagne 50, Brussels).
Clean Energy Wire will also reimburse the costs of an overnight stay (economy class, max. 100 Euro) from Tuesday to Wednesday if your travel options force you to stay overnight.
Local transport during the tour will be organised by Clean Energy Wire. Participants are kindly asked to organise their own travel to Aachen, Germany and from Brussels, Belgium.
Participants are kindly asked to organise their own travel to Aachen cental station, Germany and from Brussels centre, Belgium independently (economy class).
The official programm will start on Sunday afternoon, November 24 at 3 p.m. in Aachen, Germany nearby Aachen central station at Hotel ibis Aachen Marschiertor (Friedland Strasse 6-8, Aachen 52064) and will end on Tuesday, November 26 at 5 p.m. in the centre of Brussels, Belgium at First Euroflat Hotel (Boulevard Charlemagne 50, Brussels).
Please look into the CO2- Budget (by using train and public transport) and the costs of your trip (e.g. check whether it is more cheaper to arrive at and fly back from Dusseldorf or Cologne/Bonn Airport than from Maastricht/ Aachen Airport and use the train for the last miles if you are forced to fly). If you are not sure, please get in touch with us and let us know which travel options you have mind.
We would kindly ask you to make your own travel arrangements (economy class), which we will then reimburse after the research tour upon the submission of your original receipts. Please look into the CO2- Budget and the costs of your trip.
If your application has been successful, we will send you a reimbursement form. Please bring the travel receipts and the form, printed and signed, to Germany. It is not possible to reimburse the travel expenses in cash. The earlier we receive all necessary documents, the earlier we can start the reimbursement process.
We do not reimburse visa fees or insurance costs.
Please apply by clicking on the red 'Apply Here' button above. The deadline for applications is 25 October 2019. We will inform you of the outcome of your application no later than 4 November 2019.
Please make sure to have access to your e-mail, and check the spam folder. If your application has been sucessful you will receive a confirmation e-mail from CLEW not later than 4 November. In that event please confirm your participation until 6 November. Otherwise we will give your place to another applicant.
Deadline for submitting the reimbursement form, printed and signed, and the travel receipts to a CLEW member is the research tour itself.
If you would like us to provide you with a letter of invitation for your visa application, please send an e-mail to event@cleanenergywire.org. Please make sure you have a visa appointment at the embassy or consulate well before the research tour to leave enough time for processing your visa.
The character limit is specified in the boxes. Note that it includes paragraph breaks. If you have removed all paragraph breaks and are otherwise 100% certain that you are below the limit specified, try using a different internet server. For example, if you have previously tried submitting unsuccessfully via Google Chrome, try Internet Explorer.
Please check your spam folder for an automatically generated email, which asks you to confirm that you indeed submitted an application.
You will then hear from CLEW regarding the outcome of your application no later than 4 November 2019.
Programme CLEW RGI research tour_Get the grid working_24-26 Nov 2019_191119 Don't hesitate to get in contact with us via event@cleanenergywire.org.