António Pedro Santos / Lusa
The importance of natural gas in the stability of the electrical system. University has innovative and intelligent energy services.
The president of Eurogas argues that what left Portugal and Spain without electricity for more than 10 hours demonstrated the importance of natural gas in the stability of the electrical systemand points out Portugal as a key piece in the European energy transition.
“Portugal already depends in much of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) And it is planning to replace up to 20% of fossil gas with biomethane and green hydrogen. This is perfectly aligned with the European view to decarbonize the system by maintaining resilience, ”said Cristian Signoretto, president of the European Gas Sector Association, in an interview with Lusa.
The official pointed out that the gas turbines They provide inertia to the system – ability to maintain the stability of the power grid – and are fundamental to ensure balance when renewable sources, such as sun and wind, do not produce sufficient energy.
“Gas turbines were essential during the April blackout, highlighting the need for robust technical solutions to ensure the safety of supply,” he said.
In this sense, it argues that the European energy transition should maintain technical solutions capable of ensuring supply safety.
During the incident that affected the entire Iberian peninsula, they were Activated two centrals Autonomous Autonomous Capacity (‘blackstart’): One hydroelectric (goat castle) and one in natural gas (tapada do hill), which allowed to restore the electrical supply.
In addition, Cristian Signoretto pointed out that Portugal It is well positioned to be a key in the European energy transition thanks to its potential in renewable energies and green gases.
Regarding green hydrogen, He pointed out that Portugal and Spain are “blessed with sun and wind”, presenting a high potential to supply the domestic market and for export. “Turning renewable energy into hydrogen will allow the system to stabilize and create a new industrial sector. Portugal is an attractive investment destination, but it is necessary to accelerate support and demand,” he added.
Although several projects are delays due to financing and demand limitations, the president of Eurogas advocates a pragmatic approach to the development of hydrogen. “It is preferable to have hydrogen with 60 or 70% decarbonization now than to wait for a 100% green scenario and run out of alternatives,” he said.
In addition, it stressed that the decarbonization of the European energy system should integrate natural gas and low carbon gases, as “it is cheaper to decade the gas than electrify everything.”
The official also pointed out that sectors such as the residential and the industrial still depend strongly on gas, and the total replacement with electricity faces technical and financial limitations. “The electrification of the last mile is significantly more expensive than integrating renewable gases through technologies such as biomethane, carbon capture and storage (CAC) or low carbon footprint,” he explained.
Eurogas defends an energy transition based on technological neutrality, that combines electrification, clean molecules and viable industrial solutions. For Cristian Signoretto, the key is to reach the goal of null liquid emissions, regardless of the technology used. “Too rigid or idealistic climate goals can compromise political and social adherence to the transition process,” he concluded.
Flexibility Solutions
The University of Coimbra, the Institute of Systems and Robotics (ISR), has solutions for the flexibility of the national power grid to mitigate Effects of potential energy cuts.
In the last two and a half years, the ISR team has been working on development of innovative and intelligent energy services Which aims to optimize and reduce energy consumption in buildings, read in a statement sent to ZAP.
ISR also bets on strategies for orchestration/conjugation Energy services, which reduce consumption and create flexibility for the national power grid to mitigate the effects of potential power cuts or blackouts.
Researcher Nuno Quaresma explains that the idea of the project is to show that the concerted management of energy services allows not only to reduce costs, but also to eliminate energy waste (consumption in standby and the incorrect use of equipment), allowing very significant energy savings.
«Os Results are very promising. The integrated package of energy efficiency services, which is being tested, combines efficiency in consumption, distributed renewable energy production, demand response, electric mobility and energy storage, ”says the coordinator.
This model «values energy efficiency, the flexibility of the demand side and promotes the commercialization of energy service packages in an integrated manner. In this sense, the main objectives focus on Ensuse consumers’ livesreduce costs, maximize the use of renewable sources and optimize the operation of energy service companies, ”says Nuno Quaresma.
The idea is to demonstrate that the conjugations of these energy services, together with electricity purchase tariffs, enable the maximization of renewable resources (solar and energy storage) and, at the same time, the reduction of buildings and energy costs of buildings.
The project is called Bungees, has more than 100 pilot projects running in Portugal, Spain, France, Czech republica and Slovakia. The results will be presented next week, on June 25th.
