Page 40 - Industrial Plants

Figure 1 - Number of
weather-related loss
events worldwide
1980 – 2020. Source:
Munich Re -
NatCatSERVICE

Meteorological events Hydrological events Climatological events
(Tropical storm, extratropical (Flood, mass movement) (Extreme temperature,
storm, convective storm, drought, forest fire)
local storm)

Accounted events have caused at least one fatality and/or produced normalized losses ≥ US$ 100k,
300k, 1m, or 3m (depending on the assigned World Bank income group of the affected country).

Approaches may vary by geography, both in terms of into the electricity system is not a simple task, as RES
scope and of degree of enforcement, with some production depends on the instant availability of wind
Italy-Montenegro regions leading the effort while others following, tools and sun, sources that cannot be stored as oil and gas,
HVDC link - Kotor devised to reach targets may differ, but one trend and therefore lack their firmness and dependability. The
converter station emerges clearly: decarbonization efforts are latter statistically increases with the geographic
valve hall
increasingly ambitious over time, along with the sense footprint where energy can be instantly exchanged: if
of urgency that climate change is a wind dies here, most likely there will be abundant wind
planetary issue that needs to be elsewhere, and to some extent this is also true for the
tackled right away. Please see the sun radiation. Therefore, to effectively address the
“Decarbonization targets” box for dependability issue, power transmission networks
details. must not only connect an unprecedented fleet of new
How will the power sector and RES production plants, but also enable to move their
power transmission grids produced energy much farther apart than in the past,
contribute to decarbonization? increasing their capacity and the mutual support
Their role is crucial in many ways: between distant areas.
electricity is the most decarbonised
energy vector due to its ability to “Decarbonization will require
integrate carbon neutral renewable a substantial shift to electricity
energy sources (RES) like solar and as energy vector, resulting in
wind, and the one that, more than electricity demand growth even after
any other, allows for a real increase considering the improvement in
in energy efficiency. Decarbonization energy efficiency
will therefore require a substantial
shift to electricity as energy vector, Electricity networks therefore play a twofold crucial role
resulting in electricity demand in a global warming scenario: on one hand they are on
growth even after considering the the receiving end of extreme weather events triggered
improvement in energy efficiency by climate change and must sharply increase their
(just consider, for example, the resiliency to continue supplying their essential service;
expected radical shift from fossil on the other hand, they are at the very forefront of the
fuel based to electric vehicles). But fight against climate change. Because of the above,
integrating a large portion of RES worldwide grid investments surged in recent years, and

IndustrIal Plants - September 2021
38