Europe plans supergrid to distribute green energy

Guardian : Plans are in the works for a Europe-wide supergrid of underwater high-voltage interconnector cables to be built over the next decade. Two international interconnectors have already been placed, between the UK and France and between the UK and the Netherlands. Nine more—to include Iceland, Norway, Ireland, Belgium, and possibly other countries—are under construction, in planning, or undergoing feasibility studies. The grid would distribute reliable, clean energy from such sources as winds in Norway, strong tides around the Channel Islands, the Sun in north Africa, and volcanoes in Iceland. Because of the North Sea’s dwindling oil and gas reserves and the push for low-carbon sources, the cables are “absolutely critical” for energy security and the transmission of low-carbon energy, according to UK energy minister Charles Hendry.