The earth is going through a period of global warming; there are messages including from top officials, such as the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, who claim that global warming is responsible for intense phenomena, such as recent floods. Is there an alternative to decarbonization? We must realize that we are going through a difficult period, a first throughout our history, says Carlo Pignoloni, president of the Romanian Association for Wind Energy (RWEA).
“It is important to remember that there is an impact that we need to respond to urgently. Global warming is already here. We now know that we are harming the planet and we must act urgently to limit the level of damage. Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has already acted in this direction, phasing-out coal, relying on important renewable energy schemes and investing heavily in future plans. The most important car manufacturers are increasingly turning to electric vehicles. Now is the time to act”, Pignoloni he said at the Energy Strategy Summit 2020.
The field of electricity is intrinsically much more complex than that of natural gas or oil, including because of the transition, the choices to be made, the investments. Natural gas is important from the transition perspective, but if we aim for decarbonization, sooner or later we will have to give up natural gas.
“At the moment, there are multiple opportunities in Romania, this complexity of the electricity sector is well-understood at EU level and there are many funds available. The strategy still needs to be clarified, because there is competition in attracting these funds. Directive 944 is very important, it touches on many facets of the energy business, including distribution, and it must be adopted in legislation. The whole power value chain must be adapted to the Green Deal”, he added.
“We are optimistic that bilateral agreements (PPPs) have been adopted, we know that there are some difficulties in Parliament in adopting the law, but it is crucial that we have it. It is important to look especially from the perspective of consumers. The consumer is the protagonist in choosing the services and the consumer determines these changes through its choices”.
RWEA is waiting for the PPAs to be implemented. At the same time, RWEA supports initiatives in the Jiu Valley for energy transition and miners requalification, possibly to other segments supported by the Green Deal, such as wind. “It’s important for us not to leave anyone behind, even if it’s not part of our core business.”
“Then the flexibility of the system is very important. It’s part of the complexity I was referring to; in the power sector, investments are needed in the grids, in order to make it stronger, to allow further developments. Storage is also very important, hydrogen is important, even if it is more difficult to support economically. There is a lot to do and we must have a concrete plan to make these investments, especially in renewables”, Carlo Pignoloni added.