European Scientists Recommend Urgent Endeavours for Resource- and Environmentally Friendly Power Generation

The Scientific Advisory Board of VGB PowerTech comprised of 30 professors for power generation technologies from eight European countries has compiled its view of the current European power supply situation and its concerns and recommendations for future research requirements in this field in a new report. The experts from all fields of power generation assess developments and provide detailed recommendations for a resource- and environmentally gentle power production and its rearrangement towards a maximum of CO2-saving production technologies.
  • On scientific basis the European power supply must incorporate all energy sources to meet goals of environment protection and security of supply.
  • Research for future power plant technologies should be intensified.
  • Grid improvements and power storage will play the key role for further integration of renewables.

The Scientific Advisory Board of VGB PowerTech - the technical association of heat and power producers in Europe -, comprised of 30 professors for power generation technologies from eight European countries, has compiled its view of the current European power supply situation and its concerns and recommendations for future research requirements in this field in a new 32-page report Power Plant Options for the Future - Power Plants 2020+.

The experts from all fields of power generation assess developments and provide detailed re-commendations for a  resource- and environmentally gentle power production and its rearrangement towards a maximum of CO2-saving production technologies:

  • Europe is technology leader and must take a predominant role in the rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions - especially CO2;
  • power generation must play the key role there;
  • whereas the full available portfolios of primary energies and conversion technologies must be utilized.

The Advisory Board assumes - even after the world economic crisis and despite of all saving efforts - a historically relatively moderate increase of EU power production of 0.9%/year from 3.300 TWh in 2005 to 3.700 TWh until 2020. On top of this additional demand of 400 TWh a replacement demand of 800 TWh will be required by then.

The report assumes that this demand will have to be covered by the three technology pillars

  • coal combustion and -gasification;
  • renewable energies (mainly offshore wind and solar energy) and
  • nuclear power.

The following frame conditions will have to be met:

  • According to current political strategies, renewables are bound to deliver an increasing share to power generation. Their share should reach 50% e.g. in Germany until 2030. This would impose special implications on security of supply.
  • Renewables can, because of their supply characteristics, be regarded only to less than 10% of their installed capacity as secured power, enabling them - as long as sufficient power storages do not exist - to substitute fuels, but practically no power plants (back-up-capacity still required for load control and grid stabilization).
  • In order to facilitate the further expansion of renewables in this dimension and to maintain the stability of the electrical grids, centralised power generation will remain indispensable,
  • this generation must be climate compatible, meaning that CCS technology (Carbon Capture and Storage) will have to be applied.
  • Pump storage capacities are practically exploited in Europe, high-voltage grids are already used to their limits,
  • other  proposed storage options like compressed air storages or batteries (incl. batteries for cars) will not be economic in the timeframe under discussion,
  • taking this into account, the potential of chemical storages at industry sites in Europe should also be investigated as a promising and technically broad option.
  • The High Temperature Reactor (Generation IV) is the only available CO2-free high-temperature energy source (apart from power generation purposes) for chemical transformation processes, e.g. for the production of hydrogen by hot steam electrolysis or for the production of synthetic fuels (e.g. methanol) from coal.
  • In the long term a decarbonised hydrogen-/synfuel economy should be targeted. Because of the still missing infrastructure and of technical challenges some decades will still be required for such a transformation.

In order to proceed on this roadmap in the timeframe to 2020+ the Scientific Advisory Board of VGB has formulated research targets. Their realisation could form the basis for the exploitation of the development potentials for increase of efficiency, resource saving and environment protection and which should be supported especially.

Download Power Plant Options for the Future - Power Plants 2020+ (English)


The Scientific Advisory Board of VGB PowerTech e.V. is an independent body, which supports the association in all matters of research, development and education. It is comprised of 30 experts from eight European countries, they represent all fields of power production and cover all topics from basic research to applications.