In announcing its vision for the energy market, Wärtsilä believes that the technologies required to achieve 100 percent renewables are already available and it is therefore harnessing its own extensive capabilities to lead the change. Central to the vision is deploying assets with the necessary flexibility. The company believes that the majority of the energy produced in this new energy world will be from solar and wind, with operational flexibility provided by flexible gas assets using synthetic renewable fuels, by energy storage technology and by optimising the lifecycle of existing clean energy installations.
Wärtsilä believes that optimal paths towards a future with 100 percent renewables can be created by combining various assets and that already solar and wind in particular constitute a major share of the total power generated in a number of markets, thus driving the paradigm change in the power market. As the levels of affordable renewable energy continue to replace the existing inflexible power generating capacity, a growing market for flexible generation and energy storage solutions is being created.
“Obviously the speed of change differs between the markets, but the general pace is becoming faster and faster” said Javier Cavada, President, Wärtsilä Energy Solutions. “However, we have already reached the first milestone along the route to our vision becoming reality now that renewables are already competitive without subsidies in many regions. The next milestone will be when renewables start to replace existing inflexible thermal capacity across the globe. This will be the ultimate tipping point and, supported by reduced energy storage costs, will enable renewables to become the new baseload”.
Wärtsilä says it has committed itself to enabling sustainable societies with smart technologies, and has positioned itself at the core of future energy systems, actively looking for opportunities to develop engines for synthetic biofuels, as well as traditional biofuels.
Image: Wärtsilä
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