The slogan of EWEA’s upcoming GRIDS 2010 conference is “the backbone of Europe’s energy future”. It is a phrase which encapsulates the unflashy yet fundamental importance of the power network.

Although many of us in the Western world may take it for granted that flicking a switch turns on the lights, more and more decision-makers and stakeholders are discussing the need to update and enlarge Europe’s grids so that the vast amounts of untapped wind energy and other renewables can be brought onto the networks.

In the latest Wind Directions, EU Science and Research Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn states that, “We need to extend grids, to bring lots of wind and solar energy online with all the benefits they have.” She adds that, “To do this, a lot of investment will be needed”, and refers to the EU infrastructure package due to be released later this year.

In another interview in Wind Directions, the European Commission’s Director-General for Energy, Philip Lowe, stresses that, “The proper development of EU grids, including high levels of penetration of renewables, is a priority for the Commission.

”The place to discuss and debate the details of what needs to be done by the Commission, industry, institutions and all the other stakeholders is at GRIDS 2010 in Berlin on 23-24 November.

Read these two interviews in full, and check out a preview of the GRIDS 2010 event in the latest Wind Directions.