In the first half of 2024, around 50 percent of the electricity used in the EU came from renewable sources of energy – which is both an impressive result and a great challenge for the entire energy system. Where are the glitches in the integration of volatile electricity from renewables and what can we do about them? At the EM-Power Europe Conference, energy experts from all over Europe will be discussing this question.
The ongoing challenges of the energy transition include the modernization and expansion of obsolete power grids and the preservation of system stability and system resilience. The lack of material and qualified staff adds to the problems. The session Developing the Future Grid, co-hosted with GEODE, will be exploring how we can develop a power system that will not just be reliable and save, but also flexible enough to meet the requirements of a renewable 24/7 energy supply through technological innovation and political reform.
A large part of the decentralized energy transition takes place at the level of the low-voltage grid, but transmission systems are also important for taking renewable electricity from the generation centers, such as large wind farms on the coasts, to where it is consumed. The rising need for high-performance connection points for storage systems, electrolyzers and computer centers must also be met. This is the topic of the session Tackling Transmission and High-Capacity Connection Challenges at the EM-Power Conference, which will be exploring how to overcome technical, regulatory and logistical hurdles.
Large-scale storage systems and electrolyzers are just two of many options for flexibly adapting the electricity demand to volatile generation patterns. Households, buildings and industry also play a key role in this. To prevent the system from being overburdened, electrified consumers must be rewarded for shifting demand to another time of the day. What are the sustainable business models that can be used for the “smart electrification of consumption”? This is the question that session partner smartEn will try to answer together with conference attendees.
Electromobility offers a particularly high flexibility potential. To use electric cars as flexible storage and for balancing out grid congestion, smart charging (V1X) and bidirectional charging (V2X) must be possible. The session on System Integration of E-Mobility, co-chaired with ChargeUp Europe, focuses on viable business models that enable the cost-efficient system integration of a growing e-vehicle fleet.
Just like mobility, the industry plays a key role in offering more flexibility for the energy system and help reach European climate targets. Its widespread electrification will lower energy costs, boost efficiency and strengthen the competitiveness of European industry. A session co-chaired with Eurelectric will look at available strategies for achieving this.
Hight-tech for the energy transition
The challenges of the energy transition cannot be tackled without innovation and digitalization. The European Commission estimates that grid operators will need to invest at least 170 billion euros in grid digitalization and intelligence by 2030. In the Innovation and Digitalization session, co-chaired with E.DSO, experts will be discussing the implementation of state-of-the-art technologies such as disruptive AI, GenAI, digital twins and 5G, and the role they play in shaping industry 2.0.
By the way, you can also attend the Intersolar Europe, ees Europe and Power2Drive Europe Conferences with just one ticket. You will have even more networking opportunities at the “Bavarian Night” on the evening of the first conference day, where you can enjoy Bavarian specialties, draught beer and great live music.
