Energy Transitions: Recent Episodes
Enlit Europe
Welcome to Energy Transitions, a podcast brought to you by Enlit Europe. This podcast series brings you engaging conversations covering topics at the very core of our energy transition. Visit enlit.world.com to view the full series.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Carol Johnston, VP of Energy, Utilities and Resources at enterprise software company IFS. Johnston unpacks how AI is revolutionising the way utilities operate, the risks associated with delaying digitalisation and how AI will ultimately optimise the relationship between mortals and machines.
Listen to this episode to learn more about:
- How technology maturity is facilitating AI's increasing role in the utility business
- Why we need AI for a successful and swift energy transition
- How AI is proving to be a game changer in managing the grid and distributed energy resources
- How to manage the impact AI's energy demand is placing on the grid
- Where is AI causing the most disruption and providing the most benefit
- Key use cases of AI in utility operations
- How to maximise a digitalisation strategy
- How to prepare the workforce to ensure AI is optimised
- The safeguards needed to mitigate risks of deploying AI
In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Pamela Largue gains candid perspectives on the UK's CCUS market from Lorenzo Sani, power and utilities analyst at independent financial think tank Carbon Tracker. Sani shares findings from Carbon Tracker's latest reports which show the technology has shown little evidence of cost improvements and scalability.
In this episode you will learn more about:
- Why the UK's CCUS ambitions are not realistic and need to be reconsidered;
- The importance of policy to set realistic targets and why the UK's new Labour government needs to go back to the drawing board;
- Where CCUS will have the greatest impact in reaching decarbonisation targets;
- The challenges presented by upstream emissions for blue hydrogen and gas-CCS;
- How to ensure the carbon market is fit for purpose.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Pamela Largue spoke to Jon Salazar, Founder and CEO at Gazelle Wind Power, about why he believes floating wind is the natural next step for offshore wind.
In this episode you will learn more about:
- Why floating offshore wind is the next big thing
- What needs to happen to reduce LCOE of floating wind and Gazelle's innovation roadmap to make that happen
- How the technology needs to be standardised to create economies of scale
- The importance of addressing permitting challenges and supply chain constraints
- What makes Gazelle Power unique and what projects are they involved in
- How Gazelle Wind Power moved from a concept to a commercially viable technology, as well as how it got its name.
Radosław (Radek) Gnutek, Director of Hydrogen Projects Development at Polenergia, sheds light on the company's strategic focuses, one of which is green hydrogen. Gnutek highlighted two projects that are making an impact on areas once renowned for coal mining activities. In these regions, energy transition is most visible, with green energy projects having the potential to change the landscape, economy, and culture.
Listen to this episode to learn more about:
- Why green hydrogen holds promise for Poland's energy transition
- Specifics about projects H2 Silesia and Nowa Sarzyna CHP Plant
- The impact of clean energy projects on Silesia, an industrial hub in Poland
- The state of Poland's existing hydrogen economy
- The challenges of building a green hydrogen economy
- Technologies making the most impact in the country's decarbonisation journey
- How Poland's educated workforce can be used as an asset
This edition of the podcast is part of Enlit on the Road Poland
In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Joanna Pandera, founder and President of Forum Energii, provides an update on Poland's transition in light of recent leadership changes and the influence of European policy.
In this episode, you will learn more about:
- The impact of the energy crisis and government change
- The current Polish attitude towards green policy
- An update on the country's coal phase-out
- Technologies holding promise such as hydrogen and CCS
- The impact of polarisation on the energy landscape
- Opportunities and threats to Poland's energy transition
- Findings from Forum Energii's latest report: Energy Transition in Poland: 2024 Edition
This episode was recorded during Enlit On The Road Poland. You can find more information here.
In this Energy Transitions podcast episode, Brussels Editor and Host of the EU Energy Projects Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou, talks to Markus Rauramo, the CEO and President of Finnish energy giant Fortum and the Vice-President of Eurelectric, about Europe's road to net zero, policy robustness and the importance of technological neutrality to achieve the ambitious decarbonisation targets.
On a windy day at the Eurelectric Power Summit in Athens, they discussed:
- How ambitious EU energy policy provides incentives to energy companies;
- Why cyber security is increasingly important for the security of supply;
- How Fortum is planning for increased renewable energy integration onto the network and what role storage would play;
- What technologies are needed to ensure uninterrupted power to heavy industries;
- The different nuclear energy technologies that could assist in achieving decarbonisation goals;
- What the energy sector can learn from the Nordics.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Ann Burton, head of global BECCS deployment at Drax, about BECCS and what makes it a viable and sustainable decarbonisation solution. Burton talks about how Drax is progressing with the new energy system's project deployment, as well as the challenges, wins and lessons learned thus far.
In this episode, you will gain insight into:
- Why bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is a viable solution despite its bad reputation
- How BECCS can be sustainable
- Challenges associated with projects and how to overcome them
- An update on the 600MW North Yorkshire plant and Drax's expansion plans into US markets
- The skills needed to make these projects successful
- Why education and awareness are critical to ensure the growth of the sector
- How BECCS is developing a robust carbon credits market
In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Pamela Largue spoke to Inna Braverman, the CEO and co-founder of Eco Wave Power. Braverman details the development of her company and their technology, the challenges and triumphs encountered on the path to commercialisation, and her personal journey from a girl that no one would listen to, to a well-respected industry pioneer.
In this episode, learn about:
- The state of wave energy in Europe and across the globe
- The technology that works and doesn't work, and why
- Why onshore and near shore are less risky than offshore
- Lessons learned from pioneering wave energy projects
- Why an updated regulatory framework is critical to the success of projects
In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Kristian Ruby, Secretary General, Eurelectric and Serge Colle, Global Energy & Resources Industry Market Leader, EY, about what is needed to overcome grid bottlenecks while maximising reliability.
This episode will answer questions about:
- The importance of derisking investment through updated policy frameworks
- Incentives and derisking mechanisms to rightsize grids for 20 years from now
- How TSOs and DSO need to prepare for future challenges
- Accessing funding for grid expansion without creating a huge bill for the customer
- The importance of closing the loop between electrification needs, grid plans and climate targets
- Understanding the need to build a foundation of knowledge to guide policymakers in future decision making
Both Kristian Ruby and Serge Colle will be discussing the future of grids at the Eurelectric Power Summit, taking place in Lagonissi, Greece, 22 – 23 May 2024. The summit will address in detail the challenges and opportunities we face to keep the lights on.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Pedro Amaral Jorge, President of APREN (Portuguese Renewable Energy Association), explains how being an early adopter of renewable energy set Portugal up for success on its path to energy and economic transformation.
In this episode, we answer these questions:
- How is Portugal maximising its renewable energy resources, especially wind and hydro?
- What policy mechanisms give the country an advantage and help speed up renewables uptake?
- Why was renewable energy critical to ensuring a positive economic cycle in the country?
- Does Portugal have the skills and experience needed to achieve net zero goals?
- What is the future of transition fuels like natural gas?
- What is APREN's role in Portugal's renewable energy sector and how can renewable energy associations in other countries model their advocacy and policy efforts?
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Danielle Merfeld, Global Chief Technology Officer at Hanwha Qcells, provides insights into these expansion plans, highlighting the success of their Dalton factory, one of the largest manufacturing plants of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.
In 2023, Hanwa Qcells, founded in Germany and headquartered in South Korea invested $2.5 billion in starting a US supply chain.
In this episode, insights will be provided into:
- The capital and technical know-how needed to create a complex solar supply chain
- How Q Cells fosters innovation by centralising production processes
- Why the US market is a strategic focus for Qcells
- The importance of partnerships and investing in other suppliers to stimulate growth
- How the US policy landscape is facilitating growth and participation from European companies
- Why Europe has lost its first-mover advantage over the US when it comes to solar
- Why there is still room for innovation and disruption in the mature solar market
- How effective data management can lead to greater efficiency
Merfeld will be speaking at the World Energy Congress taking place in Rotterdam 22-25 April.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Dr Sama Bilbao y Leon, Director-General of the World Nuclear Association, delves into how the sector is implementing the lessons learned over past decades to become more cost and energy-efficient.
She also explains why she believes nuclear power is critical to providing energy security and resilience in our energy system.
In this episode you will gain insights into:
- The nuclear projects coming online around the world, including China, UAE and Bangladesh.
- Why nuclear power is critical for decarbonising industry, heating and cooling.
- New reactor technologies and why old-school, big builds are still needed.
- How innovation, digitalisation and AI are making nuclear power plants more cost-effective and efficient.
- How the nuclear power sector is embracing circular economy.
- The Net Zero Nuclear initiative and its role in ushering in the next generation of nuclear power through supporting policy and supply chain growth.
- What the sector is doing to increase diversity, as well as attract and retain women.
This episode is brought to you in partnership with the World Energy Council leading up to the 26th World Energy Congress in Rotterdam, 22-25 April 2024.
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Rotterdam, a Dutch city with one of the biggest ports in the world, is notorious for its polluting industry. In fact, the city's harbour is responsible for 20% of all emissions in the Netherlands and has more work to do than most cities to achieve climate neutrality.
However, there is hope on this emissions-heavy horizon, according to Rotterdam Vice Mayor, Chantal Zeegers.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Zeegers, who considers herself a proud 'Rotterdammer', spoke to Pamela Largue about how this city is becoming a trendsetter in terms of implementing net-zero strategies.
Zeegers shares the positive progress being made across Rotterdam industry and society and answers the following questions:
- How is Rotterdam balancing industrial growth with achieving energy transition?
- How is the city ensuring its citizens participate in and profit from the sustainability agenda?
- What policies are being employed to achieve deep decarbonisation?
- How is the national government collaborating with industry for green operations?
- Which clean energy technologies, resources and projects are making the biggest impact in Rotterdam?
- How are strong "conviction and cooperation" turning this city from an underdog into a trendsetter of energy transition in the Netherlands and Europe?
Rotterdam is the host city for the World Energy Congress taking place from 22-25 April 2024. According to Zeegers, the city is well suited to such an event as it showcases innovative solutions to all aspects of the energy transition and the impacts of climate change.
Register to be a part of the conversation
Addressing the energy trilemma of security, affordability and sustainability, while ensuring a healthy planet and better life for its inhabitants, will require more than good leadership.
It will require great leadership and collaboration, which we have never seen before.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Dr Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General and CEO of the World Energy Council, maps a divergent, uncomfortable but critical path to great leadership in energy and beyond.
Dr Angela Wilkinson shares her multi-dimensional and people-centred insights by answering the following questions about leadership in energy:
- How does the leadership in the energy transition differ from traditional leadership qualities?
- What are the differences between good leadership and great leadership?
- Why is it important to recognize emerging leaders who may not be well-known or celebrated in the energy transition space?
- How can leadership qualities in the public, private, and civic sectors be blended to drive effective energy transitions?
- What does it mean to have a "communal cookery kitchen" approach to leadership?
- How can the energy transition be redesigned for people and the planet?
- How does the people-centric approach to energy transition align with the goal of engaging a wider and more diverse pool of leaders and participants?
- Why is it important to include future generations in the dialogue and decision-making processes surrounding energy transitions?
- What role does emotional intelligence play in effective leadership?
- How can the energy transition movement promote collaboration and diverse perspectives to drive meaningful change?
This episode is brought to you in partnership with the World Energy Council leading up to the 26th World Energy Congress in Rotterdam, 22-25 April 2024.
Register to be a part of the conversation
A just transition to decarbonisation is more than merely an abstract concept. It’s a complex issue based on human rights and if ignored will result in real world consequences for vulnerable people and species.
In fact, many scholars refer to this as a ‘wicked problem’ – a problem that is incredibly difficult to solve because of the very complex and often undefined nature of it.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Susie Ho, Director of the Monash Innovation Guarantee, Monash University and Gerry Nagtzaam, Associate Professor at Monash University, unpack what it means to achieve a just transition to decarbonisation.
They elaborate on the different groups that will be most impacted by climate change and the critical importance of agreed definitions to achieve policy cohesion and ensure no one is left behind.
They describe the concept of climate justice and its various forms, with Ho explaining that there are many different forms of justice, such as inter generational justice, something the youth are championing.
“Today’s youth are going to see more severe climate impacts than any generation before and as custodians of the future what is our responsibility to them not only in terms of protecting earths life support systems and their health and wellbeing but also in terms of preparing them to lead through this change.”
Added Nagtzaam: “When we have this debate we often characterise it as we did with sustainable development, as a human problem, but it isn’t. There are myriad other species on the planet that climate change is going to affect as well.”
Both Ho and Nagtzaam also speak to the recent big issue at COPs being loss and damage, with Ho highlighting that while a great deal of funding has been mobilised, “the money that’s been pledged so far is several magnitudes short of where we should be”.
Susie Ho and Gerry Nagtzaam have coauthored a book with Diane Kraal, Katie O'Bryan and Jadranka Petrovic titled: A Just Transition to Decarbonisation: Themes of Loss and Damage, Transport, Nature and Youth. This Palgrave Macmillan title tackles the challenge of a just transition to decarbonisation based around four UN COP themes.
A minimum of controls and a maximum of simplicity used to be the defining characteristics of wind turbines. However, over the past few decades, turbines have become highly sophisticated and are now the world’s biggest rotating machines.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to two pioneers of the wind industry. Referred to as the Godfathers of wind, Denmark’s Henrik Stiesdal and Britain’s Andrew Garrad, winners of the 2024 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, describe how turbines have advanced over the years.
From building turbines in their parent’s fields in the 70’s, these two stalwarts have been on the boundary of what is possible, contributing to and witnessing wind turbines become an important contributor to the electricity supply and having a greater impact on the grid. “Gradually, as the turbines got bigger and bigger, they also became more and more complicated…going from something like a tractor in the early 80’s to more like a giant helicopter now,” explained Garrad.
The old turbines were heavier, whereas now they are lighter and smarter with enhanced controls, said Stiesdal. “They did not become more complicated just because engineers like to make them like that…they got more complicated partly because we needed them to change their behaviour,” he added.
Stiesdal and Garrad explain why bigger isn’t always better and why the industry now needs to focus on increasing efficiency and reliability rather than size. They also discuss why floating offshore wind will provide the next quantum leap in wind turbine technology.
The cleantech investment space is an ever-evolving and complex ecosystem, with increasing pressure to innovate and an increasing need for investment to bring new technology to fruition.
And while there have been some big investments over the past decade, a liquidity crunch, rising interest rates and geopolitical tumult are making the cleantech investment landscape tricky to navigate.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Joseph Jacobelli, managing partner of Bougie Impact Capital and host of The Asia Climate Capital Podcast, delves into identifying and mitigating the risks impacting the cleantech investment space.
Jacobelli unpacks the importance of policy and government support in fostering investor confidence and explains why China continues to dominate the space.
He also answers the question about which technologies are gaining the most attention from investors and why.
"What make investors most comfortable are those technologies with a long track record...and whose levelised cost of energy per unit of electricity produced is falling relatively quickly..."
Home to one of the most diverse marine energy testing facilities in the world, the Orkney Islands are a picture of natural beauty, as well as green energy innovation.
The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) began testing technology in 2004 and since then, the Centre and the industry have developed in leaps and bounds.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Neil Kermode, Managing Director of the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), about the origins of tidal and wave energy and how EMEC has played a role in the development of the marine energy sector.
"People realised the best way to try and bring an industry forward is to have a test centre where you can get ideas out of the lab or out of the bathtub and get them to into saltwater..."
In the 20 years that the test centre has been functioning, 35 different types of technology from 22 different developers across 11 countries have graced the waters around Orkney.
The centre has seen a great deal of progress. One of the first milestones saw the world's first floating deepwater offshore wave machine generate power into a national grid. EMEC has also been making hydrogen from power generated by an Orbital Marine turbine and is generating synthetic fuels using air-captured carbon, something that holds great promise for aviation.
Listen to this episode to hear what's next for tidal and wave energy.
The energy sector is facing multiple challenges that require innovation that goes beyond technology.
From energy security to economic turbulence and a changing energy mix, it has been a bumpy road for the energy industry in the past few years.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue spoke to Claudia Blanco of GE Vernova about the role of policy, technology and specifically leadership in solving these challenges now and for future generations.
During the conversation, that took place at Enlit Europe 2023 in Paris, Blanco speaks passionately about the progress that has been made so far, for example in terms of making gas plants hydrogen-ready.
However, she also addresses the fact that there is a significant skills gap and that she believes that there is a lot to be done to make the industry more attractive.
Fusion energy has moved from the realm of science to being an energy force with tangible benefits to society.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Christopher Mowry, CEO of Type One Energy and Chair of the Fusion Industry Association, about why he believes fusion is finally ready to take its place in the energy mix and why the power source is the ‘vaccine of climate change’.
“It causes me to consider how the world mobilised to develop a vaccine against Covid and when the chips were down, government worked with private sector and academia to produce in one year, something that usually takes a decade.”
Mowry explains that the technology exists, but as with the Covid response, we now need the social mobilisation and acknowledgement to really drive fusion acceptance and deployment.
“Theres no practical way to achieve net zero globally in the energy space without fusion being part of the future energy mix,” stated Mowry.
Despite the technological maturity, Mowry explains there are still policy and supply chain developments needed to make fusion a reality. However, he is optimistic that the first pilot fusion power plant under contract will be finalised by the end of this decade, putting fusion electrons on the power grid by the mid 2030s.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Jeff Earl, Director of Business Development at Sapphire Technologies, about the latest innovative turboexpander technology and the promise it holds for the decarbonisation journey.
Unpacking the latest trends, Earl talks about turboexpanders, a specific kind of power generating equipment that converts pressure energy into electricity through an inlet and outlet. Unlike combustion turbines, this technology has no ignition, which means there are no CO2, NOx or SOx emissions.
Earl explains that this power generation equipment is not only carbon friendly, but that the levelized cost of electricity generated is also competitive contributing to a strong business case.
This episode is brought to you by Sapphire Technologies; which develops, manufactures, and sells energy recovery systems for hydrogen and natural gas industrial applications.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, we hear from industry experts at Nokia, Dominique Verhulst, Global Head of Utilities, and Hansen Chan, IP Networks Product Marketing, about how IEC 61850 is revolutionizing the utility industry.
Many utilities are integrating utility-scale and residential distributed energy resources (DERs) into their electric grids at an unprecedented pace.
Meanwhile, the time-division multiplexing (TDM) technology they use for communications in intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) such as relays and remote terminal units (RTUs) approaching end-of-life. In response to these changes, more and more utilities are turning to IEC 61850 to introduce automation and digitalisation to their electric grids.
This episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast is brought to you by Nokia, a multinational B2B technology innovation leader in networking, powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, providing leading end-to-end grid communications and analytics solutions to meet the unique mission-critical needs of power and water utilities and renewable energy.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue had a candid conversation with Javier Cavada, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Power EMEA, about why speed and scale must be the focus points of our decarbonisation mission.
Cavada spoke to the progress being made in achieving greener power generation, making it clear that all, rather than a select few technologies will help us achieve our energy transition goals. He emphasised that renewable energy is disrupting our energy system, but that this disruption can be managed by making incremental changes, changes that must be driven by unified action. Without unity, stressed Cavada, we can not meet our net zero goals.
“The amount of change is to be massive… change of the patterns of behaviour of the society, and to do that we need to change politics… this is something individual countries, cities, companies can not do by themselves…"
Listen to the full episode to learn more about Javier Cavada's view on how to shift from a hydrocarbon-heavy energy system while maximising existing assets, and how the war in Ukraine has emphasised energy sovereignty and impacted decarbonisation. Also, Cavada shares his book recommendations, which may surprise you.
Javier Cavada will be speaking at Enlit Europe taking place in Paris, 28-30 Nov, where he will be discussing Europe’s gas and hydrogen strategies to achieve energy transition.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Yusuf Latief speaks to Bernard Salha, CTO of EDF Group, to unpack nuclear’s role in the energy mix, grid optimisation and the importance of digitalisation and AI to secure the future of the sector.
While all eyes are on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, nuclear’s role in the energy mix is evolving quickly.
And even though there seems little doubt about the role of nuclear power as a source of clean power and flexible capacity, the evolving and increasingly complex energy system means digitalisation will become critical to ensuring nuclear capacity is maximised.
“We have to take into account that this global system is going to be more complex, more decentralised with several actors, and that the stability is going to need to have all these actors, all these different players working together. In that respect, digital systems for grid management are absolutely necessary.”
Bernard Salha
Listen to this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast to hear from Salha about the role of nuclear power, its integration with the power grid, as well as the new technologies making decentralised systems a reality.
Don't miss out on a special discount for our Energy Transitions Podcast listeners: To receive your 25% discount on an Enlit Europe Summit delegate pass, visit www.enlit-europe.com/registerpod and enter the podcast discount code provided in this episode on the payment page. We look forward to seeing you in Paris.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, we hear from Leon Laing, Manager: Planning and Customer Services at the Drakenstein Municipality in the Western Cape, South Africa on how the SF6-free transition is revolutionising how they manage and operate their power distribution system.
While South Africa is not yet regulating the shift to SF6 free switchgear, Laing is pre-empting this inevitable step and ensuring his municipal district is not only ahead of the curve, but setting the standard for sustainability.
Leon is responsible for the municipality’s electric planning and design where forward-thinking for assets of this cost and nature is critical. This forward-thinking has led to the Drakenstein Municipality being the first in Africa to install and operate Schneider Electric’s RM AirSeT switchgear with pure air technology and digital connectivity.
Read more:
First African SF6-free switchgear installed in South Africa
This episode is brought to you by Schneider Electric, a French multinational company specialising in digital automation and energy management. It addresses homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure, and industries, by combining energy technologies, real-time automation, software, and services.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, we are joined by Jeroen van Hoof, Global Energy Utilities & Resources leader in PwC and Vice Chair of the 2024 World Energy Congress, to explore the complexities of energy transition.
Van Hoof emphasises the human elements at the heart of our shift to net zero. Understanding how a new energy system will impact people’s daily lives, promoting energy literacy, as well as encouraging buy in and commitment from people, not only governments and corporations, are critical elements of a successful transition.
This transition is a complex balancing act between many moving parts, according to van Hoof, and a marshalled, collective effort will be necessary to bring it all together.
“Managing energy transitions is as complicated as upgrading a Swiss precision clock without first stopping it from working. Collective collaboration of all the moving parts is key.”
Don't miss out on a special discount for our Energy Transitions Podcast listeners: To receive your 25% discount on an Enlit Europe Summit delegate pass, visit www.enlit-europe.com/registerpod and enter the podcast discount code provided in this episode on the payment page. We look forward to seeing you in Paris.
How to sustainably decarbonise heating – a topic increasingly on our radar as we strive to become more energy efficient – and one of the key focus points in this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast.
There are several new innovative technologies making an impact to decarbonise the heating space, such as deep geothermal, solar geothermal, and harnessing of waste heat. To learn more about how these technologies are making an impact and driving decarbonisation efforts, Pamela Largue speaks to Dr Andrej Jentsch, Programme Manager of the IEA Technology Collaboration Programme on District Heating and Cooling.
Additional resources:
REA: resource exergy analysis – Calculation guide for energy systems, including district heating and cooling
IEA Technology Collaboration Platform on District Heating and Cooling
IEA: Tracking Clean Energy Progress report
Jentsch, who mainly works for the AGFW, an association promoting district heating and cooling and combined heat and power, delves into why our progress (or lack thereof) is a matter of will and why we can not achieve our efficiency goals without a systems perspective and a sound measuring and analysis methodology.
“We often forget that using all the waste heat that we have, we just have to collect it, it’s even easier to get to that heat than to geothermal…while some argue waste heat is not renewable, it’s very good for the climate…” - Dr Andrej Jentsch
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Caroline Hargrove, CTO at Ceres, about solid oxide fuel cell technology and the record levels of efficiency being achieved.
Ceres, a UK-headquartered climate technology developer, recently won the 2023 MacRobert Engineering Award.
The award celebrates innovation that makes an impact, and Ceres’ reversible fuel cell technology, capable of generating power from a range of different fuels, is doing just that, explains Hargrove.
“We, over 20 years, have been developing this technology that is in this goldilocks temperature range, which is about 600 degrees …they become a lot more efficient than the low temperature fuel cells…In an industrial application, efficiency matters…"
In this Energy Transitions Podcast episode, Hargrove also unpacks the potential of fuel cells to decarbonise hard to abate sectors and discusses the importance of establishing an effective supply chain, making fuel cells at an affordable price and ensuring they are fit for purpose.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou is joined by Daniele Porcu to talk about Smart5Grid and how this project contributes to smart grid development through 5G.
The EU-funded Smart5Grid project aims to revolutionise the energy industry by establishing four novel fundamental functions in modern smart grids and allowing for the continuous and stable advancement of 5G technology by developing a 5G experimental facility for new improvements and changes.
The project focuses on investigating the use and implementation of 5G in the energy industry. It has several partners including DSOs , TSOs, technology partners and SMEs who make up more than half of the consortium.
Said Porcu: "We always seem to think about 5G as a medium to connect field devices to whatever, but since it is a digital network, there is an opportunity to modify this communication infrastructure based on our needs."
Listen to this episode of the EU Projects Zone Podcast to hear from project coordinator Daniele Porcu about how they are planning to tackle the issue of 5G tech not being spread throughout the European continent equally, which is hindering the project's pan-European approach.
The role of nuclear power in Europe’s energy mix remains controversial. However, many would argue that nuclear power offers a cleaner energy source than fossil fuels and a cheaper energy source per kilowatt hour. Also, exciting new technology advances are causing a rethink of what nuclear power could look like in the the future.
The question is this, does nuclear need a rebrand? Will the industry’s reputation negatively impact its future and how can we use the lessons learned from the past to ensure we don’t make the same mistakes in the future.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue is joined by Yves Desbazeille, director general of NuclearEurope, to explore whether it’s possible to give nuclear power an image makeover.
To listen to other episodes: https://www.enlit.world/podcasts/energy-transitions/
The built environment is one of the main sources of carbon emissions but it also provides one of the most opportune spaces for clean tech project development.
Behind the meter, energy efficiency and demand response projects, in particular, could make a significant contribution towards lowering the carbon footprint of buildings and the infrastructure that connects them. However, barriers to project development and finance must be overcome in order to spur progress towards net zero and empower all players, especially small and medium sized enterprises.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Yusuf Latief spoke to Jessica Stromback, CEO of Joule Assets and Co-Founder of the Sustainable Energy Finance Association (SEFA), regarding the practical steps to figuring out financing and bringing net-zero projects to life.
To listen to other episodes: https://www.enlit.world/podcasts/energy-transitions/
The Voluntary Carbon Market is designed to encourage emissions reductions and support sustainable development. Although a nascent market, it is gaining traction amongst corporations and governments alike as pressure mounts to reach decarbonisation goals.
However, some argue that the VCM lacks standardisation, regulation and credibility, allows organisations to continue emitting greenhouse gasses rather than reducing emissions, and facilitates double counting.
To cut through the complexities of the VCM and understand how to tap into the benefits this market has to offer, Pamela Largue spoke to Luke Leslie, CEO at carbon project financier Carbon Neutral Royalty.
In the face of rising energy prices and economic challenges, companies are increasingly aware of the importance of maximising their assets, by recovering and regenerating assets where possible.
It’s a deliberate and strategic shift from a linear to a circular economy that makes the most of our planet's resources, and and makes good economic sense for businesses.
To map the obvious and the more obscure benefits of a circular asset management strategy, Pamela Largue speaks to Paolo Perani, Sustainability Manager for ABB’s Electrification Distribution Solutions and Stuart Thompson, President, Electrification Service Division at ABB.
In March this year, the European Commission released the Critical Raw Materials Act to ensure a sustainable, domestic supply of materials to support the green and digital transitions.
But are these measures enough to keep Europe competitive and progressing adequately towards net zero? And more specifically, what would a copper shortage mean for the continent’s decarbonisation journey?
To explore the consequences of the copper crunch and unpack strategies to strengthen the supply chain, Pamela Largue speaks to Layla Sawyer - Secretary General - currENT Europe.
As the world transitions to net zero, it has never been more important to embrace sustainable business models, no matter how disruptive they may be.
As the world faces a time of economic strain with high inflation and volatile markets, sustainability could fall further down the priority list, putting decarbonisation targets at risk.
To highlight the importance of circularity, as well as why sustainable business models are critical to maintaining a competitive edge and ensuring a robust supply chain, Pamela Largue speaks to Ionut Farcas, Senior Vice President, Europe & International Hub, Power Products Division at .
“It's completely nonsense to throw away something that is good...doing harm to our earth just to have new things. Circularity, it's one of the things that jointly as an ecosystem we need to accelerate." -Ionut Farcas
The role of Türkiye in Europe's energy markets has grown significantly and Turkish energy companies are stepping up their strategic game to ensure they are well placed to maximise opportunities. One such company is the Turkish renewable energy developer Enerjisa Üretim, which recently started a new subsidiary and unified all commercial activities in Türkiye, Europe and worldwide under a single brand; Enerjisa Commodities.
My colleague Patrick Bauduin speaks with Ahmet Özbeyin, Head of Growth and Planning of Enerjisa Commodities, about the changing market dynamics in the South Eastern European region and how Enerjisa is preparing for the region’s future energy landscape.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to David Emanuel Rua about the interoperable solutions InterConnect uses.
Project manager for InterConnect, Rua discusses the project's solutions that are connecting smart homes, buildings and grids.
"This is a large project, but if I was to summarise it in a few words, I would say it's designing the basics of, and the tools for, semantic interoperability of digital systems that cover the demand side" says Rua.
He adds, "we are creating the tools to certify different components in different systems that allow the interaction between them to produce".
When asked how the EU Commission and local authorities can help projects like InterConnect, Rua mentions that "initiatives such as Bridge for instance, where we share experiences" are a good start.
Listen to the discussion and find out about InterConnect’s seven large scale pilots, as well as lessons learnt now that the project is approaching its conclusion in October 2023.
It has been a tumultuous time in Europe’s power sector, with a variety of internal and external shocks impacting energy markets and net zero progress.
Pamela Largue has a candid conversation with Kristian Ruby, Secretary General of Eurelectric, about whether we are on track to meet the 1.5 degree goal, the impact of the war in Ukraine and the importance of protecting our grids from physical, military, and cyber threats.
Ruby unpacks the new threat landscape and the radical resilience needed to mitigate these threats and talks about how to unlock a significant uptick in investments needed to speed up the pace of change in the sector.
“If it was just about integrating renewables and connecting a lot of heat pumps, that was the challenge a few years ago. Now on top of that we have a military threat dimension, a very present threat of sabotage that we need to integrate into this.”
“Security of supply is the new prerequisite for delivering on net zero – system reliability becomes a critical climate objective”
Resources
Connecting the Dots report
Register for The Power Summit 2023
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Konstantinos Arvanitis and Yuliya Degtyariova about the cutting edge technologies that PRECEPT uses.
Konstantinos Arvanitis is the coordinator of the project, while Yuliya Degtyariova represents the Ukrainian company that is a member of the project's consortium.
Together, they explain the main focus points of the project, as well as how the war in Ukraine and the Russian invasion have affected PRECEPT.
"Less energy, smarter buildings" is the motto of the project according to Konstantinos. He says that "there is a proposal to all European member states for all citizens to cut down the electricity and gas they spend, and basically, that is all PRECEPT is about".
Also, in a time of war, since one of the 5 use cases of the project is in Ukraine. According to Yuliya "We were quite active before the war, but when it started, we decided to put the project on hold".
That did not last long however, as in the course of a few months, the Ukrainian partners of the project realized that despite the difficulties they could continue. And so they did.
"We immediately informed our partners in the EU and our project partners that we are able and eager to continue" Yuliya says.
Listen to the discussion and find out how, according to Konstantinos and Yuliya, PRECEPT will help transform conventional residential buildings into highly efficient and proactive residential buildings. As well as what it means running a project in time of war.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Nuno Matheus about the ways in which Smart2B will enable smarter buildings through innovative technologies.
Nuno Mateus is the Coordinator of Smart2B and in this podcast episode, he explains the objectives and innovations of this Horizon 2020-funded project.
"This project intends to develop a smart building ecosystem that aims to improve the smartness of an existing building" says Nuno.
"We are developing 3 main technological pillars including smart to be devices, platform, service and user interaction app" he adds.
The project's innovative technologies will interact with the occupants and the grid in real time and will manage themselves efficiently, so as to become an active element of the energy system.
As for the target audience of the project, according to Nuno "Since we are developing a full ecosystem, our technical audience includes from the end users to any other stakeholders in the energy sector".
Listen to the discussion and find out why Nuno counts Regulation as one of the big challenges that Smart2B had to face and overcome.
Dr. Judith Wunschik, Chief Cybersecurity Officer at Siemens Energy discusses all things cybersecurity and what it means for the digital transformation of the energy industry.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Carsten Rothballer about the ways in which Act!onHeat will raise awareness on heating and cooling on a pan-European level.
Carsten Rothballer is the Coordinator within ICLEI Europe of project Act!onHeat. In this podcast episode, he explains the objectives and innovations of this Horizon 2020-funded project.
The Act!onHeat project's aim is to "accelerate strategic heating and cooling planning within municipalities" says Carsten.
And to accomplish that, he adds, "it provides the framework methods in a structured way for municipalities to lead their decision making towards decarbonizing".
Heating and cooling is responsible for roughly half of Europe’s energy and depends mainly on fossil fuels. The project aims to raise awareness of that fact, as well as propose alternatives.
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According to Carsten and Act!onHeat they can be replaced by Renewable Energy Sources (RES).
"There are many alternatives to fossil fuels," says Carsten. He uses the example of district heating.
"District heating is a wonderful connector of different sources," he says, adding that all we need to do is "take a local inventory of what is available within the city boundary and even beyond, within the region".
Listen to the discussion and find out why Carsten believes that it will be a political and not a technological failure if we do not achieve our 2050 energy goals.
The use of green hydrogen for energy storage and as a clean fuel is certainly not a new concept however the need for a viable hydrogen economy is becoming more pressing as our efforts to decabonise ramp up.
At this stage of the green hydrogen game, it is critical to invest wisely in the necessary infrastructure and create the required demand to spur development.
To unpack the intricacies of how to build a functional hydrogen economy, Pamela Largue speaks to Professor Dr Emmanouil Kakaras, Executive Vice President green hydrogengreen hydrogen, MHI EMEA.
Prof. Kakaras shares his insights into how to create demand to justify the infrastructure development needed to feed the market and the importance of leveraging industrial use cases to this end.
“Demand creation has to happen where green hydrogen is the most competitive substitute”
Prof Kakaras also explains the disruptive impact of green hydrogen on the power generation and gas turbine markets, giving us examples of exciting demonstration projects such as the MHI Takasago plant in Japan. It’s home to a variety of electrolysers, storage, compression and hydrogen-fired gas turbines and according to Prof Kakaras, it’s the ‘Disneyland of the hydrogen research’.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Igor Steiner about the ways in which project GIFT helps European islands achieve decarbonization.
Igor is the coordinator of the project, which is developing, among other things, innovative systems to allow islands to integrate vast amount of renewables.
This is the second episode dedicated to this project. Last year together with Igor we demystified the project’s focus and action points. This time, we are focusing mostly on outcomes so far and lessons learnt, as well as next steps.
And as far as outcomes are concerned, according to Igor, those would be "the system integration of various solution providers and their technologies into one comprehensive solution".
Listen to the first episode about Gift
That, because "it's not so easy to integrate so many very advanced solutions from consortium partners in one integrated solution to operate consistently."
GIFT is in its final stages of development and according to Igor, the next steps would be "collecting and analyze all appropriate data from deployment".
Listen to the whole discussion and find out also what Igor hope to have accomplished once the project's work is concluded, as well as the lessons so far learnt.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Series, we hear from Aurélien Schwartz, CEO of Metroscope on the current challenges that the power generation industry is facing.
The Power Generation industry, providing energy to the whole economy, is the first in line to achieve full decarbonisation. Every scenario towards net zero requires a massive electrification of society along with a transformation of our means to generate power in the upcoming 10 years. Power generation companies are hence seeking solutions to improve efficiency, lower environmental harm, and reliably diagnose problems to tackle maintenance costs.
This episode is brought to you by Metroscope, a Software as a Service company with offices in France, Germany and the US. The company is committed to creating the best software for monitoring and diagnostics for industrial customers. They believe in sober and conscious industrial facilities, leveraging AI and Operating Experience to improve process efficiency, tackle maintenance costs and fight C02 emissions.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Luca Ferrari about the ways in which RETROFEED will support industrial users.
Luca Ferrari is a senior energy consultant and responsible for the development of the digital tool of the project. In this podcast episode, he explains the project’s objectives and innovations.
"The idea on which RETROFEED is focusing is ways to reduce emission and increase the energy efficiency of industrial processes," says Luca. The word RETROFEED itself comes from the retrofitting of industrial applications.
"What we are trying to do is create technologies and innovation that could reuse materials in a different way, creating some circular economy and some synergies between different processes," says Luca.
At the same time, the project is trying to lower the impact on the environment of industrial processes and create innovation.
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And in addition, the project is "paving the way for future application also on a digital level because we think it's important now to start monitoring emission and energy efficiency on this industrial processes".
And how would one tackle the issue of local rules and regulations which might be different from country to country even within the union? Well, "luckily", says Luca, "digital solutions are borderless. So we could develop them n Italy and apply them in other the places as well".
Listen to the discussion and find out also how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the operation of RETROFEED and how the issue was tackled.
Now that the European Commission has published its proposal for electricity market design reforms, Patrick Bauduin talks to Maria Popova, Director for Carbon Neutrality and Renewable Electricity at the European Federation of Energy Traders (EFET), about what was proposed and what the implications of those proposals could be for Europe.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Vincenzo Croce about the novel community-centred social, technological and business ecosystem that BRIGHT promotes.
Vincenzo Croce is the project’s coordinator and in this episode, he explains the project’s ambition to create a demand response strategy that will work from a day ahead scheduling up to real-time adaptive control.
"The project is addressing the needs of flexibility, which are changing due to the renewable energy resources that are penetrating the grid more and more", says Vincenzo.
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One of the project's objectives is to understand energy consumer behaviour. Given the diversity of the continent's various grids and consumers' mentalities, this can be, as Vincenzo says, "a challenging task".
"We have four different pilots, in four different countries, involving different regions. And this is our way to approach this diversity issue, by having diverse pilots."
After all, the project needs to "tailor specific solutions for a specific region, for specific needs. So, the wider the range of pilots and the information and content gathering that we can get the wider and more effective is the solution that we can bring".
Listen to the discussion and find out also how BRIGHT is going to allow individual assets to simultaneously provide power balancing service, grid congestion management, and economic benefits to participating stakeholders.
District self-balancing: a way of coordinating flexible use of electricity loads, distributed generation and energy storage.
Consumption balancing provides an interesting case study of enabling both energy communities to come online while providing new avenues of flexible congestion management for utilities.
Yusuf Latief spoke to Simon Anderson, CEO of The Traxis Group and chair of SmartEn’s Active Buildings and Neighbourhood’s Committee to find out how district self-balancing will play a critical role in our future energy system.
"One approach that is being considered by several DSOs is the centralisation of data and control...I think this is going to be an awful lot harder than it sounds and could give rise to major data security concerns..."
Simon Anderson
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Alvaro Nofuentes and Anastasis Tzoumpas about the cross border electricity interconnections that both TRINITY and Farcross promote.
Alvaro Nofuentes is the project coordinator of TRINITY and Anastasis Tzoumpas the technical manager of Farcross.
In this episode of the podcast they discuss the similarities and the differences between the two projects as well as ways that they can collaborate to promote cross border collaboration in a major scale.
"TRINITY is a project that focuses in enhancing the collaboration between the TSOs and facilitating the operation of the electricity markets" says Alvaro.
Farcross, on the other hand, "is a project that aims to facilitate the cross border flows between countries and also to unlock the capacities of the existing grids" says Anastasis.
Both projects want to help improve the cross border flow of electricity. They mostly focus on the South Eastern Europe, as well as the Central Europe.
"After some discussions, we figured out that we have a lot of synergy potential and together we have developed a common paper. There we show how our technologies are complementary" says Alvaro.
Extra focus is given to creating a resilient and safe grid when mobilizing RES, although according to Anastasis "The grids are not ready yet and thats why we need to apply innovation".
Listen to the discussion and find out also how TRINITY and Farcross unlock resources for the cross border collaboration flows despite the different rules and regulations in the various member states.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Javier Valiño about data and the proposed concept and architecture of the Omega-X project.
Javier Valiño is the coordinator of the project and in this episode of the EU Projects Zone Podcast Series he is explaining the concept and objectives of the project.
Like, for example, the primary goal of the project’s reference architecture relies on deriving appropriate requirements for sound, secured and trusted data trading.
"Technology aside, the idea for us is to prove the benefits for everybody to share data, even if they are small data owners such as prosumers or large utilities," says Javier.
This is a much-needed operation since large amounts of valuable data are available in energy systems but are often underused.
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There is no single data platform, for example, connecting data from Europe's electricity sector's generation, transmission, distribution and consumption domains or across the various energy vectors – electricity, gas, heat, etc.
The barriers also imply the lack of proper mechanisms and policies that ensure secure, sovereign and fair data sharing according to the projects "manifesto".
Therefore, it makes sense that the EU Commission is looking for a single data market and projects like Omega-X are helping the commission achieve that goal. How?
The project is collaborating with other data spaces working on the same topic.
According to Javier, "we are collaborating with each other to maximize potential. We are always making sure that whatever we are doing is interoperable with whatever they are doing".
"Ultimately, in the following years, we will be testing how our data providers or service providers will be able to register, login, etc. on the other data spaces".
Listen to the discussion and find out also how Omega-X will help users achieve data sovereignty, the ability of a given actor (corporate or person) to act as self-determined for its own data.
Denmark’s energy islands are at the forefront of innovation, combining scientific advancement and real world application. These hubs will operate as green power plants at sea and are expected to play a major role in the phasing-out of fossil fuel energy sources and allowing countries around the Baltic and North Seas to maximise the vast offshore wind potential in the region.
To tell us more about these green energy marvels, I am joined by Jacob Østergaard, Professor and Head of Division, Department of Wind and Energy Systems, Technical University of Denmark.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Ismini Dimitriadou about the digital toolbox that ACCEPT intends to develop and deliver.
Ismini is the project's coordinator and in this episode of the EU Projects Zone Podcast, she explains how this tool will facilitate the energy communities and achieve its goals without compromising the quality of living for the members of the communities.
The Core of the ACCEPT project is the concept of “energy communities” with the collective approach to bring citizens, local businesses and organizations together, to produce and consume locally generated, renewable energy.
Ideally the project will increase their comfort with the assistance of smart devices. "What Accept will do" says Ismini, "is develop a suite of digital tools that will unlock flexibility for the energy communities"
And by unlocking flexibility, the energy communities will be able according to Ismini to "offer services to third parties, for example DSOs, Aggregators, Retailers, and so on, but also to its members".
The project already accommodates the members of four energy communities. According to Ismini, together with the communities, "what we do is look into business models that they can implement going forward".
"And we do that baring in mind that an energy community can assume different roles" she says "for example the role of the retailer, or the aggregator or that of a service company".
The developed tools of the project will be demonstrated and validated in four pilot sites in Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland involving more than 3.000 people and 750 residences.
Listen to the whole discussion and find out also how ACCEPT will help energy communities reduce their dependency on fossil fuels, save energy and thus be able to reduce their electricity bill.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Helena Gerard about the OneNet approach to creating a fully replicable and scalable architecture that enables the whole European electrical system to operate as a single system.
Helena is the Workpackage leader and focuses on the market design of this EU-funded project, which aims to build a customer-centric approach to grid operation.
The project OneNet (One Network for Europe), led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT, brings together a consortium of over 70 partners.
“The ultimate goal of OneNet is based on three pilars” says Helena, “first, we want to have one common market architecture for Europe. Second, we want one common ICT architecture for Europe. And third, we want to have this validated in one policy recommendation which will be supported by all stakeholders in the value chain”.
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If you have that as an objective, then you obviously need to be, according to Helena, “innovative, but you also need to test it in very different circumstances. And that is exactly what the OneNet project is doing”.
One big challenge that the project is tackling is “the coordination between TSOs and DSOs”. This is not a new challenge for the sector, but it is one that is becoming ever more urgent for the energy transition.
Tune in for more information on how OneNet’s architecture works across all levels, from small consumers to large producers.
Without energy market reform to boost flexible balancing capacity, Europe could miss out on achieving its ambitious renewable energy goals.
That was the bottom line of a report from Wärtsilä that focuses on managing system imbalances of a renewable-based energy system.
To discuss the report’s findings in more detail and to unpack measures needed to attract investments into flexible power, Pamela Largue spoke to Anja Frada, chief operating officer, Wärtsilä Energy.
Frada delves into the importance of creating a technology agnostic capability market and improving price transparency.
She also talks about why we can be hopeful about the next decade, what challenges need to be addressed and how we go about mitigating risks to our energy system of the future.
Resources: Energy Market Redesign: For a Decarbonised Europe
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Carlos Damas Silva about the EUniversal approach to the use of flexibility by DSOs and their interaction with new markets.
Carlos is the coordinator of this EU-funded project, the focus of which is the development of the concept of the Universal Market Enabling Interface or UMEI, a unique approach to foster interoperability across Europe.
This is the second episode dedicated to this project. Last year together with the project’s representative we demystified the project’s focus and action points. This time, as the project enters its final stage we discuss the outcomes and next steps.
Listen to the first episode about EUniversal
According to Carlos, the years working on the project gave the team "a much clearer view on what we can take away from flexibility, as well as the grid's needs in terms of planning, expansion and operation".
One of the most important lessons learnt by working on EUniversal, among other things, "was how to run cost-efficient networks" says Carlos.
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As for the next steps for the project as it approaches its "expiration" day? "We have a very well-structured plan," says Carlos, "because the UMEI is open source for any stakeholder of the industry to use". In other words, the "expiration" date is anything but.
Listen to the whole discussion and find out also Carlos' vision for achieving interoperability at a pan-European level, as well as how regulators can help.
This episode was recorded at Enlit Europe in Frankfurt.
Northern Europe, also known as the cradle of offshore wind, is one of the most attractive areas because of it shallow waters, wind speeds, local competencies, and access to established supply chains.
It’s a critical piece of real estate and it’s the centre of Statkrafts renewed strategic focus on offshore wind.
David Flood, Senior Vice President Offshore Wind at Statkraft, explains why the Norwegian hydropower giant has returned to offshore wind and is now working to position itself as an industrial developer and operator in the sector.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Ugo Stecchi about how the Synergy project will introduce a novel framework in response to the need for “end-to-end” coordination between the electricity stakeholders.
Ugo Stecchi is the coordinator of this EU-funded project, the framework of which references significant data architecture that leverages data, coming from diverse sources.
It includes 24 Partners in 9 countries, namely Spain, Greece, Finland, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Austria, and Denmark.
“Synergy aims at designing and developing a big data and artificial intelligence analytics platform for energy purposes where the different stakeholders in the energy value chain are allowed to participate and to exchange their data in a trustful manner,” says Ugo.
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Working with data equals working with new and innovative technologies, such as blockchain, machine learning and artificial intelligence, but as Ugo says “we are keeping an eye on new technologies in general as they are evolving”.
According to the project’s ‘message’, a big data platform like this is due to help the electricity value chain stakeholders to:
- Simultaneously enhance their data reach;
- Improve their internal intelligence on electricity-related optimization functions while getting involved in novel sharing/trading models of data sources and intelligence to gain better insights;
- Shift individual decision-making to a collective intelligence level.
Most of the time, big data brings also big issues to the table. “In order to validate your model you need a big volume of data that needs to be coherent,” says Ugo. And that brings us to the harmonization issue.
On top of that we have the speed issue, meaning that “we need the correct, relevant data at the proper time” says Ugo.
Listen to the whole discussion and find out also Ugo’s vision on the uses of the platform, as well as how the Synergy project is going to remain an ethical tool respecting among others GDPR.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Piero Gamarra about how graphene will jump out of the lab and into commercial applications of the energy sector.
Piero Gamarra is the business developer of the Graphene Flagship and as he says, his role is “to help the researchers bridge the gap between the lab and the industry”.
The Graphene Flagship can’t really be described as just an EU-funded project. And that is because it is one of Europe’s largest research initiatives, counting 170 partners in 22 European countries.
It is a huge project divided into six divisions and 19 Work Packages - covering everything from Fundamental Research, to Sensors, and Innovation.
With a budget of €1 billion, the Graphene Flagship represents a new form of joint, coordinated research on an unprecedented scale, forming Europe's biggest-ever research initiative.
“A lot of research has been done on graphene,” says Piero. “It is conductive, flexible, extremely light and selectively permeable”. And these attributes bring this form of carbon to a unique position to assist in the energy transition as it opens the path to many applications.
Follow the Projects Zone for the latest news about EU projects
“The energy sector is one of the important markets for graphene,” says Piero, as graphene can have various uses “from energy generation to energy storage, but also for electronics, sensors and composites to reduce carbon emission”.
Listen to the whole discussion and find out also Piero’s vision on the future uses of graphene, as well as how the Graphene Flagship is going to revolutionize the energy sector.
Listen also to other episodes of The EU Project Zone Podcast:
eCrew with Johannes Slacik
SmartBuilt4EU with Régis Decorme
FlexPlan with Gianluigi Migliavacca
With net zero requiring 7 billion tonnes of CO2 to be captured and stored annually by 2050, Ruth Herbert, CEO of CCSA, highlights the long but critical road ahead for carbon capture technology.
The sector had a slow and tedious start, as the cost and disruption of CCS projects hindered deployment. Herbert explains, however, that the true cost of delaying CCS could be devastating for our net zero goals and that by moving early and decisively, we can ultimately ensure a cheaper transition.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone podcast series, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Johannes Slacik about how the eCrew project will support the transition of passive consumers to active participants in the local energy system.
Johannes Slacik, a senior expert in the department of energy economics of the Energy Institute at the JKU Linz, is a project associate for the Horizon 2020 funded eCREW project.
This EU-funded project supports innovators from the smart building value chain through concrete networking and communication actions.
According to Johannes, "With eCrew project we developed an additional business model, namely creating or establishing virtual energy communities that are managed with a collective action entity".
And the project will assist by creating a digital platform which will also show "the tariffs, the energy consumption and how much the consumers can save’ so that everything for the virtual energy communities will become transparent and visible.
To achieve that, eCrew will develop community renewable energy webs allowing households to optimise energy efficiency and reduce expenditures.
In addition, and since the European market is a mix of various countries that have differences in their regulations, Johannes says that "Due to the different regulations and due to the different national settings we do have to adjust the business model sometimes in a minor way and other times actually in a major way which means our business model is actually bound to the platform".
Listen to the whole discussion and find out also Johannes’ vision of the smart communities of the future, as well as how eCrew is going to promote regulation discussions in order to enable energy communities.
In this episode of the EU Projects Zone podcast series, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Régis Decorme about how the SmartBuilt4EU project will support the further uptake of smart buildings.
Régis Decorme, Managing Partner for R2m Solution, is one of the project partners of SmartBuilt4EU.
This EU-funded project supports innovators from the smart building value chain through concrete networking and communication actions.
Régis describes the project as “a coordination and support action funded by the European Commission”. In addition, the aim of SmartBuilt4EU “is to develop the European community of stakeholders who are interested in Smart buildings”.
That is a networking action which has as a focus according to Régis “to collect basically best practices and examples of technologies”.
In addition, the project also develops a Strategic Research Agenda combined with policy recommendations.
Régis believes that at least on an EU level “there is a strong element which is coming in terms of regulation and it’s the smart readiness indicator”. The smart readiness indicator is a new certificate promoted by the EU Commission and it is going to rate the smart readiness of a building.
“The smart readiness indicator is similar to the EPC (Energy Performance Certificate), and it is of course linked to energy efficiency,” says Regis and he adds that “it is really all about how smart is your building”.
Again, like with EPC the SRI is going to have grades from A to G. “A certificate like this is really going to push for smart building technologies,” Régis says.
Not to mention that the certificate can also support the regulation and facilitate the implementation of these new technologies.
Listen to the whole discussion and find out also Régis' vision of the smart cities of the future, as well as how SmartBuilt4EU is going to promote energy efficiency and flexibility for the grid.
Europe’s Energy Council recently voted for an EU gas price cap despite warnings from the European Federation of Energy Traders (EFET) and other industry representatives.
The question is, what happens now?
Mark Copley, CEO of EFET talks about how this will impact Europe’s gas markets. He explains why political intervention remains one of the biggest risks to the energy industry potentially reducing confidence in the long term.
Aiming to create an innovative new methodology and tool, FlexPlan’s main goal is to support European system operators in performing mid-to-long-term planning studies. Having in mind three grid years (230, 240 and 2050), the project will consider system flexibility as an alternative to new grid investments.
Gianluigi Migliavacca, project manager at Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico (RSA SpA) is the coordinator of FlexPlan. During this first episode of the podcast series new season, he discusses how the FlexPlan project is going to play a role in Europe’s flexible energy transition, while on the same time help create a secure and sustainable smart grid for Europe.
Naturally, a large part of the conversation revolves around Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and the push for a steadily increasing penetration to the grid infrastructure in Europe and the world. That is due – among other things – to the ambitious decarbonization goals for 2050 and beyond.
According to Gianluigi, especially for operators of the future “RES is becoming a priority both for decarbonization and for making possible to make Europe independent from fossil fuels”. According also to the EU Commission’s directives.
But since this kind of generation is characterized by high variability, it makes the operation of the electric grid much more complex and affected by uncertainty. There is indeed a high request for resources providing flexibility to the system. And this is what motivates the FlexPlan Horizon2020 project.
Listen to the full discussion and find out also how Gianluigi believes that the FlexPlan with facilitate the European energy transition according to the official mandates.
As climate change impacts weather patterns, droughts and floods are becoming more commonplace impacting hydropower projects around the world. In the face of this, many naysayers are criticising the renewables resource citing a lack of sustainability and affordability.
However, according to Eddie Rich, CEO of the International Hydropower Association, more hydropower is the answer. Rich explains how this form of generation can supply flood and drought control, protect water supply and support irrigation. Furthermore, pumped storage is one of the most important system balancing mechanisms available to us, a non-negotiable for a successful transition to renewables.
Rich also talks about how the industry has learned valuable lessons from past mistakes and is taking proactive steps to ensure future hydropower projects meet the highest sustainability standards.
In 2021, Siemens Gamesa started operating its first green hydrogen pilot project in Brande, Denmark.
Since then, the Brande Hydrogen project has produced green hydrogen from an onshore wind turbine connected to an electrolyzer, producing fuel to power taxis in Copenhagen, Denmark.
After 15 months of operation, Siemens Gamesa has released a whitepaper on the technical, policy and commercial findings thus far. To discuss these findings in more detail and talk about the journey to scale this nascent technology, Pamela Largue speaks to Benedikt Mayerle, Lead Solution Architect, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
Resources:
Siemens Gamesa Whitepaper - Green Hydrogen Unlocked: Brande Hydrogen
Key learnings from operating a pioneering pilot project
In this COP27 special edition of the Energy Transitions Podcast series, Yusuf Latief speaks to Bertrand Piccard, United Nations Ambassador for the Environment and Special Advisor to the European Commission about the urgent need to modernise industry, whether our net zero goals are realistic and if all the COP-related talk will ultimately deliver the results being promised.
In the face of more frequent extreme weather events caused by climate change, cities are facing new challenges and need to find new solutions to face them.
One of these challenges is to improve water management – one of the key pillars of sustainable cities – a factor behind the rapidly maturing smart water solutions market.
To investigate how cities and utilities are employing smart water solutions to manage water resources, prevent flooding and drive resilience within the water and power sectors, Yusuf Latief is joined by two experts from Guidehouse Insights; Eric Woods, Research Director, Smart Cities and Urban Innovation and Grant Samms, Climate and Energy Research Analyst.
Resources:
Smart Water Systems for Smart Cities report from Guidehouse Insights
In this episode, Pamela Largue speaks to Kate Willard, Chair of Thames Estuary Growth Board, about the importance of industrial clusters in fostering sector integration and driving decarbonisation.
Industrial clusters are not only spurring innovation, explains Willard, but also bringing together supply and demand in a way that aligns strategies and grows businesses.
Willard explains that the benefits of clustering go far beyond the borders of the UK and Europe. Work is being done with global estuaries as well to decarbonise industries around the world .
Guest: Government appointed Envoy Kate Willard OBE, Thames Estuary Growth Board
Resources:
Join us at Enlit Europe to meet Kate Willard and join the conversation
Learn more about Thames Estuary
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Series, experts from Networked Energy Services and Griffin
Group take a close look at how to effectively optimize Smart Meter Installations and Project
Execution using various processes and tools. This discussion spotlights case studies from Poland and
the Caribbean that benefited from these features.
To shed light on this topic, Jonathan Spencer Jones speaks with three industry experts.
This episode is brought to you by Networked Energy Services, Networked Energy Services
Corporation (NES) is a global smart energy leader in the worldwide transformation of the electricity
grid into an energy control network.
Estonia is a hotspot for many unique circular economy projects. One such project is the country’s first pumped storage hydroelectric plant being built at the site of a mine in Ida-Virumaa.
The 225MW plant will be constructed using limestone rubble and closed tunnels created during the mining of oil shale. The upper reservoir will be built on a tailings structure, and a closed mine will be used as the lower reservoir.
The project is an extension of energy company Enefit’s sustainability strategy and represents the remarkable progress Estonia is making on its path to energy transition.
Margus Vals, a Member of the Management Board of Enefit joined Pamela Largue for an enlightening discussion on this pumped hydro project. Vals also provided a snapshot of Estonia’s energy sector, it’s plan for energy independence and shift to renewables.
The near bankruptcy of Wien Energie, Austria's largest energy supplier, could cause a ripple effect throughout Europe. No wonder both the Austrian government and the city of Vienna are eager to bail the company out.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Peter Gönitzer, former CEO of Wien Energie and co-founder of the Nobilegroup gives us an assessment of the situation as well as its ramifications for the European markets.
As Europe’s electricity prices soar, the European Commission is considering whether the energy market design is fit for purpose. Governments are weighing market interventions such as price caps and decoupling wholesale power and gas prices.
Pamela Largue is joined by Prof Dr Stefan Ulreich, Internationalization Officer at the Biberach University of Applied Sciences, to unpack whether these market instruments are really needed and what the potential impact could be on energy bills and renewables investments.
Resources:
Visit Energy Trading Day – Zürich, Switzerland | 21 September 2022
The Inflation Reduction Act puts America back on the world stage in the fight to achieve Paris Climate Goals and signals to the world that it is a willing partner and participant in global efforts to actively fight climate change.
To unpack this legislation, what it provides to the US clean energy market and what it doesn't, I am joined by US colleague John Engel, Content Director for Renewable Energy World.
To shed light on what the Inflation Reduction Act means for Europe and to identify similarities with the European Green Deal, I am joined by Areti Ntaradimou, Editor of Smart Energy International & Content Director Enlit Europe.
As Europe comes to terms with its overreliance on Russian gas and looks at ways to secure supply for the coming winter, nuclear power, once considered to do more harm than good, is back on the table. Did Europe abandon nuclear power too soon and is this power source making a comeback?
According to IEA’s Executive Director Fatih Birol; “In today’s context of the global energy crisis, skyrocketing fossil fuel prices, energy security challenges and ambitious climate commitments, I believe nuclear power has a unique opportunity to stage a comeback.”
Join Rudy Koenig, independent energy advisor and Kirsty Gogan, co-founder of Terrapraxis to unpack this rapidly evolving landscape.
Resources:
How to repower 2TW of coal by 2050
Repowering existing coal plant infrastructure is the largest single carbon abatement opportunity on the planet and could greatly accelerate the clean energy transition. By replacing coal-fired boilers at existing coal plants with carbon-free small modular reactors (SMRs), also known as advanced heat sources, these power plants can generate carbon-free electricity, rather than carbon-intensive electricity.
The Decommissioning Gap – Key to a holistic pathway for energy transition
As the global energy system moves from the old, fossil-based, to the new, “sustainable” system, key stakeholders are realizing that replacing the old with the new is a multi-trillion dollar challenge on top of a multi-trillion dollar challenge.
Join us at Enlit Europe
Enlit brings the energy community together to seize current opportunities, spotlight future ones, and inspire the next generation to be part of moving the energy transition forward.
Join us in Frankfurt 29 Nov – 2 Dec 2022 and be a part of the journey.
IEA - Nuclear power can play a major role in enabling secure transitions to low emissions energy systems
As Russia continues its campaign to weaponise energy, Europe is closing ranks with various regulatory mechanisms designed to reduce gas usage and secure stores for the upcoming winter.
One such mechanism is the Save Gas for a Safe Winter initiative, which aims to reduce gas use across all member states by 15%. Will this, together with RePowerEU, be sufficient to mitigate the potential energy and economic risks associated with a major gas shortage and should Europe be preparing for a worst case scenario?
Monika Morawiecka senior advisor for the Regulatory Assistance Project answers these questions and looks at further policy measures needed to boost energy security while ensuring EU Green Deal objectives are realised.
Resources:
Joy of Flex report
Europe continues to face volatile energy markets and uncertain gas supplies, with some countries becoming particularly vulnerable to the effects of this current energy crisis.
Governments are attempting to control demand through reduced usage, while simultaneously securing supply by switching to alternative fuels - all while mitigating financing constraints and regulatory bottlenecks.
Patrick Bauduin talks to Aura Sabadus senior journalist at ICIS about these issues, as well as price capping and energy market integration with Eastern Europe.
In this episode of the Energy Transitions Series, our guests unpack the Benefits and challenges of AMI for a developing country like India, which is going through a massive AMI rollout exercise for its 270 million electricity connections.
While there will be many benefits to the distribution companies from the adoption of AMI, there will be many unknowns and unforeseen challenges for all stakeholders, including system integrators, OEMs, Utilities, Government and Consumers.
With an estimated 20-30% of challenges faced by a utility, unique to them and their customer base, the remaining 70%-80% are common barriers for any utility in any developing country.
The benefits and challenges are also linked to the maturity of a Utility, which translates into the volume and frequency of how AMI will be used by the Utility for its Energy Transition like DER, Energy Storage and EV.
Guest: Rishi. P. Goyal, Assistant Vice President, Director Cell, BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd, New Delhi, India
Speakers:
- Sunil Mittal is working with Networked Energy Services as Director (Business Development) for Indian Market
- Larry Colton, Director, International Business Development and Government Affairs
Host: Jonathan Spencer Jones
With a special attention to extreme weather conditions, the X-Flex project is going to design and develop a set of tools that will enable the integration of decentralized ecosystems and flexibility systems into the existing European energy system. Lola Alacreu is an industrial engineer and the project’s coordinator. She is going to describe for us during this last episode for this season’s EU Project Zone Podcast, how the X-Flex project is going to achieve this integration in an efficient and cost-effective way, while on the same time help create a secure and sustainable smart grid for Europe.
The project is developed by a consortium including members from six European countries. “We have currently pilots in three different locations” says Lola “two in Slovenia, one in Bulgaria and one in Greece”
The pilots, cover different scenarios and according to Lola “this is a very good thing, as we can address different geographical, economic and social conditions”.
Some of the challenges that X-FLEX is addressing focus on ensuring that the energy we are using is clean as well as cheap as it can be.
“And at the same time” says Lola, “that we are improving the flexibility and stability of the supply chain on the network with a special focus on extreme weather conditions”.
Listen to the full discussion and find out also how Lola believes that we can achieve flexibility in a Pan European level and which technologies best enable flexibility.
With the increase in wind and solar generation, guaranteeing adequate system flexibility is vitally important to ensure sufficient capacity to cover demand.
Phil Thompson CEO of Balance Power unpacks the UK’s recurring misalignment of generation and demand that leaves the nation vulnerable to power shortages and wasted excess generation and looks at how many megawatt hours are needed to resolve the situation.
In this episode of The EU Projects Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou speaks with Álvaro Nofuentes Prieto to find out more about project TRINITY, a Horizon2020 project designed to enhance cooperation and coordination among the transmission system operators (TSOs) of southeastern Europe.
The core objective of EUniversal, an energy project funded by the European Union, is to develop a universal approach on the use of flexibility by DSOs and their interaction with new markets.
This approach will be enabled through the development of the concept of the Universal Market Enabling Interface or UMEI, a unique approach to foster interoperability across Europe.
But how possible is it to achieve interoperability in a pan European level or would it have to be localized? According to Pedro Marques, coordinator of the project, “It is possible if you keep it simple”.
And that is because the various European grids may have some peculiarities, “but the flexibility issue is not that different” says Pedro and he adds “Our aim is to reduce this barrier to introduce new stakeholders”.
“Since the main challenges are common, we should not limit innovation too much. We should standardise what’s essential and leave the rest to the market”
Pedro Marques
“By proposing an open solution without imposing limits. So, the UMEI will become publicly available and it can be a basis for a direct interface between all these stakeholders allowing for future enrichment”.
Moreover, Pedro adds that one of the project’s many goals is “the integration of different market flexibility options”. After all, in a union of so many different states and grids, flexibility is where most stakeholders focus on.
In the end however, it all comes down to the consumer. “We should never forget the customers. The customers are the ones that will make the best decisions maximizing social welfare if they have the right tools at their disposal”, says EUniversal’s coordinator.
Listen to the full discussion and find out also why Pedro believe that Europe is a leading authority when it comes to Smart Grids and why Artificial Intelligence will eventually take the lead.
Pamela Largue speaks to Katie Jackson, Executive Vice President, Acquisition & Divestment and New Business Development at Shell and new chair of POWERful WOMEN about how to ensure gender diversity and inclusion within a rapidly changing energy sector. Jackson also shares candid insights on why women in senior roles can help build stronger businesses that are more adaptable to changing markets on the journey to Net Zero.
POWERful Women is a professional initiative that seeks to promote the growth and leadership development of women across the energy sector.
Every year in Spring POWERful Women, in partnership with PwC UK, reports on gender diversity at the top of the UK energy industry. The statistics reflect the number of women in board and executive director roles in the top 80 energy companies, focussing on the most significant employers in the UK energy industry.
POWERful Women aims to see 30% of executive board roles and 40% of middle management roles filled by women by 2030.
Britain’s biggest generator of zero-carbon electricity and an energy supplier to more than 3.5 million British homes and businesses, EDF UK recently announced a £50 billion low carbon programme to help Britain achieve net zero.
Referring to current extreme market conditions, price surges and the increased importance of risk management for energy trading, how do you achieve maximum agility?
In this episode, we connect with Mark Teuton, Senior Manager of Business Solutions at EDF UK the largest B2B energy retailer in the United Kingdom. Mark shares insight into EDF UK’s work and how agile energy trading plays a key role in supporting energy transition goals.
This episode is brought to you by Amazon Web Services, the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform, offering over 200 fully featured services from data centers globally.
INTERRFACE is an EU funded project under the Horizon 2020 framework. Its core objective is to facilitate the coordination between TSOs and DSOs. And in order to achieve that, it will create a common architecture that connects market platforms, links wholesale and retail markets and allows transparent and non-discriminatory trading and procurement.
And in addition, as Nikos Bilidis, coordinator of the INTERRFACE project, says in this episode of The EU Projects Zone Podcast “in a nutshell, the project is an open architecture for sharing data among all participants in the electricity system value chain, from local to European level”.
Emphasis on the European level and its peculiarities. So, how possible is the creation of a pan European grid architecture to be applied? “Yes, it is possible,” says Nikos “but of course, there are certain restrictions to take into consideration”.
This is why the team of the INTERRFACE project “tried to develop a platform that would be as modular as possible and to develop a system that would follow a plug and play manner”, adds Nikos. And that was made by design.
The platform supports the formulation of different products and services and the implementation of different and versatile coordination schemes based on the study of active system management that was published by ENTSO-E and E.DSO.
Listen to the full discussion and find out also how Nikos describes the ways that blockchain and smart contracts can help promote the participation of individual consumers in the energy sector.
FITGEN, a Horizon Europe project, aims at developing a functionally integrated e-axle ready for implementation in third-generation electric vehicles and therefore ready for mass-market production.
During the EU Project Zone Podcast discussion with Michele de Gennaro, team leader of FITGEN and senior scientist at Austrian Institute of Technology, he emphasises how busy the sector is nowadays.
“First and second life of battery cells, linking the automotive to the energy sector, as well as the reuse and recycling of red hearts from electric motors magnets. So a lot is happening. And we have also to give the time to regulation to develop,” he says.
Moreover, retail prices get a prominent role. As Michele says: “The two elements that influence the retail price the most are the cost of the energy storage system, so, the cost of the battery, as well as the cost of the traction system”.
And both of them are exacerbated by the relatively low production volume feature and work on the traction system. “It is designed to have a production cost of 2000 euros per unit at scale, and this is very close to the actual production cost of a midsize gasoline engine,” Michele adds.
When discussing e-vehicles and the infrastructure needed to integrate them into the power grid, Michele emphasises the fact that “super fast charge is not a need”. Contrary to what people think.
“The only scenario where super fast charge is needed,” he adds, “is in the case of long road trips. And this is a scenario that is met a few times a year for most users”. Fair enough, but what happens when it is indeed needed? Even for those few times per year?
Michele does not worry and argues that in the case super fast charge is needed, "the rate needs to be deployed mainly along motorways where the driver can stop, rest and recharge the battery in 1520 minutes. Very much likely it happens today with gas stations”.
Listen to the full discussion about FITGEN and find out also how “mobility will move away from the car ownership model to migrate towards an integrated system” as well as that “the end user product is not the car anymore in this system, but the mobility service and the experience of the mobility service itself”.
As the energy landscape undergoes rapid change, risk appetites and preferences follow suit.
Compounding the more traditional risks associated with energy projects, such as cost overruns and ineffective resource management, we now have to deal with the increasing influence of rising commodity prices, fluctuating markets and geopolitical tensions.
To unpack effective risk management at a time when the world is experiencing an energy revolution, Enlit World’s Pamela Largue is joined by Charles Wilsoncroft, partner at HKA.
Wilsoncroft highlights some of the key risks facing energy stakeholders and how best to mitigate them, as well as how to manage contract risks as margins tighten.
GIFT is a Horizon 2020 project that aims to help decarbonise the energy mix of European islands. To accomplish that, the international teams working on the project are developing innovative systems to allow islands to integrate a vast amount of renewables.
In this episode of The EU Project Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to project coordinator Igor Steiner about the ways in which GIFT aims to increase the penetration rate of renewable energy sources into the islands’ grid, in order to reduce their needs for diesel generation and decrease the greenhouse gases emissions directly related to it.
Within the course of 4 years, the project’s partners will develop and demonstrate solutions in two lighthouse islands. In Hinnøya, which is Norway’s largest island and on the small island of Procida in Italy. At the same time, they will study the replicability of the solutions in two other islands. A Greek and Italian island, respectively Evia and Favignana.
One of the focus points of the project and the conversation is that of electric vehicles and the data coming from them. According to Igor, “the countries, especially in the North, are already experiencing issues due to the high number of electrical chargers”. Mainly the fact that all that “should somehow be coordinated and managed to a degree that it causes no bigger issues than it already has”.
Another “hot” subtopic of the electric transportation concerning the European islands, is that of electric ferries. A very popular means of transportation between islands and between islands and the mainland in Europe. “When working with ferries, one needs to worry about whether the grid is strong enough to support them. Electric ferries require storage and their batteries can have the power of one megawatt or more. That can be a bit of an issue” says Igor.
And of course, all objectives of the GIFT project are only feasible with the support and participation of the people that live on the islands. Indeed, as the projects coordinator says, “the citizens of the islands are an important part of the energy community and as such, they are a priority”.
Listen to the full discussion to find out more about this innovative island project.
POLYPHEM is a Horizon 2020 project with the main objective to improve the performance of small-scale Concentrated Solar Power plants and their flexibility, in order to generate power on demand. In this episode of The EU Project Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to project coordinator Alain Ferriere about a new technology that is proposed: a solar-driven combined cycle with integrated thermal energy storage.
Pantera is a Horizon 2020 project that aims at setting up a European forum composed of Research & Innovation stakeholders active in the fields of smart grids, storage and local energy systems.
The name itself is an acronym standing for PAN European Technology Energy Research Approach and the vision behind the project is to create, through the EIRIE (European Interconnection for Research Innovation & Entrepreneurship) a multi-functional collaborative platform.
According to Venizelos Efthymiou, who is the Project Coordinator “the Pantera project attempts to bridge the gaps that currently exist in the energy field in Europe, between member states regarding research and innovation, and a foot and financial commitment for achieving the strategic objectives of Europe for 2030 and 2050, leading to a low carbon economy in support of them environmental aspirations of humanity”.
“Digitalization highly depends on communication infrastructure and related technologies”
Venizelos Ethymiou, project coordinator
The project is targeting specific areas of smart grids storage and local energy systems. Key objectives in this process is the development of a multifunctional platform to connect the EU research and innovation community and to enhance collaboration. “All contributing entities will benefit through the enhanced connectivity and wider range of services leaving no one behind” says Venizelos.
And as far as the diversity of the continents is concerned, the various grades and the peculiarities of each EU member state, securing fair and competitive research and innovation in a Pan European level is one of the objectives of the project.
“Diversity is actually a main objective of our project” says the Project Coordinator “and, it is true that we have diversity in the detail of the evolution of systems supporting the energy needs of Europe. And that is both natural and desirable.
But that diversity can at times be an obstacle, especially when it comes to rules and regulations. Policy according to Venizelos “is not responding to technology developments fast enough” and in addition “faster adoption of maturing technologies in research and development requires regulations to go a bit faster too”.
And Pantera, as a forum, will help unite the various voices of the industry and give them an opportunity not only to be heard, but to collaborate too.
Listen to the full discussion and find out also how Pantera assists the EU Commission and the stakeholders of the sector in connecting the dots so as to accelerate the energy transition.
Platone, an acronym for PLATform for Operation of distribution NEtworks, is a four-year Horizon 2020 project. It involves an international consortium of energy and IT experts, which works jointly to develop solutions to make flexible power generation and consumption a tradable good.
Unlocking these flexibilities allows integrating more renewable energies while maintaining grid stability. And in consequence to realize an open and non-discriminatory market, linking users, aggregators and operators.
Project coordinator Antonello Monti, University Professor and Director of the Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems at RWTH Aachen University says, “Platone is unique in its approach. While creating open and fair conditions for all the stakeholders in managing flexibility, it promotes a tight interaction between markets and operation. This tight link is critical for the grid of the future where the dynamics will be faster requiring more and more real-time services and a high level of awareness for the operators.”
Platone solutions will be implemented and tested in three of the participating countries:
In the Italian case, Acea Energia S.p.A., represented by Areti S.p.A., with the support of Siemens, experienced Engineering – Ingegneria Informatica S.p.A. and start-up Apio S.r.l., will implement a local flexibility market in the metropolitan area of Rome.
The objective of the German field test is to implement a flexibility management instance balancing generation and demand within an energy community to a virtual island.
“The energy transition is only possible if customers are involved. And that's why I wish to emphasize that one key element of the Platone project is to create the condition for customers to be involved in the energy system”
Antonello Monti
And finally the Greek demonstration will take place in the Mesogeia area, which is considered suitable for demonstration purposes since it has a good penetration of various types of renewable energy sources, provides a mix of rural, urban and suburban areas with a customer mix including households and small, medium and large industries.
According to Antonello Monti, “the more renewables we have in the grid, the more flexibility will play a role. And with Platone we wish to create the conditions to access as much flexibility as possible in the distribution grid, as well as to create fair data management”.
Moreover, one of the main points of the Platone platform “is to facilitate the better use of the infrastructure we already have”.
Listen to the full discussion and find out also how Platone assists both the local DSOs and TSOs by providing them solutions for their ever growing needs.
A critical phase in the life of any start-up is to successfully fundraise sufficient money to maintain its planned growth and development trajectory.
One of the most popular options is to raise corporate venture capital (CVC). According to CB Insights, CVC globally hit a record high of $73 billion in 2020, but that figure was exceeded in the first six months of 2021, i.e. $79 billion.
From a start-up’s perspective, they get not only funding, but can also benefit from the advice and network and infrastructure of a corporation.
Clearly, there are enormous benefits to securing CVC, but It’s not straightforward and should be viewed as a challenging task.
To help new ventures get it right, Dr Heather Johnstone speaks with Raamu Moneyam and Olga Jensen from BayWa r.e. Energy Ventures, the ventures arm of BayWa r.e., to get some useful dos and don’ts, and top tips, as well as general guidance.
Plus, they share some unique aspects of their approach when it comes to investing in new ventures.
Host:
- Dr Heather Johnstone, Director – Initiate @ Enlit Europe
Guests:
- Olga Jensen, Associate, BayWa r.e. Energy Ventures
- Raamu Moneyam, Senior Associate, BayWa r.e. Energy Ventures
In this episode of The EU Project Zone podcast, Areti Ntaradimou speaks with Antonis Papanikolaou, Project Coordinator of MERLON and Head of R&D at Hypertech Energy Labs.
Listen to the conversation to find out how MERLON assists the local DSOs by providing them with the tools for the provision of added value services to the overlay distribution grid.
Host:
- Areti Ntaradimou, Content Director, Enlit
Guest:
- Antonis Papanikolaou, Project Coordinator of MERLON and also the Head of R&D at Hypertech Energy Labs
For more information, visit: https://www.enlit.world/projects-zone/
Nils Røkke, Executive Vice President Sustainability at SINTEF and Chair of EERA (European Energy Research Alliance) talks to Pamela Largue about why the North Sea is often referred to as the “energy Silicon Valley of Europe”. Røkke highlights the great untapped potential of the area and the huge possibility to harvest renewables, while also developing clean energy technologies, such as carbon capture and storage, biomass and hydrogen.
In this episode of The EU Project Zone podcast, Areti Ntaradimou speaks with Peter Kelly-Detwiler, energy expert and author of the book The Energy Switch, about the future of the energy sector.
Host:
- Areti Ntaradimou, Content Director, Enlit
Guest:
- Peter Kelly-Detwiler, energy expert and author of the book The Energy Switch
The energy markets are going through unprecedented volatility. Energy security in Europe is making headlines and everyone is talking about their energy bill. Clearly we need to talk about energy prices and about how they are evolving. To make sense of this we invited Natasha Fielding, European Natural gas specialist for Argus media and her Colleague Justin Colley, specialist in European Electricity markets.
Dr Jill Miscandlon is a Senior Manufacturing Engineer at Strathclyde University’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) in the UK, and is focused on making circularity a reality.
One of Jill’s research areas is the development of a more sustainable lifecycle for electrical machines through the use of a variety of circular economy principals.
She discusses the key aspects of the research project, including its main deliverables, as well as sharing some of her preliminary findings.
Overall, Jill makes a compelling case for why taking a circular approach to addressing the many challenges of building a low-carbon future is not a ‘nice to do’, but is a ‘must do’.
Host: Dr Heather Johnstone, Director – Initiate @ Enlit Europe
Guest: Dr Jill Miscandlon, Senior Manufacturing Engineer, AFRC, Strathclyde University
The annual Dakar Rally is increasingly committed to a more responsible rally raid, focusing on the development of alternative engines and technological innovation.
We talk to Steve McEvoy, Automotive Lead at engineering and digital transformation consultancy Expleo about the development of cleaner vehicles powered by hydrogen for the Dakar Rally and discusses hydrogen’s potential in decarbonising the automotive industry at large.
Learn more about the hydrogen vehicle being designed by Expleo and racing expertise partner Faster or read about Expleo’s research on the use of hydrogen energy and its impact on the automotive sector.
On a monthly basis, we discuss the Energy Markets in this podcast. In this ‘Energy Markets Talk’, Christian Baer, Secretary General of Europex discusses the current energy prices surges and how the energy market design keeps on evolving.*
Europex is the Association of European Energy Exchanges, representing the interests of exchange-based wholesale electricity, gas and environmental markets by focusing on developments of the European regulatory framework for wholesale energy trading.
*Recorded prior to the conflict in Ukraine.
In the first of an exclusive nine-part series entitled ‘Future Energy Perspectives’, Karim Amin, Executive Vice-President of Generation at Siemens Energy, spotlights the key factors for reaching a net-zero economy by mid-century.
Text: Karim Amin / Siemens Energy
Read by: Philip Gordon
This series is brought to you by Power Engineering International and Enlit, in partnership with Siemens Energy.
For more information, visit: www.powerengineeringint.com/future-energy-perspectives/
This podcast discussion provides a brief look at the wins and disappointments from the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow. We answer the question, what’s next and unpack how Enlit Europe in Milan will capitalise on the current momentum within the energy sector to drive forward Europe’s energy transition.
Host:
- Pamela Largue, Staff Writer, Power Engineering International
Speakers:
- Paddy Young, Director of Enlit
- Kelvin Ross, Editor-in-Chief, Power Engineering International and Enlit Europe
- Areti Ntaradimou, Editor, Smart Energy International and Content Direction, Enlit Europe
Marcus Lehmann provides insights on the nascent, yet rapidly expanding field of wave energy in the USA.
More specifically, he talks about CalWave Power Technologies’ pilot project, which resulted in wave energy converter technology being deployed off the pier of Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego. This is a long-duration demonstration of a fully submerged wave energy system in California and it's being funded by a US DOE development contract.
Host: Pamela Largue, Staff Writer
Speaker: Marcus Lehmann, CEO of CalWave
The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe recently signed a partnership agreement with UK-based Global OTEC for the deployment of a commercial Floating Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Platform. We explore this project in more detail, and unpack how this cutting edge technology holds a key to decarbonising small island nations.
Host: Pamela Largue, Staff Writer, Power Engineering International
Speakers:
- Dr Tessa Gordelier, Business Research Fellow, Renewable Energy Research Group, University of Exeter
- Dan Grech, Founder & CEO, Global OTEC
Norway recently announced the Ocean Grid project that will develop new technology, knowledge, and solutions to enable the profitable development of offshore wind on the Norwegian continental shelf - key to achieving climate targets. We unpack how this region, traditionally focused on oil & gas, has made significant progress in the burgeoning offshore wind sector and become a leading force driving Europe’s green energy transition.
Host: Pamela Largue, Staff Writer
Speaker: John Olav Giæver Tande, Chief Scientist, Research Manager, and Director of NorthWind at SINTEF Energi AS
In the context of Fit for 55, we unpack Poland’s shift away from coal, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of this shift and the importance of ensuring a just transition.
Speakers:
Michał Motylewski , Managing Counsel, Dentons
Michał Motylewski, attorney-at-law, is a managing counsel in Dentons’ Warsaw office and a member of the Warsaw Energy and Natural Resources practice team. Michał specializes in Energy Law and, in particular, in issues relating to the development of the EU’s internal market in electricity and gas and the implementation of power market reforms in Poland, including the current implementation of the Clean Energy for All Europeans package.
Joanna Maćkowiak-Pandera, President, Forum Energii
Founder and leader of Forum Energii - the first Polish energy transition think tank in Poland. She focuses on European energy and climate regulations, electricity markets, renewable energy sources.
In the past, she worked at the Ministry of Environment, among others as Deputy Minister responsible for the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Joanna is involved in global and EU climate negotiations. She has worked at Agora Energiewende – German energy transition think tank and the Danish Oersted.
Listen to this podcast to learn more about the field of perovskites, why it’s causing such a buzz in the solar community and the various applications being tested in labs in the US and United Kingdom.
Join Prof Henry Snaith FRS, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Oxford PV and Binks Professor of Renewable Energy in the Physics Department of the University of Oxford; Joseph J . Berry, a Senior Research Fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; and Laura Schelhas, a research scientist and group manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado, USA.
Florence Coullet talks to Sylvia Breukers, Partner and Researcher at DuneWorks, about getting energy communities ready for peer-to-peer energy trading.
With Siemens Energy now operating as an independent player in the energy industry, we ask Executive Vice-President of Generation, Karim Amin, about the role he expects the company to play in the energy transition and how he sees future technologies meeting market needs in sector coupling, energy storage, hydrogen and renewable integration.
Enlit director Paddy Young explores the renewable energy trends set to flourish this year with three energy journalists: Jennifer Runyon of Renewable Energy World; Leigh Collins of Recharge; and Kelvin Ross of Power Engineering International.