IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2015 - 30

Organic Growth
Toward a Holistic Approach
to European Research and Innovation

T

This arTicle summarizes The efforTs
of european network operators to adopt a holistic
approach to their research and innovation (r&i)
activities. Transmission system operators (Tsos) in
europe represented by eNTso-e and distribution
system operators (Dsos) represented by eDso-sG,
as well as organizations such as european Technology Platform smart Grids (eTP smartGrids), regularly publish and update road maps, implementation
plans, and strategic research agendas. These documents are closely related to each other, aiming at
ensuring a coordinated approach to grids and the
integration of new technologies. as a package, all of
this activity is tailored to addressing the challenges
network operators face in meeting many overarching
energy policy goals at the pan-european level.
in recent years, the european energy system has
changed significantly. electricity increasingly originates from local and small-scale generation. There is
an ever stronger need for a robust pan-european transmission backbone for cross-border trading. The ability
to flexibly handle variable generation will necessitate
an optimized mix of flexible generation, transmission
capacity, energy storage, demand response, smarter
system operational tools, and enhanced integrated
markets. innovative solutions are needed to maintain
a high reliability of energy supply to all consumers at
minimum cost.
Key drivers for the r&i activities we discuss
here include the degree of decentralization of system
components and their interrelation with electricity
networks, the variability of renewable generation, the
increased distance between generation and consumption, the rise of electric vehicles, the intelligence level
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2014.2363525
Date of publication: 7 January 2015

30

ieee power & energy magazine

of the complex systems created by "smart" products
and the associated "smart" services, the legal framework of the energy system, the associated regulation
of market-based product and service choices versus
natural monopoly products and services, and the
business roles for actors involved in all aspects of
networks and intelligent electric systems. smart grid
research must therefore analyze electricity systems
as a single integrated system, one that could possibly be enhanced by other energy carriers for process
heat and mobility demands. research and innovation
are supported by the action plans and mechanisms
needed to perform the r&i activities, to track their
achievements, and to properly share the knowledge
gained and best practices.

Challenges
Flexibility Measures
to Ensure Security of Supply
Traditional flexibility measures used in the past by
electric utilities (large central generation and partially controllable industrial loads) are no longer
sufficient in the face of the growing share of nondispatchable and intermittent generation units, whereas
the flexibility provided by residential and commercial consumption has generally not been exploited.
moreover, in the course of exploiting offshore wind
resources and remote locations with high solar potential, distances between consumption and generation
increase, which in turn requires greater transmission
capacity and more interconnections.
This paradigm shift has already triggered a longterm transition for both Tsos and Dsos, leading to
a shared new vision devoted to giving more flexibility to electricity networks, using the following concepts and methods:

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january/february 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2015
