Resources

European Electricity Summary

“European Electricity Summary 2020”: Volatile weather saw levels of wind generation across Europe hit record levels in February 2020. Data from energy market analyst EnAppSys showed that wind power amounted to an average output of 85.4GW – equivalent to over two hundred 400MW coal units of power generation – in February 2020.

Blowing Away Limitations on Wind Farms in the Irish Power Market

“Blowing Away Limitations on Wind Farms in the Irish Power Market”: Investment in technology and system services can help TSOs operate the power grid in a stable, secure manner while boosting renewable generation for a greener future. That’s the key finding from this research conducted by energy data analyst EnAppSys on the Irish power market.

France is Europe’s biggest net electricity exporter

“France is Europe’s biggest net electricity exporter”: The European energy market is getting more and more interconnected. Which countries are the biggest importers and exporters today? And where are they relatively to their demand? This report explains.

Speaker Presentations

Data: The New Life Blood of the Transformed Energy System – and Beyond!

2050 will be an important year for the entire world, but even more pressing will be the next ten years on the global energy agenda if we are to hit the net-zero target for decarbonisation. We cover designing the system around consumers, and sizing the system around demand.

Presented by:
Laura Sandys CBE, Chair, Energy Data Taskforce

Policy: Piecing the Jigsaw Together for a Holistic Transition

How does the policy puzzle fit together to achieve the most seamless and efficient energy transition in Europe and beyond? It’s clear that robust policies and guidelines are needed to increase technology adoption across the sector and maintain a strong bottom line. This session will explore:

The impact of policies already in place to increase technology adoption and encourage transformation
Is the UK further ahead in terms of the digital energy transition? What other regions or markets are leading the charge?
Which technologies are at the forefront of the transition at the moment?
Next steps to increase energy efficiency measures and low carbon tech

Presented by:
Caroline Clapham, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland LLP
Dr. Jan Rosenow, Principal and European Programme Director, Regulatory Assistance Project
Dr. Jeffrey Hardy, Senior Research Fellow, Imperial College London

CASE STUDY: Unlocking the Flexibility of Distributed Resources in Italy through UVAM and Equigy

A case study around flexibility resources and how they are being integrated in Italy. Owners of small-scale assets will play a key role in transforming the energy sector by optimising their interaction with the grid.

Presented by:
Dr. Fabio Genoese, Head of Strategy, TERNA SpA

Shall I Curtail Thee on a Summers Day?

The innovative partners behind Project TraDER have taken live a local market for excess power on the Orkney islands, successfully delivering real-time trading between renewable generation and local flexibility and using real-time markets to resolve constraints behind an Active Network Management system.

Presented by:
Conor Maher-McWilliams, Head of Flexibility, Kaluza
Helene Thill, Business Development Manager, EDF
Mark Hull, Head of Innovation, Community Energy Scotland
Jon Ferris, Strategy Director, Electron

Cleantech Innovation & Strategic Capital

Despite the urgency of climate action and the popularity of ESG as an investment theme, scaling cleantech start-ups remains challenging. Meanwhile, incumbent energy companies struggle to adapt to a cleaner future at a pace demanded by their constituents. Energy Impact Partners (EIP) was formed to address this challenge. With over $1.5bn under management, we invest in the most innovative start-ups supporting the energy transition and connect them with our coalition of over 20 major utilities from across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. This presentation will highlight the technologies and business models EIP believes are critical for a clean energy future, and why strategic capital will play a crucial role in their success.

Presented by:
James Sprinz, Vice President, Strategy, Energy Impact Partners

Harnessing the Power of Data in the Utilities Sector

Today data is king. As the UK approaches its Net Zero targets, reducing emissions in the utilities sector is key if we’re to achieve the ambitious targets set by the UK government. With a lot of discussion and headlines around net zero and how it can be achieved, does it go far enough? In this session, Bjoern looks at what businesses can do to reach further and become carbon negative by using data driven decision-making tools and machine learning to make net zero a reality.

Presented by:
Bjoern Reinke, Director of Data & Data Science, Drax Group

EDITORIAL Resources

Our in-house editorial team has been charting the growth of the solar and energy storage industries for a decade, amassing a comprehensive library of reports, technical papers and analyses. Here, the editorial team has highlighted a series of resources relevant to the topics to be discussed within the Digital Summits series.

Blackouts and Batteries: How storage saved the UK grid

At 4:52pm on Friday 9 August 2019, the UK suffered its first wide-scale blackout in over a decade. More than 1.1 million consumers were plunged into the dark as rail lines screeched to a halt, traffic lights failed and even airports reported problems. Liam Stoker looks at the root causes, and how battery storage came to the rescue

Digitalisation and its impact on the solar energy industry

Digital technologies have the potential to transform the solar industry as it continues to seek greater efficiencies and lower costs. But as Dana Olson writes, a lack of both digital skills and mindset within organisations are key barriers to realising the full benefits of the technologies now available.

Power to the people

The UK’s energy retail market is witnessing an exodus of customers leaving the so-called Big Six for independent suppliers, who are attracting them with home solar systems and a battery to match. Liam Stoker uncovers what’s behind the trend for new energy suppliers taking to domestic PV.

Smart neighbourhood, smart micro-grid

Micro-grids can offer a resilient and secure alternative for both rural and city communities. Molly Lempriere looks at some of the micro-grids around the world that are transforming the way neighbourhoods produce and consume electricity.

Flex and flexibility

Power markets are evolving and beginning to value flexibility ahead of generation. As the UK’s networks companies move to embrace flexible generation assets, Liam Stoker spoke to some of the country’s leading providers to identify the hurdles and solutions to a more flexible power grid.

Using batteries to reduce the impact of grid maintenance

Batteries are increasingly widely used in grid balancing, but there are many more applications where a battery can play an important role. With electric grids requiring periodic maintenance, batteries can stand in for the grid during downtime in order to reduce the impact on industry and households, writes Dieter Castelein.