Energy Transitions
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Welcome to the Energy Transitions and the EU Projects Zone 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 to view the full series.
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2 days ago
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: Omega-X with Javier Valiño
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.
Follow the Projects Zone for the latest news about EU projects
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.
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4 days ago
Denmark’s energy islands - a new era in energy
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.
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Mar 23, 2023
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: ACCEPT with Ismini Dimitriadou
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 organisations 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."
Follow the Projects Zone for the latest news about EU projects
And by unlocking flexibility, the energy communities will be able to, according to Ismini, "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...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.
Listen also to other episodes of The EU Project Zone Podcast:
Graphene Flagship with Piero Gamarra
Synergy with Ugo Stecchi
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: OneNet with Helena Gerard
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Mar 17, 2023
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: OneNet with Helena Gerard
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”.
Follow the Projects Zone for the latest news about EU projects
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.
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Mar 14, 2023
Europe’s urgent need for flexible balancing power
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
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Mar 9, 2023
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: EUniversal with Carlos Damas Silva
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.
Follow the Projects Zone for the latest news about EU projects
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.
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Feb 28, 2023
Hedging bets on European offshore wind
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.
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Feb 23, 2023
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: SYNERGY with Ugo Stecchi
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.
Follow the Projects Zone for the latest news about EU projects
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.
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Feb 17, 2023
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: Graphene Flagship with Piero Gamarra
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
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Feb 14, 2023
Weighing the true cost of carbon capture
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.
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Feb 9, 2023
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: eCrew with Johannes Slacik
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.
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Feb 3, 2023
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: SmartBuilt4EU with Régis Decorme
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 elem…
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Feb 2, 2023
Why a gas price cap could worsen the energy crisis
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.
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Jan 24, 2023
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: FlexPlan with Gianluigi Migliavacca
In this first episode of the 2023 season of The EU Projects Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to Gianluigi Migliavacca about the FlexPlan project and how it is going to play a role in Europe’s flexible energy transition, while at the same time helping create a secure and sustainable smart grid for Europe.
Gianluigi Migliavacca, project manager at Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico (RSA SpA) is the coordinator of FlexPlan. By creating an innovative new methodology and a tool, Migliavacca explains, FlexPlan aims to support European system operators in performing mid-to-long-term planning studies. Focussing on three grid years (2030, 2040 and 2050), the project will consider system flexibility as an alternative to new grid investments.
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 ambiti…
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Dec 13, 2022
Has hydropower passed its heyday?
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.
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Nov 22, 2022
Lessons from a Danish hydrogen pilot project
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
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Nov 17, 2022
COP27: From debate to delivery
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.
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Nov 8, 2022
Smart water at the heart of sustainable cities
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
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Oct 25, 2022
The role of industrial clusters in accelerating net zero
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
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Oct 13, 2022
Optimizing Smart Meter Installations and Project Execution
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.
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Sep 27, 2022
Circular economy innovation in Estonia
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.
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Sep 15, 2022
Wien Energie - former CEO assesses liquidity problems
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.
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Sep 7, 2022
Reforming Europe’s energy market
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
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Aug 23, 2022
What the Inflation Reduction Act means for the US and Europe
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.
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Aug 10, 2022
Weighing the future of nuclear power in 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 modula…
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Jul 28, 2022
Can European policy combat the energy crisis?
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
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Jul 7, 2022
Challenges Europe faces to secure gas supply
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.
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Jun 26, 2022
AMI – Benefits & Challenges of this Technology for Developing Countries
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
Speaker…
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Jun 20, 2022
The EU Project Zone Podcast: X-FLEX with Lola Alacreu
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…
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Jun 15, 2022
Bridging the UK’s energy supply and demand gap
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.
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Jun 8, 2022
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: TRINITY with Álvaro Nofuentes Prieto
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.
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Jun 1, 2022
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: EUniversal with Pedro Marques
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 a…
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Jun 1, 2022
Driving energy transition with POWERful Women
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.
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May 26, 2022
Energy Trading – How do you achieve maximum agility?
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.
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May 26, 2022
The EU Projects Zone Podcast: INTERRFACE with Nikos Bilidis
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 mod…
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May 23, 2022
The EU Project Zone Podcast: FITGEN with Michele de Gennaro
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 wor…
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May 13, 2022
Managing risk in an energy revolution
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.
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May 12, 2022
The EU Project Zone Podcast: GIFT with Igor Steiner
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 o…
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May 6, 2022
The EU Project Zone Podcast: POLYPHEM with Alain Ferriere
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.
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Apr 27, 2022
The EU Project Zone Podcast: Pantera with Venizelos Efthymiou
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…
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Apr 22, 2022
The EU Project Zone Podcast: Project Platone with Antonello Monti
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 le…
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Apr 21, 2022
The dos and don’ts of fundraising from a corporate VC
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…
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Apr 14, 2022
The EU Project Zone Podcast: Project MERLON with Antonis Papanikolaou
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/
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Apr 12, 2022
The North Sea – Axis of decarbonisation
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.
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Apr 6, 2022
The EU Project Zone Podcast: 'The Energy Switch' with Peter Kelly-Detwiler
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
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Apr 5, 2022
Extreme volatility in power and gas markets
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.
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Mar 30, 2022
It’s not a 'New York State of Mind' we need, it’s a circular one
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
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Mar 23, 2022
Hydrogen-fueled vehicles in the Dakar and beyond
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.
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Mar 14, 2022
Talking about the energy market design with Europex
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.
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Feb 6, 2022
Future Energy Perspectives #1: Managing change to reach a decarbonised energy system
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/
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Nov 22, 2021
COP26: Lessons learned from Glasgow
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
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Nov 18, 2021
Surfs up - Harnessing wave power off California’s coast
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
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Nov 16, 2021
Driving sustainability in the tropics with Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
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
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Nov 2, 2021
Norway: Leading offshore wind development
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
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Sep 6, 2021
Poland: Race to 55
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, amo…
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Jul 7, 2021
Perovskite: Exploring solar’s next breakthrough
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.
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Jun 23, 2021
Peer-to-peer empowerment
Florence Coullet talks to Sylvia Breukers, Partner and Researcher at DuneWorks, about getting energy communities ready for peer-to-peer energy trading.
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Jun 16, 2021
Interview with Karim Amin of Siemens Energy
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.
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Feb 25, 2021
What’s hot in renewables?
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.
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