Eurelectric brings its spark at Enlit Europe

This week, Milan was taken over by energy professionals for the 2024 edition of Enlit Europe . From 22 to 24 October, a record number of 15k energy experts crossed the doors of Milano Rho Fiera to attend more than 200 sessions diving into power generation, grids, e-mobility and digitalisation.

Eurelectric joined the energy fair to bring its own spark to the Italian capital of fashion with its exhibition stand, speaking slots and several panel sessions in the exhibition area. Here is the recap.

Digitopia

Part of our annual series of Digitopia events spotlighted digitalisation of distribution system operators (DSOs) to adapt to an increasingly decentralised energy system, with a special focus on the technological innovations that will drive this transformation.

As we showed in our Wired for Tomorrow study developed with 埃森哲 , there is a urgent need for digitalising DSOs to enhance flexibility, customer service and grid efficiency - critical components for advancing Europe’s decarbonisation goals. We have explored two critical aspects of this digitalisation journey with dedicated panels of experts and different stakeholders.

Meeting the demands of customers-centred digitalisation

The first panel, moderated by Eurelectric’s Head of Distribution and Market Facilitation, Savannah Altvater , highlighted how DSOs are modernising operations to improve consumer outcomes and enhance grid reliability. Speakers, including our Secretary General, @Kristian Ruby, Mark Van Stiphout from the European Commission ’s Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER), Beatriz Alonso from Iberdrola and Christiane Mann from T&D Europe , explored the role of digital solutions like low-voltage monitoring and advanced distribution management systems in supporting the rapid influx of distributed energy resources (DERs).

Striking the balance between buildout and flexibility

In the second panel, our Advisor for Distribution and Market Facilitation, Jessica Garcia , guided a discussion to examine how DSOs and transmission system operators (TSOs) must balance grid expansion with flexibility solutions. Featuring experts such as Bilal Khursheed of 微软 , Tim van Amstel of E.ON One , Rafael Muruais Garcia of EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) , Yvonne Ruwaida ?? of Vattenfall Eldistribution AB and Sylvie Perrin of RTE Réseau de Transport d'Electricité , this discussion underscored how digitalisation can enhance grid planning, enable faster connections and unlock flexibility to manage energy flows.

The key takeaway from these two panels is that digitalisation is an essential condition to make Europe’s energy transition happen. For us in the power sector, getting this right is critical to delivering a cost-effective, resilient grid that supports Europe’s decarbonisation goals.

With our Digitopia Business Hub, we’re exploring the new conditions for the power industry in a digitalised age together with digital gurus in the energy space – from electric utilities to tech companies. If this sounds interesting to you, make sure you visit the website or contact Augustin Chabrol .

Showcasing our reports

Kristian Ruby, meanwhile, was everywhere inside the fair and beyond to showcase the insights from our latest reports Grids for Speed, Wired for Tomorrow and Power Barometer.

From a discussion and dinner organised by OverIT , to the the Enlit Session hosted by T&D, "How do they do it? 4 ways to fast track the Energy Transition” and a press conference with media, our insights about Europe’s state of electrification and the need to massively invest in distribution grids’ buildout and digitalisation.

It is an important time to stress these main messages as the designated Commissioners that will be dealing with these files are prepping for their public hearings with the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

EVision Business Hub meeting

On the sidelines of the energy fair, our EVision business hub gathered to tackle the two major obstacles affecting consumers’ confidence in transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs): the diverse costs of vehicle charging and the pressing issue of integrating EVs into the electricity distribution grids of urban areas.

Members presented their case studies to share best practices to facilitate the EV uptake in European cities:

• Understanding EV charging tariffs: AFRY shared the results of its study comparing the varied landscape of EV charging tariffs across key European markets (Italy, France, Germany and Spain), with the aim to understand what product can have the biggest impact on the tariff for the charge point operators (CPOs) and to get the best tariff possible to make Italy, the country with the highest tariffs, more competitive.
• Smarter, more flexible grid solutions: Enel X emphasised solutions that cities can implement to mitigate these challenges without extensive overhauls of current infrastructure, like smart parking lots and dynamic load management, which could optimise the utilisation of existing infrastructure and reduce the need for costly upgrades.
• Grid congestion and urban infrastructure stress: DNV then delved deeper into the issue of grid congestion, with an analysis showing that as cities electrify, grid congestion becomes a more prevalent issue, leading to potential bottlenecks in electricity supply. It also shared examples of successful initiatives to tackle grid congestion.
• Collaboration for future-proofing e-mobility: Landis+Gyr underscored the need for cross-sector collaboration, highlighting the role of businesses, fleet operators and city planners in developing dual-purpose charging infrastructure that can serve multiple needs

Drawing insights from the EVision Hub meetings, at Eurelectric we work to promote collaboration between utilities, city planners and the private sector to ensure the successful adoption of EVs in Europe. You can visit the website or contact Michelangelo Aveta for more information.

We will continue the conversation on 5-6 March at EVision 2025, our annual event gathering the whole e-mobility value chain together. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of the conversation.

Energy Transition Innovators Pitching Competition

For the third time, Eurelectric was the co-organiser of the Energy Transition Innovators Pitching Competition, an event gathering the the most innovative start-ups in the energy sector in a battle to the last pitch.

We have awarded the most trail-blazing solutions in three different categories:

• “Grid Enhancing Technologies: Digitalisation, Optimisation and Resilience”: the prize went to Energiot ’s pioneering whose self-powered internet of things (IoT) devices leverage cutting-edge piezoelectric technology, transforming ambient vibrations into electrical energy. This innovation not only eliminates the need for traditional batteries but also significantly reduces maintenance costs.
• “Innovative Technology for Clean Energy and Storage”: REBLADE drone-based leading-edge erosion repair technology secured a gold medal.
• “Platforms and Solutions for Energy Efficiency, Communities and Management”: Finnish start up Synergi got the gold medal thanks to its flexibility platform helping households use electricity more efficiently and help utilities participate in flexibility markets with their customer-owned home energy assets.

These winning start ups brought back home some rich prizes: a free ticket to Eurelectric’s Power Summit 2024 in Brussels, (3-4 June), a complimentary Pod in the Innovators Zone at Enlit Europe in Bilbao next year, an invitation to Open Innovation Day of Free Electrons in Dublin in October 2025 from ESB , as well as other prizes from jury members.

Back to Brussels

While part of the Eurelectric team went straight to Amsterdam for RE-Source Platform 's 2024 event, those back in Brussels are gearing up for the Grids for Speed event happening in Brussels on 5 November, during which we will unveil a follow-up report on?nine grid technologies that can help optimise grid?capacity, improve performance and lower the investment need.

We hope to see you there!

This week’s edition’s written by:

Chiara Carminucci , Digital Communications Officer - Eurelectric

With technical input by:

Augustin Chabrol , Advisor - BD & Membership - Eurelectric

Michelangelo Aveta , Business Hubs Advisor - Policy Integration Lead - Eurelectric

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