EURELECTRIC Conference
“Smart Grids – From Policy to Implementation”
Brussels,19 May 2009
Hotel
Radisson Royal SAS, Brussels
Introduction
Peter Birkner, Managing Director of RWE Rhein-Ruhr Netzservice GmbH and Chairman of EURELECTRIC’s Networks Committee,
set the scene for the Conference - Smart Grids- from Policy to Implementation hosted by EURELECTRIC on May 19 in Brussels,
by reminding the 150 delegates present of the EU’s triple commitment to reducing CO2 emissions by 20%, obtaining 20% of total
energy from renewable energy sources (RES) and improving energy efficiency by 20%, all by 2020, which “represents a considerable challenge for the energy sector”.
Moreover, 20% total energy consumption translates to around 35% of all electricity from renewables, which means that intermittent power generation, notably windpower,
will play a significant role in the 2020 scenario, along with smaller renewable energy sources, thus changing the direction of load flow. In addition, more electricity
applications - such as heat pumps for space heating-cooling and electric vehicles – will come into widespread use. As a consequence, the electricity grid is facing a
triple challenge in order to meet consumer demand effectively – the power transportation challenge to ensure sufficient capacity on the lines, the power quality challenge
to maintain stability of voltage, and the power balancing challenge to ensure the stability of the system. The ‘classical tasks’ of the grid system operators, he said, have
shifted into a new dimension and a “new ‘smart technology’ which allows a comfortable demand-side management has to be developed”. This means the introduction of ‘smart metering’,
‘smart tariffs’, and developing ‘smart houses’, in addition to other balancing options needed “in order to manage the challenges of the future”. All this will require significant
investment and considerable efforts in research & development, which will have to be financed, Mr Birkner underlined.
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