Evaluation of the Economic Surplus Generated by the European Balancing Platforms

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Recording of Wednesday, May 07, 2025 | The smarter E Europe | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 10:19 .

European Balancing Platforms Enhance Grid Efficiency and Economic Benefits Through Optimized Software Solutions

The discussion focuses on the European balancing platforms and their economic benefits, emphasizing how these systems optimize energy distribution without significant grid investment. Europe currently uses three standardized products for system balance: FCR (primary control), AFR (automatic frequency response), and MFR (manual frequency restoration). The integration of renewable energies is increasing rapidly, outpacing grid investments. To address this challenge, intelligent software solutions like balancing platforms are employed to enhance efficiency by optimizing activation across Europe. This allows demands in one region to be met by more cost-effective plants elsewhere if transmission capacities permit. Platforms such as MARI for MFR and PICASSO for AFR facilitate this process through a TSO-TSO system where local TSOs manage bids from power sources based on price merit order lists sent to central optimization systems like AOF. These setups ensure cost-optimal energy activation while maintaining local TSO responsibility, achieving substantial economic surplus estimated at 100 million Euros annually per platform since full operations began in 2023.

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Dr. Dominik Schlipf
Team Manager System Balance
TransnetBW GmbH
Germany

Grid planners face the complex challenge of transmitting energy from emerging renewable generation hubs to demand centers, while also addressing the growing need for high-capacity connections for storage plants, electrolyzers, and data centers. These developments present significant challenges for grid planners, grid operators, service providers and project developers. This session will explore the technical, regulatory, and logistical hurdles involved in managing these demands and examine innovative solutions to ensure reliable, efficient grid integration and future-proof energy systems. It also discusses the importance of system planning and examines how different stakeholders can contribute to optimization efforts that enable better prioritization of investments and the achievement of European goals.

Further Talks of this session:

Speaker

Dr. Andrzej Ceglarz
Director Energy Systems
Renewables Grid Initiative
Germany

Video is not available.

Speaker

Dr. Anser A. Shakoor
Executive Leader
GE Vernova
United Kingdom

To Talk

Speaker

Dr. Alexandre Oudalov
Manager Power Systems of the Future
Hitachi Energy Germany AG
Germany

To Talk

Speaker

Dr. Sankara Subramanian
Utility Market Leader
Saft Batteries
France

To Talk

Speaker

Matthias Kuring
Senior Expert Balancing Concepts
50Hertz Transmission
Germany

To Talk

Speaker

Dr. Sankara Subramanian
Utility Market Leader
Saft Batteries
France

Dr. Anser A. Shakoor
Executive Leader
GE Vernova
United Kingdom

Dr. Dominik Schlipf
Team Manager System Balance
TransnetBW GmbH
Germany

Dr. Alexandre Oudalov
Manager Power Systems of the Future
Hitachi Energy Germany AG
Germany

Matthias Kuring
Senior Expert Balancing Concepts
50Hertz Transmission
Germany

Dr. Andrzej Ceglarz
Director Energy Systems
Renewables Grid Initiative
Germany

To Talk

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