Recording of Tuesday, June 23, 2026 | The smarter E Europe Conferences 2026 | Language: English | Duration: 16:09 .

Historical and Modern Approaches to Infrastructure and Waste Management

In August 1892, Hamburg experienced a cholera outbreak linked to poor waste management, which contaminated the Elbe River, its main drinking water source. This public health crisis, resulting in over 8,000 deaths, emphasized the vital relationship between urban infrastructure and public health. In response to ongoing waste disposal issues, the first waste-burning plant was established to incinerate waste and generate energy, laying the groundwork for modern sustainable waste management practices. Germany's waste-burning plants have evolved significantly, focusing on efficiency and pollution reduction. MVA Ingolstadt, a notable facility, is implementing battery energy storage to improve operational reliability and reduce emissions while exploring alternatives to conventional diesel backups. Meanwhile, steam turbines at these facilities utilize municipal waste for power generation but face challenges with wet waste impacting efficiency. However, battery systems can provide additional power and stability during grid disturbances, ensuring the reliability of operations. Effective grid management, including the use of droop control and grid-forming converters, is crucial for maintaining stability in power systems, especially in island grid scenarios where traditional methods may falter.

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Speaker

Christoph Richter
Product Manager
Freqcon GmbH

Talk of session: Inverter-Dominated Power Grids - How do we Overcome our Dependency on Turning Masses of Fossil Power Plants?

The share of renewable energies in European power systems is steadily increasing: Germany has already achieved approximately 60 percent, and most of the renewable energy is provided by the volatile sources wind and solar. This is the bright side of the story, but conventional power plants, which have been responsible for grid stability until now, are also being shut down. A further increase in renewable shares requires a shift in the paradigm towards grids operating safely and reliably with power electronic assets. In this context, energy storage systems with grid-forming inverters play a key role, and this session is dedicated to technological solutions, the development and adaptation of grid codes, market incentives and, as well as best practices. Additionally, we will ask whether the way in which grid stability was coordinated in the era of turning masses from momentum reserve to FCR, aFRR and mFRR is still appropriate for inverter-dominated grids.

Further Talks of this session:

Welcome and Introduction

Speaker

Dr. Matthias Vetter
Energy Storage Chief Expert
Huawei Nuremberg Research Center
Germany

To Talk

The Role of Grid-Forming Inverters in Renewable Energy Integration

Speaker

Cormac Gilligan
Director, Technologies & Supply Chains
S&P Global Energy

To Talk

Grid Stability Lessons from One of Europe's Biggest Batteries

Speaker

Raymond Walsh
General Manager, Project Management
Wärtsilä Energy Storage
USA

To Talk

Blackout in the Iberian Peninsula: Summary of Events, Analysis and Consequences for Other Power Grids

Speaker

Dr. Enrique Garralaga
Managing Director
SMA Altenso GmbH
Germany

To Talk

Panel Discussion

To Talk