The Netherlands' Experience With Grid Bottlenecks and E-Mobility Deployment

The accelerating deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy is creating new challenges for grid stability. Smart and bidirectional charging can help balance the system while offering value to EV owners. The International Energy Agency will outline the benefits, global progress and remaining barriers to vehicle to grid (V2G) technology deployment, followed by insights from the German National Centre for Charging Infrastructure on regulatory developments. A panel of industry experts will then discuss business models, pilot results, technology advances and the role of interoperability in scaling EV flexibility solutions.

This session focuses on the key factors in accelerating the integration of electric vehicles (EVs) into the power grid with the most benefits for consumers, grids and the environment. We will look at key elements of EV market integration, e.g. smart/bidirectional charging, policies to reduce current grid bottlenecks and necessary legislative reform across Europe.

As the number of electric fleets, depots and fast-charging hubs is rising across Europe, grid integration is becoming increasingly important. Large charging sites can either strain local feeders or become controllable and flexible loads that support grid stability if managed smartly.This session highlights the latest experiences from utility companies, network operators, fleet managers and technology providers who are turning e-mobility into an active part of the power system. We will explore how to align charging demand with grid capacity and market signals and also how we can successfully scale up e-mobility with increased demand-side flexibility. What are some best practices already in use? The panelists will also discuss the economic benefits for aggregators and end users as well as the organizational and regulatory conditions that are needed to transition from 'plugging in' to paying off through smart and bidirectional charging. The panel will highlight best practices for integrating demand-side flexibility into a resilient energy system.

Grid operators are no longer asking whether AI belongs in control rooms, but when they will be able to rely on it. AI tools for forecasting imbalances, detecting congestion, supporting dispatch decisions as well as enabling digital twins and edge intelligence are advancing rapidly. At the same time, European frameworks are evolving to support data-driven grid operation.But trust is not built on model accuracy alone - it requires real-world deployment, transparent validation and clear human oversight.During this 90-minute session, speakers will share concrete results from deployed systems. Find out where AI-assisted operation has delivered measurable improvements, what data infrastructure is genuinely needed and what regulatory conditions can help a tool move from the pilot phase to one that becomes part of daily operations.

As distribution system operators (DSOs) gain experience with local flexibility markets, the focus is increasingly shifting from pilot projects to stable, scalable and enduring solutions. This session will examine what it takes to move from experimental local flexibility schemes to robust markets that can be reliably integrated into system operation and investment planning. The discussion will address regulatory readiness, market design choices, standardization, coordination with other system operators and the conditions needed to provide long-term security for flexibility providers. By bringing together DSOs, policymakers, market actors and technology providers, the event aims to identify practical pathways towards sustainable local flexibility markets that support a resilient and decarbonized electricity system.