Recording of Wednesday, May 07, 2025 | The smarter E Europe Exhibition Program 2025 | Exhibition Program | Language: English | Duration: 17:23 .
The speaker at The smarter E Europe event, who leads grid consulting in Germany, discussed the evolving challenges and transformations in electrical grids caused by increasing renewable energy generation and electrification. This transition is turning consumers into so-called "flexumers" (flexible consumers), which necessitates advanced grid management systems that leverage digitalization, automation, and flexibility to increase the hosting capacity for Distributed Energy Resources (DER). Traditional infrastructure investments are no longer sufficient, so innovative and scalable solutions are essential. Grid operators are under increasing pressure due to rising adoption of solar PV and electric vehicles. The proposed strategy includes digitizing networks into "digital twins" for planning and operational purposes, identifying critical low-voltage grids through stress testing, and deploying ICT solutions where needed. It is anticipated that 15–20% of these low-voltage grids may require significant intervention by 2030. Further advancements include simulations that optimize grid operations by identifying critical sections early, enabling cost-sharing with other infrastructure projects such as fiber optics or district heating systems. Tools like the "grid model builder" automate the modeling of low-voltage grids, using geographic data integrated with SCADA and CRM sources, and support various organizational departments. Digitized grids improve both planning and operations by enabling probabilistic evaluations to determine the optimal placement of measurement devices. Next-generation grid architectures will combine hardware and software layers to offer comprehensive system views within an open ecosystem, supporting automated outage response and improving utilization rates. By following Pareto's principle, these approaches ensure maximum benefits from minimal investments. Ultimately, regulatory frameworks promoting local market flexibility are crucial, especially as grid expansion faces constraints. Aligning the actions of individual prosumers toward collective optimization goals will be essential for a resilient and efficient future grid.
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Ben Gemsjäger
Director Business Development Europe
Siemens AG
Discover how next-gen distribution grid technologies are addressing the challenges of renewable integration and dynamic energy demands. This session offers insights into the latest developments in AI-driven data analytics and the transformative role of IoT in grid management. Explore how innovative digital solutions are used for efficient grid planning, expansion and modernization and provide more insights into the grid. Prepare for the future and learn how advanced grid automation is facilitating the seamless integration of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) while enhancing grid stability, efficiency, and resilience.
Further Talks of this session:
Speaker
Dr. Thomas Hillig
CEO
THEnergy
Speaker
Pascal Häfeli
Senior Technical Consulant
Hitachi Energy Germany AG
Speaker
David Gomez
Maximo Renewables SME
IBM
Speaker
Bastian Gierull
CEO
Octopus Energy Germany GmbH
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Paolo Catapane
Global Product Manager
ABB