European Energy Communities: Sector Coupling, Flexibility, and Operational Perspectives

Webinar Collection

Energy communities, through which citizens can jointly own, democratically control, and self-consume local energy, are increasingly emerging. There is a clear shift toward a more decentralised, renewable-based energy production system to build a new, more inclusive energy system in which fair access to energy is guaranteed.

However, successfully transitioning energy communities encounters obstacles. How to integrate new technologies and foster greater energy flexibility to minimize energy consumption and enhance the resilience of our energy grid? And how to ensure that these transformations are financially viable?

This webinar will address the following topics, encompassing but not limited to:

  • Maximizing renewable energy integration for European energy communities;
  • User-centric solutions for enhancing energy efficiency;
  • Addressing regulatory, administrative, and financial challenges;
  • Best practices for overcoming technical challenges in grid integration;
  • Strategies to engage and empower domestic consumers in adopting energy-flexible behaviors;
  • Ensuring secure and transparent sharing of information among stakeholders; and
  • Case studies and examples of energy community initiatives emphasizing the benefits of localized energy solutions.

The FEDECOM project (EU Horizon IA) will be highlighted as a key reference during the webinar. The emphasize will be on its innovative approaches to optimize energy systems and promote sustainability across three pivotal pilots in Spain, Switzerland, and the Benelux region.

Keynote:

  • Stéphane Pouffary, CEO, ENERGIES 2050, France

Panel Discussion:

  • Zia Lennard, Co-founder, R2M, France - Moderator
  • Federico Giani, AEM, Switzerland
  • Dr Ana Trbovich, Grid Singularity, Germany
  • Dr Vito Mario Fico, Hive Power, Switzerland
  • Dr Iván Pasarín, Veolia, Spain
  • Ione Lopez Gonzalez, Iberdrola, Spain

Closing Speech - Wrap Up:

  • Dr Annette Steingrube, Fraunhofer ISE, Germany

Webinar Recording

free account

Recording from Tuesday, April 9, 2024 | Language: English | Length: 75:57 Minutes

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Moderator

Zia Lennard, Co-founder, R2M

Zia Lennard holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s in business administration. With over 10 years of experience in innovation management, he co-founded R2M France and works on European-funded projects focusing on business models, market analysis, and stakeholder engagement.

Keynote Speaker

Stéphane Pouffary, CEO, ENERGIES 2050

With 35+ years in international cooperation, Stéphane is ENERGIES 2050’ founder and CEO, a network and an NGO operating globally for 20+ years, tackling climate change, energy and low carbon transitions, and socio-economic challenges through innovative projects in 70+ countries.

Our Guests

Dr. Ana Trbovich, Grid Singularity

Dr Ana Trbovich is Grid Singularity co-founder, developing grid-aware peer-to-peer energy exchanges and tools to manage energy communities (gridsingularity.com), and co-founder of the Energy Web Foundation, building web3 technology for energy transition (energyweb.org). She also serves on the UNECE Task Force on Digitalization in Energy, and previously as board member at the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT), Axa and the Belgrade Philharmonic. She has been teaching and consulting on good governance, competitiveness and innovation for international organizations, including the EU and the World Bank, having previously served as Assistant Minister in charge of Serbia’s EU Accession. She holds a PhD from the Fletcher School and Master Degrees from the Fletcher School and the Harvard Kennedy School.

Federico Giani, AEM

Federico Giani, Project Manager at AEM SA, earned a BSc/MSc in Electrical Engineering Smart Grid from Politecnico di Milano. With prior experience as an EV Innovation Specialist Engineer at CESI S.p.A., Federico is actively involved to internal research activities and EU Horizon projects at AEM.

Dr. Vito Mario Fico, Hive Power

Vito Mario Fico, Ph.D., an aerospace engineer with over ten years of experience, currently serves as an Associate Professor at University Loyola Andalucía and as an R&D Programme Manager at Hive Power. He holds a Ph.D. in Automation, Electronics, and Telecommunications, awarded by Universidad de Sevilla, and an M.S. and a B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Torino. Dr. Fico's professional expertise includes research and management in a diverse range of innovation projects and, lately, developing algorithms for energy and grid forecasting.

Dr. Iván Pasarín, Veolia

Ivan Pasarin physics PhD from University of Copenhagen, developed a career in scientific and transversal communication. In 2019, moved to Vancouver as product manager, supporting circular economy startups. Now, from Bilbao, pushes for a sustainable energy transition as R&D Project Coordinator for Veolia.

Dr. Annette Steingrube, Fraunhofer ISE

Dr. Annette Steingrube works as a scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. Her research focuses on the analysis and modelling of urban energy systems with a high proportion of renewable energy sources. She is also a member of the scientific staff of the Expert Council for Climate Issues, an independent body that monitors compliance with the Federal Climate Protection Act.

Ione Lopez Gonzalez, Iberdrola

Ione Lopez works in Iberdrola Spain and has been dedicated to Energy Management for more than ten years from which last four has been focused on flexibility, demand response and aggregation.

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