Conclusions | ENTSO-E's Grid Enhancing Technologies webinar

June 2021

The Energy Transition cannot be achieved simply by building new infrastructure; unlocking the full potential of the existing infrastructure is also a key component. Together with currENT (Susanne Nies (Smart Wires), Rena Kuwahata (Ampacimon), John Fitzgerald (SuperNode)) and other industry leaders, ENTSO-E discussed innovative technologies that enhance the capacity of the power grid, thus opening the door to the faster integration of massive amounts of renewables.

These technologies are showcased in ENTSO-E’s newly developed tool, the Technopedia, which keeps track of the state-of-the-art technologies researched, demonstrated and deployed by the TSOs in the domain of assets, system operation, flexibility and digitalisation.

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Summary

1. ENTSO-E’s Technopedia is a new tool that showcases innovative & state-of-the-art technologies for transmission and distribution grids. currENT members’ technologies include High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) Cables, Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC), and Dynamic Line Rating. Read more about currENT Member technologies here.

2. Power systems in the future will differ immensely from power systems in the past. Future power systems will require local concentration of generation, long-distance transmission, strongly varying load-flow situations and active control as well as offshore power with the need for new cable systems and redundant structures.

3. Potential fields of development in Europe are vast. Use cases of High-voltage Direct Current (HVDC), Flexible Alternating Current Transmission Systems (FACTS), Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) or Superconductors are gaining a strong foothold or are already establishing a market share.

4. DG ENER’s Competitive Progress Report shines a light on the EU clean energy sector. The annual report provides a useful resource for evaluating Europe’s strengths in the clean energy sector, and also highlighting the topics that future research and development funding should be allocated towards.

5. Europe needs to more than double its annual grid infrastructure investments to deliver climate neutrality. Significantly more grid capacity is needed in Europe to facilitate the massive increases in renewables to reach decarbonisation by 2050, especially offshore wind which requires new state-of-the-art efficient grid infrastructure. Grid optimisation technologies can act as intermediary and long-term solutions for unlocking additional capacity for renewables and ultimately accelerating their uptake across Europe.