European Research Infrastructure supporting Smart Grid and Smart Energy Systems Research, Technology Development, Validation and Roll Out – Second Edition

European Research Infrastructure supporting Smart Grid and Smart Energy Systems Research, Technology Development, Validation and Roll Out – Second Edition

A driving force for the realization of a sustainable energy supply is the integration of renewable energy resources. Due to their stochastic generation behaviour, energy utilities are confronted with a more complex operation of the underlying power grids. Additionally, due to technology developments, controllable loads, integration with other energy sources, changing regulatory rules, and the market liberalization, the system’s operation needs adaptation. Proper operational concepts and intelligent automation provide the basis to turn the existing power system into an intelligent entity, a smart grid. While reaping the benefits that come along with those intelligent behaviours, it is expected that system-level developments and testing will play a significantly larger role in realizing future solutions and technologies. Proper validation approaches, concepts, and tools are partly missing until now. In order to tackle the integration of renewables in a first phase the FP7 RI project DERri focused on the provision of access around distributed energy resources. In a second phase, the provided portfolio of services has been successfully enlarged in the H2020 RI project ERIGrid to the system-level covering mainly electric power system, information and communication issues. However, in order to fulfil the challenging goals of the European Union towards a clean, secure, and efficient energy transition to face climate and energy challenges, additional research services are required. In a third phase ERIGrid 2.0 addresses these challenging energy transition aims by widening and advancing the provided RI access. As a single-entry point for researchers active in smart grids, smart energy systems, and integration of renewables, it offers a broad spectrum of improved services, methods, and tools. This will further strengthen the technical leadership of Europe in the energy domain and foster research and innovation to extend its leading role.