SmartGrids Technology Platform sets future research priorities
The SmartGrids Technology Platform has published its strategic research agenda (SRA), outlining the research actions needed to ensure Europe's electricity networks of the future are competitive, sustainable and environmentally-friendly. The agenda follows the publication of a SmartGrids vision and strategy paper in April 2006, which called for the development of more flexible, accessible, reliable and economic networks, suitable for Europe's future. EU Member States will need to invest in excess of €750 billion in power infrastructure over the next three decades to meet the demands of the 21st century. The challenge is to move the continent away from power stations that use fossil fuels, to networks where more than a quarter of electricity needs will be met by renewable energies by 2030. While some EU Member States are already addressing this challenge and cooperating with others in specific areas of research and development (R&D), SmartGrids underlines the need for a more coherent approach across Europe. The strategic research agenda aims to provide that coherency. It outlines five broad areas that group together 19 research tasks. The sector should prioritise: - the distribution networks of the future - new architectures for system design and customer participation; and new concepts to study distributed generation (DG) integration in system planning; - a system engineering approach to study the operational integration of distributed generation and active customers; - innovative energy management strategies for large distributed generation penetration, storage and demand response; - the distribution networks of the future - customer driven markets; - network asset management - transmission and distribution; - new architectures and new tools and long distance energy supply; - ancillary services, sustainable operations and low level dispatching; - advanced forecasting techniques for sustainable operations and power supply; - architectures and tools for operations, restorations and defence plans; - advanced operation of the high voltage system - seamless smart grids - pre-standardisation research; - customer interface technologies and standards; - the networks of the future -information and communication; - multiple energy carrier systems; - storage and its strategic impact on grids; - regulatory incentives and barriers; - underpinning technologies for innovation. To finance these priority areas, SmartGrids points to the support available from regular funding schemes for collaborative research within the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). In addition, the platform aims to mobilise a large range of public and private financing sources, including industry, international, national and regional programmes and the financial markets such as the European Investment Bank (EIB). Structural Funds have also been identified as a potential source to support the necessary research, in particular within the new EU Member States.