Agenda

Morning

08:30 – 09:00

Registration & Welcome Coffee

Moderator: Christian Egenhofer, Senior Fellow, Head of the Energy and Climate programme, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)

09:00 – 09:15

Keynote Address: Towards a vision for Smart Grid Deployment in Europe

Mark van Stiphout, Member of Cabinet of European Commissioner Günther Oettinger

09:15 – 09:45

Opening Presentations

09:15 – 09:30

EU Presidency on Smart Grids

Zygimantas Vaiciunas, Adviser to the Minister of Energy, Lithuania

09:30 – 09:45

The social-economic case for a European Smart Grid

Per-Olof Granström, Secretary General, EDSO for Smart Grids

09:45 – 11:00

Session 2: Regulatory and Financial Framework

The issues of regulation and finance for the grid are critical. Without a stable regulatory and investment environment, smart grid deployment will not reach an EU-wide scale. What models and policies are being developed that can deliver progressive smart grid implementation and which respect both national idiosyncrasies and EU-wide concerns? What can be learnt from current grid projects, test beds and R&D programmes?

How is Europe’s Projects of Common Interest (PCI) progressing and is this the most effective way of managing infrastructure investments given their transnational nature? Will private investment really plug the quoted €60 billion funding gap, particularly given the recessionary environment? Are the envisaged mechanisms for recouping such investments, for instance via tariffs likely to deliver? What will future markets for both smart grid technologies and energy consumption look like?

09:45 – 09:55

Moderator and Opening Presentation

Andrew Burgess, Associate Partner, Transmission and Distribution Policy, OFGEM

09:55 – 10:05

Projects of Common Interest: Regulatory and Financial aspects of Smart Grid PCIs

Sebastian Gras, Policy Officer, Internal Market I: Networks & Regional Initiatives, DG Energy, European Commission

10:05 – 11:00

Panel Discussion

Each speaker will have 5 minutes to outline their thoughts. This will then be followed by discussion with the other speakers and audience.

Above speakers plus:

Gunnar Lorenz, Head of DSO Unit, EURELECTRIC
Paul van Dijk, Benelux Country Leader, GE Digital Energy
Nicolle Raven, Policy Officer, ESMIG

11:00 – 11:20

Coffee

11:20 – 12:45

Session 3: Standardisation and Grid Technologies

As with any new and emerging technologies and systems, the “proof of concept” stages are critical. These developments must at some stage however be accompanied by a commitment to common standards, delivering interoperability and flexibility, and therefore avoiding technology lock-in. This session will provide an update on standardisation for the grid and will look at the key technologies and sectors where work is underway.

Moderator: Andrea Renda, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)

11:20 – 11:30

EU Research and Development Priorities

Richard Charnah, Chairman, European Smart Grid Technology Platform

11:30 – 11:40

Update on the development of standards for the smart grid

Ralph Sporer, Chairman, CEN-CENELEC-ETSI Smart Grid Coordination Group

11:40 – 11:50

Shared use of spectrum for the smart grid - Achieving the ultimate wireless network?

Ari Sorsaniemi, Policy Officer, Smart Cities and Sustainability, DG CONNECT, European Commission

11:50 – 12:00

Implementation of Intelligent Energy Network Systems – Bandwidth Demand and Implications for Regulation and Competition

Andrea Liebe, Head of Department, Energy Markets and Energy Regulation, WIK

12:00 – 12:10

Power Quality and EMC: The opportunities and threats posed by the smart grid

David Thomas, Professor of Electromagnetics Applications, The George Green Institute for Electromagnetics Research, The University of Nottingham UK

12:10 – 12:45

Discussion and Q&A

Afternoon

12:45 – 14:00

Walking Lunch

14:00 – 14:15

Afternoon Keynote Presentations

António Fernando Correia de Campos, MEP, Rapporteur for the Energy Infrastructure Regulation

14:15 – 15:45

Session 4: Grid Stability and Security

Processes across the smart grid are dependent upon infrastructures and technologies based on advanced ICT. From industrial control systems, computer networks, intelligent devices, distributed control systems and home network hubs, a malicious attack on a system with such dependencies would be potentially catastrophic. Where is Europe in terms of securing the grid from cyber attack? What demands will the smart grid place on existing infrastructure and what preparations are required to ensure grid stability?

14:15 – 14:25

Moderator and Opening Presentation

Moderator: Andrea Renda, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)

14:35 – 14:45

Privacy Challenges of the smart grid

Achim Klabunde, Head of Sector IT policy, European Data Protection Supervisor

14:45 – 14:55

Presentation

Peter Moray, Director, European Utilities Telecom Council

14:55 – 15:05

Smart Grid (cyber)Security or Insecurity?

Graham Butler, Vice President, Energy and Utilities Europe, IBM

15:05 – 15:45

Discussion and Q&A

15:30 – 15:45

Coffee

15:45 – 17:30

Session 5: Energy storage and large-scale renewables integration – what are the implications?

The ability to store electricity produced from renewable energy sources will be key in the smart grid future. How is Europe ensuring that regions producing significant energy from such sources are connected to regions where appropriate storage is available? Will a smarter grid in fact mean that storage becomes progressively less important as energy management and efficiency increases? What will the regulatory and standardisation implications be as a result of innovative solutions such as Power-to-Gas? Finally, what are the market and competition challenges for energy storage providers in Europe?


Moderator: Fabio Genoese, Research Fellow , Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)

Magdalena Andreea Strachinescu Olteanu, Head of Unit, New energy technologies, innovation and clean coal, DG Energy, European Commission
Jean Verseille, Chairman of the Research and Development Committee, ENTSO-E, European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity
Jakob Stoustrup, Professor, Aalborg University, Denmark
Jay Taylor, Director of Global Standards, Codes & Environment, Schneider Electric

17:15 – 17:30

Closing Remarks