The Role of Research Infrastructures in the Context of the Energy Transition on the Examples of the ERIGrid Projects

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 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 the first phase the European FP7 Research Infrastructure (RI) project DERri focused on the provision of access to 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 the integration of renewables, it offers a broad spectrum of improved services, methods, and tools. 

This keynote highlights the role of RI projects in the context of the energy transition on the examples of the ERIGrid projects. Especially, outcomes and results towards the smart grid and energy systems validation on the system level as well as the related lab access program are tackled in the talk.