The ISGT Europe 2021 Conference will host 8 panel sessions. This page gives an overview of these panels. Use the following links to quickly jump to the description of a particular panel:

• Panel 1: Building up the grid planning methodology of the future: the FlexPlan project
• Panel 2: Battery Energy Storage Systems to support the power system : demonstrations and perspectives from the H2020 OSMOSE project
• Panel 3: Lifetime extension strategies for equipment in electrical power grids
• Panel 4: Cyber-physical solutions for microgrids
• Panel 5: Electrification and digitalization pathway on land, at sea & in the air
• Panel 6: Reliability and Security in Evolving Power Grids
• Panel 7: Joint Universal activities for Mediterranean PV integration Excellence (JUMP2Excel) Project Special Session
• Panel 8: Grid Interconnection of largely dispersed minigrids

Monday 18th of October

Panel 1: Building up the grid planning methodology of the future: the FlexPlan project

Monday 18th; 17:45 to 19:30 (EEST)

The Horizon2020 project FlexPlan aims at establishing a new grid planning methodology considering the opportunity to introduce flexibility resources (storage and DSM) in electricity transmission and distribution grids as an alternative to traditional grid expansion. After creating methodology and tools, the project applies them to analyze six regional cases covering nearly whole Europe, aimed at casting a view on grid planning in Europe till 2050. In this way, FlexPlan tries to understand how flexibility can help reducing future grid investments. The project ends up formulating regulatory guidelines for NRAs.

The session will provide first an overview on the FlexPlan methodology and then some details on the innovative tools that are created (planning tool and pre-processor). Thereafter, details are provided on the complex scenario framework shaping the 6 regional cases and on the challenges to build up the planning tool. A 30 minutes Q&A time will close the session.

Panel 2: Battery Energy Storage Systems to support the power system : demonstrations and perspectives from the H2020 OSMOSE project

Monday 18th; 17:45 to 19:30 (EEST)

Battery Energy Storage Systems offer new opportunities to address the upcoming challenges of the European Power system but many open questions remains on their value, design and performance. The OSMOSE H2020 project with a large consortium of Transmission System Operators, academics and industrials addresses the following key issues through simulations and demonstrations :

• What is the profitable place for storage today? And in long-term decarbonized scenarios?
• How to design BESS and their controls to provide efficiently multi-services and maximize their value?
• What are the main challenges faced by BESS operators today? How to build on their experiences?

After a presentation of the key contributions of the project on those questions, the audience will be invited to provide its feedbacks and own experience.

Tuesday 19th of October

Panel 3: Lifetime extension strategies for equipment in electrical power grids

Tuesday 19th; 17:45 to 19:30 (EEST)

Electrical equipment constitutes a considerable economic asset value for the transmission and distribution system operators. The electrical equipment has long intrinsic lifetimes, most of which exceed 40 years. However, some components of equipment age faster than others, or become obsolete due to the evolution of the technologies used and induce premature replacement of the complete equipment. Economic, environmental or safety requirements may also be imposed and make the compliance of certain equipment incompatible with the existing or new regulations.

The panel focuses on power grids electrical equipment lifetime extension strategies. Within a CIRED working group, a review is performed on the currently used models for lifetime extensions. Panelists describe:

• Lifetime extension of equipment and/or substation solutions alternative to the renewal of equipment;
• Lessons learned, good practices of lifetime extension options for electrical equipment;
• Obstacles and/or limitations of electrical equipment life extension strategies.

Panel 4: Cyber-physical solutions for microgrids

Tuesday 19th ; 17:45 to 19:30 (EEST)

The integration of renewable resources raises multiple challenges to the microgrid operation due to their intermittent characteristics with high levels of uncertainty and complexity, including voltage and frequency variations, stability, and protection. Future intelligent microgrid will become more complex as a cyber-physical ecosystem which would require an integrated paradigm for energy management and control systems based on various (big) data resources. This paradigm shift leveraged by emerging digital technologies enables cyber-physical solutions to enhance resilience and security for the microgrids, as well as for the coupled energy systems. This special session presents the latest development of cyber-physical solutions to secure and to optimize operation of the future integrated microgrids.

Topics include the following:

• PV system integration in microgrids: impact and solutions
• New approaches for coupling of microgrids
• Control Prototyping and Power Hardware in-the-Loop for Microgrids Assessment
• Micro grid Distributed Control validation in an hardware in the loop environment

Wednesday 20th of October

Panel 5: Electrification and digitalization pathway on land, at sea & in the air

Wednesday 20th; 14:00 to 15:45 (EEST)

Decarbonization is a global value and the roadmap to the green future. The key enablers are defined as electrification, to build up a more efficient and low-emission energy system utilizing clean fuel, and digitalization to integrate different smart technologies and components in the system. At the dawn of victory over the global pandemic, we are preparing ourselves for a tougher challenge – climate change, from various aspects of the power system. In this panel, we will discuss the key implementation drivers and the challenges, including those related to regulation, market and security perspectives.

The following specific issues will be addressed:

• Microgrids as building blocks for smart distribution systems
• How new flexibility means can make power grids resilient by design
• Electrification such as converting the conventional and fossil fuel-based powertrains to electric and smart powertrains for road vehicles, marine, and aviation
• The risk assessment based on cybersecurity aspect and the power market revolution to develop the future carbon-free electrified energy system
• Perspective of future aviation and marine power systems, in light of hydrogen propulsion
• Issues and outlook of local energy market for a decentralized power system

Panel 6: Reliability and Security in Evolving Power Grids

Wednesday 20th; 17:45 to 19:30 (EEST)

Power grids are evolving into smart grids in order to create a sustainable energy system. Decentralized, intermittent generation and demand management needs, among other things, make the grid more dynamic and demanding, thus posing a management challenge. Communication and information technologies are used extensively to address this challenge. Wider penetration of open, public communication networks and information technologies induces vulnerabilities into the system. Furthermore, critical infrastructure assets, such as power grids, are primary targets in cyber warfare and cyber criminality. The panelists will share experiences on reliability and security of power grids with perspectives of resilience, cybersecurity, operation and control, data-driven approaches, and mobile communication.

Thursday 21th of October

Panel 7: Joint Universal activities for Mediterranean PV integration Excellence (JUMP2Excel) Project Special Session

Thursday 21st; 14:00 to 15:45 (EEST)

This Panel Session, organised by EU H2020 project JUMP2Excel consortium, addresses different aspects of the integration of PV generation and related supporting technologies, energy storage and demand side management, in power networks and discusses associated network operational, planning and economic impacts and developments including provision of ancillary services and electricity markets. The panelists will discuss challenges and future aspects from PV prosumers within the Energy Communities, grid services from energy storage systems, integration of PV modules within commercial vehicles, demand side management under variable PV generation and the role of network and demand side flexibility to minimise impacts of PV integration into the distribution system.

Panel 8: Grid Interconnection of largely dispersed minigrids

Thursday 21st; 14:00 to 15:45 (EEST)

As of 2019, the world population without electricity access is estimated to 770 million with most of these communities residing in sub-Saharan Africa. Nevertheless, between 2000 and 2019 the Indian population with electricity access has grown from 43% to 99%. Minigrids have played a major role in the efforts of increasing access to electricity in rural areas. However, interconnecting minigrids to each-other or to the main grid remains still a challenge both due to lack of clear protocols and of technically matured controllers to manage the synchronization. In this session, existing interconnection guidelines and their relevance for the interconnection of minigrids will be discussed. The panelists will discuss the role synchronization controllers can play for efficient utilization of minigrids assets and facilitate bottom-up electrification process.