Sponsor panel sessions
Smart and digital distribution networks to enable the energy transition and improve performance
ENEDIS panel session
Monday 23 October 2023 – 14h30-16h00 – Auditorium
The power distribution network is, all over the world, at the crossroads of many transitions: environmental, technological, digital, economic and societal.
We are going to move from a centralized electrical system to a partially decentralized system with intermittent and non-controllable generation means. Optimization will be organized at various, increasingly local, levels. And flexibility, enabled by the intelligent use of data, will be key to the system.
At the same time, the digital transformation opens up prospects for major improvements in performance and the development of services.
The panel will discuss the challenges facing DSOs and explore how new digital solutions will enable distribution grids to adapt to on-going transformations and improve their operational performance. It will cover network planning and design, asset management, system operation and control and the provision of services to customers.
Moderated by: Wayne Bishop Jr., IEEE PES Vice President, Meetings and Conferences
Panelists:
- Yves Barlier (Enedis –FR)
- Prof. Lina Bertling Tjernberg (KTH – SW)
- Yann Fromont (T&D Europe and Schneider Electric – FR)
- Jonathan Sykes (Quanta Technology – USA)
- Dr. Martha Symko-Davies (NREL– USA)
Ensuring the Resilience from this winter to 2050
RTE panel session
Tuesday 24 October 2023 – 11h-12h30 – Auditorium
In France, and more generally in Europe, last winter showed that due to various and unexpected phenomena, security of supply of electricity needed new actions to be achieved. It acted as a reminder that the electric system has to be prepared to face diverse and new constraints, in other words: to be more resilient.
In the short term, flexibilities have to be developed with existing assets and , in the long term, phenomena such as climate change or potential raw materials shortages have to be assessed to determine their impact on the way we’ll have to operate the electric system and specify new assets in the grid.
In this panel, we will hear specialist from the concept of resilience then the point of view of industrials and grid operators about the problems to tackle and the solutions to be found.
The round table will be moderated by RTE, President and member of Think Smartgrids, in support of the association’s efforts to develop flexibility on an industrial scale in France.
Moderated by: Frédéric Simon (euroactiv)
Panelists:
- Gabriel Bareux (RTE)
- Claudia Blanco (GE)
- Eric Bevillard (CEA)
Are we implementing flexibility initiatives effectively with the right framework and technologies?
Schneider Electric panel session
Wednesday 25 October 2023 – 11h00-12h30 – Auditorium
Nobody needs a crystal ball to see that transport and industrial process electrification, or the scaling of renewable generation and storage will help decarbonize our future. Equally clear is the challenge in connecting all those new assets to MV and LV grids, which were never designed for all that. For electric companies to survive energy transition, reducing the complexity of this revolution is the top priority. It’s time to retire the wire-centric approach and deploy smarter solutions to manage both grid and grid-connected assets. How? That’s where flexibility comes in. On the surface, flexibility services are valued for their ability to mitigate network constraints defer capex investment. But we quickly arrive at more difficult questions, such as “How to implement flexibility?” and “who should be involved?”
Join this panel to see what an agile implementation of flexibility services can bring, when approached holistically and with attention to each level: institutional, market, and technical standards.
Moderated by: Régis Le Drézen (Think Smartgrids Managing Director)
Panelists:
- Shubbhronil ROY, VP, Strategy & Marketing (Digital Grids)
- Shay Bahramirad (IEEE PES & LUMA Electric Utility, Puerto Rico)
- Vincent Baslé (ENEDIS)
- Michel Bena (RTE R&D Deputy Director)
- Mathieu Berthelon (Executive Director – Digital Strategy & Transformation at Microsoft)
Development of Electrical Flexibility in France
Think Smartgirds panel session
Wenesday 25 October 2023 – 14h30-16h00 – Auditorium
The development of electrical flexibility will become a major issue in France over the next few years. In addition to the major investment needed in electricity networks, the growth of renewable energy sources and the electrification of energy use will require more precise management of consumption and production to optimize the electricity system. Smart grid technologies are the answer. On this panel, a DSO and a TSO will explain the tools they are using to develop flexibility on a massive scale in their territories. Their experience will be complemented by contributions from three start-ups, all of which have developed technologies and know-how to meet the need for large-scale development of flexibility. Finally, the chairman of a research funding and promotion agency will highlight the existing scientific cooperation between France and India to develop practical flexibility solutions. The round table will be moderated by Wavestone, a member of Think Smartgrids, in support of the association’s efforts to develop flexibility on an industrial scale in France.
Moderated by: Régis Le Drézen, Managing director of Think Smartgrids
Panelists:
- Pamela Catrinque, PMO of Flexibilities Projects in Electrical Distribution Network – Smart Grids, Enedis
- Prof. Nitin Seth, President of CEFIPRA
- Guillaume Louat, Co-Founder, Tilt
- Fabien Berger, Co-Founder and CEO, Fractal Energy
- Gabriel Chegaray, Director of Smart Building, Orange Business France