Brussels, 6 February 2025 – Today, the Association of European Distribution System Operators (E.DSO) successfully hosted the first edition of the FutureGrid Innovation Summit under the theme “Advancing Grid Innovation: Growing Ideas into Impact.”
The event, held in Brussels, was supported by sponsors the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), OverIT and Prysmian, and organised in partnership with EnergyVille. It brought together more than 200 participants, including representatives from the energy industry, companies, associations, EU institutions, regulators, Member States, NGOs, and EU-funded projects.
‘Electricity Distribution System Operators are at the forefront of innovation within the energy system and a crucial enabler of the decarbonisation, while ensuring energy security, affordability and competitiveness’, underlined Johan Mörnstam, CEO, E.ON Sverige; CEO, E.ON Nordic and Chair, E.DSO, in his welcome address. ‘This transformation requires significant investment as well as a robust and forward-looking regulatory framework to enable the deployment of innovative solutions utilising advanced technologies, as spearheaded by EU-funded projects’.
Łukasz Koliński, Director, Green Transition and Energy System Integration, DG Energy, European Commission, reinforced the urgency of grid modernisation, expansion and investments highlighting the Competitiveness Compass and the upcoming Grid Package as addressing the challenges of Europe’s energy future. The crucial role of DSOs was also underlined by Nicolás González Casares, Member, ITRE Committee, European Parliament, who also stressed the need for a policy framework that enables grid expansion, and the urgency of defending the Green Deal. ‘As the energy landscape evolves faster than ever, regulation must adapt to keep pace’, stressed Clara Poletti, Commissioner, ARERA; Chair, ACER Board of Regulators; Member, CEER General Assembly, ‘We are experiencing unprecedented uncertainty in electricity demand and supply, with a consequent growing importance of customer engagement, and flexibility need in system operations’.
The conference focused on three key pillars during its panel discussions: ‘Smart Systems’, ‘Resilience’ and ‘Customer Empowerment’. These themes underscored how digitalisation and innovation are essential to boosting Europe’s competitiveness, ensuring smarter and more reliable distribution grids, and empowering energy customers as active market participants in alignment with the EU’s strategic energy goals.
A highlight of the Summit was the ‘Innovation Sparks’ exhibition, which showcased groundbreaking projects and technologies, including several EU-funded initiatives where E.DSO plays an active role. BeFlexible; COPPER; ECLIPSE; and TwinEU were featured, presenting both immediate and long-term solutions to accelerate the energy transition and support Europe’s innovative energy revolution.
The Summit also celebrated innovation through the 2nd Digital Award, with live voting by participants. The award went to Tether, a start-up recognised for its revolutionary and impactful digital solutions. Other finalists that participated in the competition were: Allye Energy; ATO Energy; Oghji and Sensewaves.
David Peters, Chief Transition Officer at Stedin and Vice-Chair of E.DSO, concluded the Summit by stating: ‘Competitiveness is not a given — it must be built. Europe has the talent, the technology, and the ambition to lead the global energy transition. But leadership requires action. Our grids must be strengthened not just for 2030, but for a future in which Europe remains a leader — not a follower — in the global clean energy race’.
You can find the presentations of the conference here. Watch the recording here.
