Horizon 2020 calls – Public consultation on draft integrated R&D Implementation Plan 2016-2018
The collective research and innovation (R&I) activities needed by electricity Distribution (DSOs) and Transmission (TSOs) System Operators have been detailed through the European Electricity Grid Initiative (EEGI) of the SET-Plan in an R&I roadmap, adopted by the Member States in 2010 and revised in 2013.
The use of energy storage as a means to increase flexibility in the electricity system was covered, but not with sufficient detail to address storage integration challenges appropriately.
This is why the GRID+Storage consortium, coordinated by TECHNOFI, and grouping the European Association for Energy Storage (EASE), the European Distribution System Operators’ Association for Smart Grids (EDSO), the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), RSE and VITO, has been selected by the European Commission to support DG Energy and the Member States in preparing a new version of the EEGI R&I roadmap. This new version will revisit the integration issues of energy storage technologies into electricity networks (both at distribution and transmission levels).
The GRID+Storage consortium has already elaborated an “Initial” Integrated R&D Implementation Plan for 2016-2018, detailing for the first time energy storage integration issues within the broader scope of grid research and innovation activities (see document here). This is an early step towards paving the way for a new version of the EEGI R&I roadmap for 2016-2025, where storage integration will be addressed in more depth.
A public consultation is running from 22 April 2015 to 12 May 2015 aiming to gather feedback from stakeholders on this Implementation Plan. The final outcome of this work, including stakeholder comments, will be published at the end of May 2015 as the “Final” Integrated R&I Implementation Plan for 2016-2018.