The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has established the Research Centre for Grid Modernisation (RCGM). The Centre aims to foster innovations and applications for modernisation of the power grid and the development of novel electric power systems. In a release, PolyU cites increases in extreme weather events, unpredictable climate patterns, and the aging of power networks and equipment as factors that have collectively led to a rise in the frequency of major power outages globally. The reliability of global power supply is facing unprecedented challenges, highlighting the urgent need f ..read more

EU energy ministers have called on the European Commission to implement without delay relevant actions of the grids action plan. In the conclusions of the EU Energy Council meeting of May 30, the ministers approved a series of measures for an “interconnected, integrated and synchronised European electricity network” with the aim to ensure energy security, EU competitiveness and socio-economic development and the region’s energy and climate goals. Highlighting the importance of long term coordinated planning of the grid infrastructure, they called on the Commission to develop an implementation ..read more

In an exclusive interview, Santiago Cascante, Chief Strategy Officer at Gridspertise and Carlo Lazar, Market and Sales Director at Aidon, describe the latest developments for low voltage networks and the synergies deriving from the recent acquisition. In 2023, Gridspertise unveiled a new suite of hardware and software solutions at Enlit Europe, for LV grid monitoring and control, the perfect allies for making the low-voltage network more efficient and reliable. Gridspertise and its group company Aidon used the Enlit platform to present for the first time their combined efforts on Metering-as-a ..read more

Canadian smart home tech developer ecobee has announced the launch of an updated grid resiliency programme to help prevent power outages caused by extreme weather, sustained high heat, and natural disasters. During an emergency event alert (EEA) or equivalent, ecobee customers in participating utility service territories who are not already enrolled in a demand response programme will receive an alert on their ecobee Smart Thermostat and mobile app informing them that their home is at risk of an outage. Customers then receive recommended, automated temperature adjustments to help reduce the st ..read more

Customers of Norwegian grid company Norgesnett may receive lower power grid fees if they charge their EVs with surplus solar energy in their neighbourhood under a partnership with green tech company Volue. The intention of the new service is to facilitate the influx of increasingly more solar energy from rooftops and increased use of EVs without having to raise grid fees to finance extensive grid expansion. The system will be managed through operators offering smart charging. The service will be offered in areas where it’s seen that the grid is particularly heavily loaded. Initially, this will ..read more

Swedish startup Eneryield, which has developed an AI-based grid maintenance solution to help operators reduce unplanned outages, has successfully closed a seed funding round with investment from ABB and Chalmers Ventures. Already a Chalmers Ventures portfolio company, Eneryield developed its tech over a decade of research at Chalmers University of Technology and spun out in 2019. Eneryield says its software solution offers a proactive approach to power grid maintenance, helping power grid operators move from reactive to proactive maintenance. The software, dubbed Intelliview, uses machine lear ..read more

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The Minnesota legislature has passed a bill adding grid enhancing technologies (GETs) to the state’s transmission planning process. In terms of the bill, utilities owning more than 1,200km of transmission lines are required to report on highly congested areas and to evaluate the use of GETs on these, along with presenting a proposed installation plan. Specifically during each of the last three years locations must be identified that have experienced 168 hours or more of congestion or the ten most costly congestion occurrences, which produces the greater number of locations. The law also improv ..read more

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For the urgent modernisation of Europe’s distribution grids, investment needs to be doubled to €67 billion ($73 billion) per year from 2025 to 2040, dropping back to 1.7 times in the decade to 2050. With current investment averaging €33 billion (US$36 billion) over the past five years, and considering the future demand and generation outlook to 2050, this is insufficient to deliver the energy transition as described in the REPowerEU plan, Eurelectric reports. A failure to invest in the distribution grids’ modernisation will stall the connections of technologies such as renewables, heat pumps a ..read more