ETIP SNET took centre stage at the SET Plan Conference in Odense with a high-level panel on Smart and Resilient Grids, recognised as the backbone of Europe’s energy transition.
The conference, hosted by the Danish EU Presidency and co-organised by the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities and the European Commission, brought together high-level stakeholders to discuss three priorities: strengthening critical energy technologies for resilience, improving joint European efforts and policy alignment, and boosting the competitiveness of the EU’s clean energy sector.
Moderated by Rosalinde Van der Vlies from the European Commission, the session was joined by leading experts, including ETIP SNET Vice Chair Antonio Iliceto and ETIP SNET WG1 Co-Chair Albana Ilo, along with Paolo Perani, Vice President of T&D Europe, and Norela Constantinescu, Acting Director of IRENA’s Innovation and Technology Center.
The panel underlined that smart grids are essential to build a secure, decarbonised, and consumer-centred energy system. Digitalisation, AI, and data will play an important role in improving efficiency and system resilience. However, speakers emphasised that innovations based on power systems physics and appropriate models should be promoted in parallel with the developments based on massive data. These two paths of innovation should be compared in terms of their ability to fulfill the three pillars of the energy trilemma: energy security, affordability, and sustainability.
A key takeaway was the need for much clearer system planning. Europe must better identify its future needs, since neither infrastructure nor flexibility can be sized appropriately without a shared, realistic picture. The panel also called for strengthened European manufacturing capacity in critical grid technologies to support deployment and reduce strategic dependencies.
In the words of Antonio Iliceto:
"Europe is strong in research and innovation, yet still lags when it comes to deploying new products and processes at large scale. Bridging this gap is essential to maintain and strengthen competitiveness and technological leadership, especially in comparison with other global regions."
Financing and faster permitting emerged as critical enablers. Participants warned that without adequate grid investment and streamlined authorisation processes, strategies risk remaining on paper rather than becoming concrete projects.
The session closed with a clear sense of urgency. Europe has the knowledge, pilot projects, and policy frameworks. What is still missing is alignment, speed, and a holistic architectural vision for the grids of the 2030s.
ETIP SNET will continue to champion this vision. The platform remains committed to advancing a smarter, interoperable, and future-proof European electricity system that enables the energy transition and keeps it reliable and equitable for all consumers