Joint CEPS – Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) Workshop.
To reach the EU's 2020 energy and climate change targets, a large increase in the volume of renewable electricity (RES-E) generation is required. The bad news is that strengthening electricity grids to deal with larger volumes of RES-E can result in soaring network costs. However, the good news is that by making use of the flexibility in small-scale generation and in electricity demand, and by introducing innovative technologies in the network itself, grids will become 'smarter', which can greatly reduce the cost escalation in upgrading Europe's electricity networks.
The workshop will present some findings of the EU-funded IMPROGRES project and will focus on the following issues:
What are smart grids and who will benefit?
What are the costs of future electricity networks and who will pay for them?
What role for innovative financing instruments?
What supporting policies and modifications in network regulation will enable the introduction of smarter grids?
