Magazine Archive The smarter E Special 2019

The expansion of The smarter E Europe exhibition and conference continues apace in 2019, with the expansion of power-to-gas, and solar and battery storage’s increasing competitiveness capturing new territory. It is managing to meet both system requirements, and customer demand.

Often touted as the missing link in the energy transition, power-to-gas (P2G) has not yet had its time to shine. While the technology has been around for decades, large-scale projects have been exceptionally rare. Over the last year, however, encouraging signals are emerging as research, pilot projects, and small-scale applications appear to have picked up pace. As debate continues about the tipping point for P2G in terms of conversion efficiency and costs, some market players are optimistic about near-term prospects.

The smarter E Europe is hosting a full day of discussions on one of the most talked about themes in the European energy sector in 2019: power-to-X. On the back of a new cooperative agreement, Thursday, May 16 will see an exciting program of power-to-X launched for the first time at the Internationales Congress Center München (ICM).

From scorching Seville to rainy Rostock, investors claim that power purchase agreements (PPAs) have made European solar farms bankable without government subsidies. By providing lower risk for cheaper capital, they are powering a renaissance in established PV markets and lowering the cost of solar electricity in Europe.

The energy transition does not only change electricity generation, but ideally also how we consume. Electricity markets in Europe, however, must deal with legacy regulations that fail to incentivize ideal consumption patterns to reduce curtailment and make the best possible use of the renewable energy assets we have. The result is towering bills for ancillary services, that could easily be avoided with a few regulatory tweaks and virtual power plants.

Many customers want their energy suppliers to provide them with offerings that promote the transition to low or zero carbon sources – the energy transition. Yet only around a fifth of German utilities feature PV in their portfolio. Conversely, in the electromobility segment, utilities seem to be ahead of the game.

In 2019, EuPD Research, DCTI and The smarter E Europe are launching the third iteration of their utility awards. Officially named Energiewende Awards der Energieversorger, the prize recognizes utilities that have been doing an outstanding job in creating new business models catering to customers that are embracing the energy transition in the D-A-CH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).

Alongside the four exhibitions taking place under The smarter E Europe platform in 2019, the show organizers will bring a packed conference schedule to the event, with 250 speakers scheduled to present and discuss the latest developments from the new world of energy across four different conferences, with more than 1,800 attendees expected.