Europe’s energy system research priorities roadmapped to 2031

The energy system research and innovation (R&I) roadmap for 2022-2031 has been released by the European Technology Innovation Platform Smart Networks for Energy Transition (ETIP SNET).

The roadmap, an update of the 2020-2030 edition published in June 2020, is aimed to describe the current ten-year path towards the 2050 carbon neutral energy system with massive use of renewables for large scale electrification, widespread deployment of smart grid technologies and sector coupling of energy carriers via storage.

The roadmap is based on the concept of ‘high level use cases’ that were previously identified and should be realised by 2031.

For each several ‘priority project concepts’ are detailed covering key integration features for the future energy system and on which individual projects can be based, extending the list of those previously identified to be well under way before 2025.

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The nine high level use cases are as follows:

1. Optimal cross sector integration and grid scale storage – identifies the value and realises the integration of monitoring and control, regulatory frameworks, cross-sector resilience, infrastructure design of integrated storages of all kinds with multi-energy systems (including hydrogen and CO2-neutral gases based) and their assets.
2. Market-driven TSO-DSO-system user interactions – identifies the market models and architectures, the governance and realises them as business cases so that an integrated, full system control and operation for both TSOs and DSOs results. Also develops corresponding platforms with TSO and DSO planning tools.
3. Pan European wholesale markets, regional and local markets – identifies and validates the fundamental market designs and regulatory frameworks, develops IT systems for real-time balancing and cross-border trading.
4. Massive renewable energy systems penetration into the transmission and distribution grid – identifies technical barriers and develops measures for handling massive RES with their control and operation and related infrastructure and their functioning with RES-based markets, policies and governance. Also develops planning tools with the goal of high system resiliency.
5. One stop shop and digital technologies for market participation of consumers at the centre – identifies the value of consumer/customer engagement and develops easy to use, standardised, communicating and (cyber-) secure-by-design solutions for them.
6. Secure operation of widespread use of power electronics at all systems levels – identifies, simulates with digital twins and then realises control solutions for PV integrated with batteries and their inverters thereby considering transition path to hybrid AC/DC electricity grids, adapted distribution substations, HVDC multi-terminal configurations and their standardisation.
7. Enhance system supervision and control including cybersecurity – identifies and realises adapted TSO and DSO control room needs including new monitoring, control, protection and measurement technologies, their interfaces also to the grid operators and their standardisation.
8. Transportation integration and storage – identifies implications of the transport sector decarbonisation, how electromobility supports resilient energy system operation together with policy adaptations. Also identifies market adaptations for seamless merging of transport and energy sectors including their integrated planning.
9. Flexibility provision by building, districts and industrial processes – identifies the value of buildings, of smart communities for control and operation of a RES-based energy system, including their integrated planning, market and governance adaptation needs.

Previously a total of 32 priority project concepts were identified to start in 2022.

The R&I roadmap for 2022-2031 identifies a further 31 priority project concepts – 18 to start in 2025 and 13 to start in 2026.

Taking account of these the budget total estimated for the period 2022-2031 is €4.5 billion (US$4.9 billion).

The largest proportions are for high level use cases 1 and 7 with just under and just over 14% respectively of the total, while the least are for use cases 3 and 8 at between 8 and 9%.

The roadmap is intended to guide the European Commission and national authorities in advancing the energy system research agenda.

It will be supplemented later in 2023 with a detailed implementation plan for the priority project concepts for 2025+ and subsequently another for those 2026+.

The ETIP SNET brings together stakeholders and experts from across Europe’s energy sector, with individuals able to participate in application to any of the individual topical working groups.