What’s on the technology radar for Europe’s DSOs?

More than 30 technologies are identified as having varying levels of impact on Europe’s DSOs over the next decade, according to E.DSO’s ‘Technology radar’.

In the short term up to 2025, the highest impacts on DSOs are expected to come from cloud computing, drones and artificial intelligence, while the lowest are from advanced communications and virtual and augmented reality.

Then looking to the medium term up to 2030, solid state batteries, hydrogen and microgrids are expected to have medium to high impact, while a high impact is anticipated from digital twins, vehicle-to-grid, generative AI and new storage technologies.

At the same time, several technologies also are starting to become transformational. These include the Internet of Things, quantum computing, LV self-healing, local energy optimisation and in particular edge computing, which is evolving as new technologies such as AI bring new data analysis capabilities and emerging business models such as IoT as a service enable new innovative offerings.

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Longer term by 2035, innovative charging for emobility, DC networks and superconductors are emerging, but their impacts are anticipated to be only medium or medium to low.

On the other hand by that time low inertia networks are set to become transformational, with the large scale deployment of renewables leading to a decrease in the share of synchronous rotating machines in the system.

This will demand that coordination between TSOs and DSOs becomes fundamental but also that DSOs must undertake an R&D programme to find solutions to operate a low inertia electrical system with the level of reliability and resilience required.

In its description of the technology radar, E.DSO points to the current technological landscape being very uncertain, marked by numerous and rapid developments and possible disruptions, particularly in the energy and IT sectors and with potentially significant impact on DSOs.

The technology radar is intended to assist with preparing for these and the plan is to update it regularly.

The technology radar was developed by a dedicated task force organised within E.DSO’s Technology & Knowledge Sharing Committee with experts from a set of European DSOs.