Red Eléctrica de España has launched Grid2030, a collaborative innovation programme to promote long-term research through open calls for technological initiatives applied to the transmission grid that have a direct impact on the efficiency and sustainability of electricity systems.
The Grid2030 programme will last four years and has been earmarked an initial budget of two million euros that seeks to promote or boost projects that respond to the major challenges that the development of the grid of the future will face. During the first phase, it is foreseen to deploy the power electronics technology or devices, and also address the development of new resources that may help to ensure the flexibility of the electricity system and which are compatible with a zero CO2 emission energy model.
The main goal is to reduce costs and increase the efficiency and sustainability of the electricity system, as well as, on the one hand, improve the performance of the transmission grid through the development of power electronics and, on the other, promote advances in the control and integration of renewable generation through the use of new or improved components and storage infrastructures that increase the flexibility of the electricity system as a whole.
Both the structure of the programme and the technological challenges have been jointly defined with InnoEnergy, which contributes its experience in the management of innovation support programmes and in the transformation of the results of these projects into products and services.
The programme initially consists of two open calls for proposals targeted at entrepreneurs and innovators from public and private entities, universities, research centres and European companies that are currently working on the development of technological products and services in their initial phase.
The first open call began on 23rd November and will be open until February 2018. During this period the initiatives submitted will be registered and support will be given throughout the process, answering questions and doubts, and guiding and helping the participants to prepare the best proposals.
Subsequently, the most promising candidacies may team up with other organisations and present an integrated proposal to achieve a project with greater impact.
The execution phase will commence as of June following a selection process which will have determined which projects have the greatest potential and will receive financial support from Red Eléctrica in addition to having InnoEnergy’s technical assessment and support in the management thereof.
With the Grid2030 programme, a worldwide pioneering initiative begun in Spain, Red Eléctrica and InnoEnergy are teaming up on a multi-year collaboration that will explore socio-economic and technical innovations related to the electricity system operation and transmission of electricity and that will support the development and early commercialisation of applications based on cutting-edge technology, thus accelerating its deployment and maturity through the participation of different companies and industries.
With this initiative Red Eléctrica responds to its innovation strategy, which aims to achieve a position of international reference in this area, anticipating the future of electricity systems and accelerating the development of technological solutions that could have a significant impact on the activity of the Company, as the Spanish transmission agent and electricity system operator (TSO).
