E.DSO Policy Podcast Series

Our seventh episode discusses the dynamic but also challenging outlook at the rapid expansion of new technologies within DSOs. There is growing demand for new technologies which requires sometimes far-reaching modernisation. Our discussants give us an outlook at how to maintaining climate change targets while modernising, the meaning of "smart grid" and how to modernise grids in the context of a rapidly increasing electricity consumption.

The increasing threats of climate change are requiring DSO to make operational changes and investments to improve the resilience of the electric system. In this episode, Tzeni Varfi, Policy & Legal Director at E.DSO sat with Mark McGranaghan, Fellow at EPRI and Sara Mullen-Trento, Senior Technical Leader at EPRI, and had a frank discussion about ways in which DSOs can develop when performing resilience planning. 

Our fifth episode discusses digitalisation as a factor for system integration and decarbonisation of distribution grids. Prof. Antonello Monti, RWTH Aachen University and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, and our host, Dr. Phillip Lewis, VaasaETT and The Traxis Group, explain how a digitalised grid is an energy efficient grid which contributes to a cost-efficient transition. They also discuss how digitalisation of DSOs facilitates the integration of renewable energy and flexibility services.

The FF55 contains the proposal for a Regulation on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure (AFIR). The new regulation encourages the uptake of electric mobility by setting mandatory targets for recharging stations and incentivising smart charging. Electric vehicles will be predominantly connected to the distribution grid making DSOs central to the electrification of mobility. In this episode Dragomir Radoytsev, E.DSO, is joined by Marie Picut, Enedis, in discussing AFIR and its relevance to DSOs.

The recast of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) sets a comprehensive framework for the deployment of renewables across all sectors and sets a new EU target of a minimum 40 % share of RES in final energy consumption by 2030. In this episode, Tzeni Varfi, E.DSO Policy Director, and Santiago Gallego, European Affairs Expert at Iberdrola, discuss how RED will be an important instrument to achieve EU climate targets and DSOs' role in new challenge. 

What opportunities do energy communities offer to DSOs? How can DSOs accommodate energy communities? How are energy communities regulated at the EU level? If you are curious about this topic and want to learn more, listen to our new podcast episode and check E.DSO position paper on DSOs as facilitators of energy communities for more information! https://bit.ly/3oSBoMp 

In the first episode, Dragomir Radoytsev talks with Tortsen Knop, EU Regulation Officer at E.ON and Vice-Chair of E.DSO’s Policy Committee, about the recast of the Energy Efficiency Directive. Join us for a fascinating conversation about the way DSOs contribute to energy efficiency and the opportunities (or challenges) the new directive would pose.
For more info, consult our position paper on the subject: https://bit.ly/3oEIPVZ