1. A Midterm Road Map for Advanced Technologies Integration in Transmission Networks

It is currently under discussion to bring back this level to 15%, since considered unrealistic by all the stakeholders involved.

In April 2011, ISGAN (International Smart Grid Action Network) was established as an Implementing Agreement under the International Energy Agency. Fifteen countries have signed the Implementing Agreement to date.

In October 2011, the EC issued its infrastructure package, including a proposal for a regulation on planning and authorisation procedures for cross-border infrastructures. Within the priority corridors identified in the proposal, regional expert groups select projects of common interest (PCIs) to be included in the 10-year network development plans drafted by the networks of transmission operators (ENTSO-E). After approval by the interested member states and consultation with ACER, the list of PCIs is submitted to the commission, TSOs recovering costs through network tariffs and incentives granted by national regulators. The commission, ACER and national authorities are granted the power to intervene when there are delays on commissioning or authorisation, or disagreements on cost allocation.

In the electricity sector, four EU priority corridors are identified: an offshore grid in the Northern Seas and connection to Northern and Central Europe to transport power produced by offshore wind parks to consumers in big cities and to store power in the hydroelectric power plants in the Alps and the Nordic countries; interconnections in Southwestern Europe to transport power generated from wind, solar and hydro to the rest of the continent; connections in Central-Eastern und Southeastern Europe, strengthening the regional network; integration of the Baltic Energy Market into the European market.

ENTSO-E provides a 10-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP), which includes already a methodology for a Pan-European network, and offers visibility within a 10-year horizon.

SUSPLAN (http://​www.​susplan.​eu) was a project funded by the European Commission dealing with the “Development of regional and Pan-European guidelines for more efficient integration of renewable energy into future infrastructures”. The regional studies aim at answering such questions as the following: What are the attributes, strengths and weaknesses of the energy system in the region? What role do RES play in the region? What contribution could be expected from the region in terms of European deployment of RES? To what capacity could future energy infrastructure support an enforced deployment of RES? What infrastructure bottlenecks exist and must be overcome to more efficiently integrate RES into the energy system?

[18].

[19].

This equipment (such as PST, FACTS, DC systems) allows a power flow control by the system operator.

See the EC-funded FP7 OPTIMATE project (http://​www.​optimate-platform.​eu/​), which aims at developing a numerical test platform to analyse and to validate new market designs which may allow integrating massive flexible generation dispersed in several regional power markets.

However, these projects are very dependent on member states decisions.

The European Electricity Grid Initiative was supposed to focus on the development of the smart electricity system, including storage, and on the creation of a European Centre to implement a research programme for the European transmission network.

For example, there are several technical alternatives under investigation aiming to connect offshore wind or solar facilities to the European transmission grids and to reinforce/extend these grids.

The detailed description of each technology is included in Appendix A.

The REALISEGRID road map focuses on gas-insulated lines (GILs) technologies rather than on gas-insulated switchgears (GIS).

The ITO technologies do not directly enter (today) into the options opened to TSO planners.

e3Grid is a regulatory benchmarking of European Electricity Transmission System Operators (TSO) on behalf of the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER) Workstream Incentive Regulation and Efficiency benchmarking (WS EFB), 2008.

ITOMS, the International Transmission Operations & Maintenance Study, is a consortium of international transmission companies that work together with UMS Group, comparing performance and practices and identifying best transmission industry practices worldwide.

ICTSO, the International Comparison of Transmission System Operation, exchanges information on TSOs’ current and future operating practices for the purpose of benchmarking. It is managed by a Steering Committee consisting of six selected members and supported by KEMA.

CAPEX: capital expenditure.

OPEX: operating expenditure.

For many years, the main maintenance strategy of TSOs for power cable systems has been corrective maintenance (i.e. no maintenance reaction until an unexpected failure). Condition-based maintenance is based on real-time status data of cables which means that monitoring devices and additional technicians are needed. Condition-based maintenance for the entire service period of a cable system could rely on non-destructive sensors integrated into monitoring systems and able of determining the status of power cable systems. These sensors include visual video inspection, thermal sensors, acoustic, electric sensors, etc.

It is understood that other types of services will require innovative technology type solutions (e.g. interconnection of two asynchronous networks could require an HVDC full or B2B solution, the observability of the system will require RT type technologies, etc.).

The size of the arrow is related to the maturity of the technology (i.e. low, medium, high).

See appendix for in-depth description.