A special thank you goes to German ExCo representative, Ralf Eickhoff, for his efforts in organizing a physical meeting in Berlin. Unfortunately, ISGAN was forced to cancel the physical 19th ExCo meeting planned for March 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic across Europe.
However, ISGAN succeeded in finding a quick solution and hosted a first web meeting on 24 March, where the most urgent matters were discussed. The 19th ExCo meeting itself took place in the form of a two-day online meeting on 19-20 May 2020.
ISGAN welcomed to the meeting the new Head of Secretariat for the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), Dan Dorner, and wishes him success in his new position.
The Operating Agents of the active Annexes reported to the ISGAN Executive Committee on the progress of ongoing work and planned activities.
- Annex2: Case Books dedicated to outstanding smart grid applications
- Annex 3: Tools for the assessment of present smartness of electricity networks
- Annex 4: Organization of knowledge, key issues, insightful analysis for decision makers
- Annex 5: SIRFN . Smart grid research and testing facilities, test beds and protocols
- Annex 6: Improve understanding of smart grid technologies
- Annex 7: Governance and socio-technical issues associated with smart grids deployment
- Annex 8: ISGAN Academy – Continuous training on technical skills and updates in the field of smart grids
Regarding ISGAN’s strategy and work programme for 2020 and beyond, Iliana Cardenes, leader of the Incubator Team, and Andrew Stokes presented the results of their work. The main finding is that there is high interest for a new activity within ISGAN, focussed on joint markets and flexibility.
The main achievements of the ExCo19 meeting are:
- The Executive Committee agreed to the extension of the primary ISGAN theme of flexibility and the supporting themes of digitalization, resilience and interoperability through FY 2020.
- Several activities are planned in order to update ISGAN’s strategy and structure for the Request for Extension (RfE) process:
- Creation of a dedicated RfE team
- Self-assessment of the existing Annexes and in-depth discussions in workshops
- Continuation of the Incubator team exploring the interest and necessity for having a new Annex on flexibility markets within ISGAN
For more news on smart grids do not forget to register to our newsletter!