B.A.U.M. supports European technology and innovation platform for energy transition

21. April 2021: Since early 2021, B.A.U.M. has been providing support for ETIP SNET - one of the central platforms for the implementation of the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan). At the launch of the new series of ETIP SNET Regional Workshops, B.A.U.M. moderated the panel discussion and two forums in digital format.

The SET Plan, short for Strategic Energy Technology Plan, serves to develop low-carbon technologies and improve their competitiveness, and is thus an important strategic instrument within the European energy technology policy. To promote the implementation of the measures proposed in the SET Plan, the Commission initiated the European Technology and Innovation Platforms (ETIPs) in 2016 for a total of nine key areas. ETIP SNET, the European Technology and Innovation Platforms for Smart Networks for Energy Transition, is one of these large-scale multistakeholder platforms that bring together a significant number of stakeholders and experts from industry, academia and research to focus and strengthen energy research and innovation. ETIP SNET contributes in particular to SET Plan Action 4 "Strengthening the resilience and security of the energy system".

As part of the ETIP SNET activities, the regional workshops, which take place four times a year, are highly requested meetings at which representatives of EU-funded projects can exchange ideas with representatives of the European Commission and with one-another. The eleventh ETIP SNET Regional Workshop since 2016, held on April 21, 2021 - due to the Corona pandemic in digital format- was also the kick-off for a new series of seven further events until 2023. In terms of content, their focus is to identify previously unprocessed research and innovation topics and to initiate and accompany the implementation of these activities at national and regional level. It aims to ensure that the national and European perspectives remain consistent and that knowledge is exchanged between stakeholders, member states and other connected countries.

The workshop on April 21st, 2021, focused on national and regional EU-funded research and innovation projects that make a significant contribution to the integration into the energy system in the areas of electromobility, cooperation between energy system operators, data collection and internet security as well as consumer involvement, civic engagement and energy communities. As many as 20 funded projects were represented as panelists, including "Platone", in which B.A.U.M. has an active role as a consortium partner. Funding projects of the "ERA-Net Smart Energy Systems" initiative, for which B.A.U.M. organizes the so-called Support Team, were also present. In total, more than 160 participants attended the digital event.

Ludwig Karg, Managing Director of B.A.U.M. Consult Munich, moderated the plenary session together with Shenja Ruthenberg from CLERENS. The panel consisted of representatives of the ETIP SNET technical core team and the six working groups on the ETIP SNET research areas. An overview of research areas and priorities in research and innovation was followed by a discussion focusing in particular on the challenges and gaps in research and innovation priorities at the European and national levels. The four parallel forums took up the workshop topics in detail, including the forum on "Consumer involvement, citizen engagement and energy communities", also moderated by Ludwig Karg, and the forum on "Cooperation between energy system operators", moderated by Rita Dornmair together with Nikos Hatziargyriou of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).

ETIP SNET has been coordinated by a consortium under the name "SPRING" since the beginning of 2021. B.A.U.M. provides subcontracted support in particular for the development of a European knowledge platform, for smart energy systems, for interactive events, and for the networking of stakeholders.

The next and thus twelfth ETIP SNET Regional Workshop is scheduled for June 22nd, 2021.