With a highly developed smart metering infrastructure and rollouts at an advanced stage, utilities are now diversifying the use of smart meters beyond solely billing and CRM functions towards a wider integration with electrical vehicles, electrification of heat, home automation and demand response programmes. We have therefore moved the scope of the conference from 'smart metering' to 'smart utilities'.

Smart grid is seen by many as redesigning the energy rule book, in the way energy is produced, managed and consumed and is intricately linked to the integration of large scale renewables, wind and solar in particular.

However, changing and upgrading physical infrastructure alone will not be sufficient and it must include new business models, new sets of regulation and interstate relations, and a full shift in the consumer behaviour.

Scandinavia is, in many ways, at the leading edge of all of this - developing the ever more advanced smart grid  projects, preparing for a major share of renewable penetration and constructing business models and regulatory mechanisms that support this vast and complex network of  interrelations and interdependency.

To give you a snapshot of some of the current developments, Denmark has the world's highest ratio of wind power, electrification of heat is already widespread in Sweden, with a steady growth in all other Scandinavian markets. Denmark is also on the way to becoming a leader in electrification of road transport. The retail electricity market in Sweden is one of the more competitive European electricity markets. Norway is developing flexible hydro capacities and upgrading its interconnection assets for greater efficiency and opening up of energy markets.

Against the backdrop of the accelerating change we have invited best-in-class regional energy experts to debate on market drivers, policy and regulatory developments and showcase most innovative regional 'smart' projects.

Critical insights will be given into:

The Scandinavian smart energy state of play

• How to create a level playing field for electricity markets to evolve both from retailer and supply side?
• How to think internationally and beat the trend of national interests?
• How to transition from smart grid pilots to full-scale smart grid rollouts?
• Is the Danish model of knowable integration applicable in other regions?

Harnessing wind power

• What is at play behind some of the world's largest offshore wind farms: the issues of  interconnections and new demands on the grid
• Is flexible demand the answer to intermittent supply?
• Can Industrial Demand Response balance the grid  – the first European case in UK
• The new RES support schemes in the region

Smart energy and the consumer

• Dynamic pricing and demand response as triggers for flexible consumption
• Making a home into a smart grid node
• Virtual power plants and transformation of consumer into prosumer

Best-in-class regional smart grid projects

• Kalundborg Smart City
• Stockholm Royal Seaport
• Smart Grid Gotland
• Kalasatama Smart City
• EcoGridEu project

Examples of pilot projects where natural resources, in particular wind, and technological innovation are put to use to create symbiotic environments with high levels of local energy production and fully realised energy efficiency plans.

Grid optimization: flexibility, robustness and control

• New security and control systems to manage the network, particularly renewables and decentralized generation
• Use of meter data on hourly consumption for effective load balancing
• ICT and communication on the grid - from consumer to supplier to energy provider

Electric vehicles and grid integration

• Coping with volatile and unpredictable load profiles of millions of EVs
• Smart charging - dynamically regulating charging speed based on overall grid optimization
• Customer trials and perspectives - are they ready for a wide scale adoption? 
• Featuring the 1st European nationwide EV charging stations rollout by the Estonian Ministry of Transport

For more information, please contact:
Aida Mezit
Conference Manager
Phone: +31 346 290 814
Email: aida@synergy-events.com