Skip to content

SINTEF Blog Gå til forsiden

  • Energy
  • Ocean
  • Digital
  • Health
  • Industry
  • Climate and environment
  • Building
  • Society
  • EN
  • NO
Energy Society

ENTSOe and EERA JP Smartgrids strengthen Transmission Networks Research cooperation in Europe

author
Knut Samdal
Research Director
Published: 21. May 2015 | Last edited: 16. Apr 2025
3 min. reading
Comments (0)
Knut Samdal and Martini Luciano
Knut Samdal and Martini Luciano

Co-blogger: Martini Luciano

European Energy Research Alliances (EERA) Joint Program Smartgrids have a close and fruitful cooperation with the European Transmission System Operators (TSO). This close cooperation takes place both in terms of national member state TSOs – R&D partner cooperation, as well as in a more institutionalized form between the EERA JP.

EERA serves several important purposes, stemming from the objective of realizing the goals of the SET-plan. EERA strives to be a catalyst to realizing the SET-plan by contributing to the success of the European Innovation Triangle (see below).

With regards to transmission networks, EERA acknowledge the importance of having a strong and close interaction with the industry, e.g. the manufacturers and the TSOs. To ensure this, EERA JP Smartgrids launched the Transmission Networks sub program in 2012. The sub program is coordinated by SINTEF (NO) together with RSE (IT).

The sub programs’ overall objective is to “contribute to the development of tools and methods for planning and operation of transmission networks to maintain an acceptable level of security of supply in the system with a high amount of renewable energy sources.”

To accomplish this, the work is organized in three research areas; Transmission planning (lead by IPE, LV), Transmission system operation (lead by INESC, PT) and Transmission network technologies (lead by University of Strathclyde, UK).

Further increase the benefit our cooperation

On March 31st EERA JP Smartgrids met with ENTSOe’s research and development committee (RDC) in Brussels to engage in discussions on how to further increase the benefits of our cooperation.

Jean Verseille from RTE, France
Jean Verseille from RTE, France

The mission of ENTSO-E’s Research and Development Committee (RDC), chaired by Jean Verseille, Director European Affairs at RTE, France, is to coordinate R&D activities and fulfil the mandate regarding the area of R&D under the EU Third Energy Package.

The role of the RDC and its working groups is amongst others to ensure that the interests of TSOs in the R&D domain are properly addressed to relevant stakeholders, to facilitate R&D work among TSOs, to provide comprehensive support to and a mutually built vision of the R&D activities of ENTSO-E Committees and other stakeholders, to promote the R&D concepts, methods and technologies that will compose and steer transmission systems in the future as well as to support standardisation and interoperability related activities.

EERA JP Smartgrids was represented by us, Luciano who is the Smartgrid coordinator and Knut who is the transmission network coordinator. The discussions focused on EERAs role as a research provider for the individual TSOs and ENTSOe. Also the aligning of public funded Energy R&D in member states and by the EU to accelerate the realization of the goals of the SET-plan was addressed.

An important result of the discussions was the agreement to ensure a more structured form of the cooperation.

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment!

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More about Energy

How much can energy-efficient voyage planning save? Evidence from 11 months of North Atlantic data

Author Image
Author Image
2 forfattere
Infographic showing the flow of thermal energy storage (TES) from surplus heat or cold to end users. On the left, red and blue thermometer icons represent surplus heat and cooling, accompanied by the text “Surplus heat or cold – Captured and stored for when it’s needed.” In the centre, a large panel titled “Thermal Energy Storage (TES)” presents three storage technologies. The top section, “Sensible TES,” shows a container with a thermometer and the text “Stores heat in one single phase.” The middle section, “Latent TES,” shows a water droplet and snowflake connected by circular arrows, with the text “Stores heat through phase change.” The bottom section, “Thermochemical TES,” shows two connected coloured circles that separate and reconnect, illustrating a reversible reaction, with the text “Stores heat through reversible reactions.” A large pale arrow-shaped wedge points from the TES panel toward the right side of the figure. On the right, three application areas are shown in separate boxes with icons: industrial processes, buildings, and data centres. The layout conveys that surplus heat or cold can be stored using sensible, latent, or thermochemical TES technologies and later supplied to industrial facilities, buildings, and data centres.

Thermal energy storage is already commercial  

Jorge Salgado Beceiro
Jorge Salgado Beceiro
Research Manager

Burning ammonia cleanly: How timing changes everything 

Author Image
Author Image
2 forfattere

Technology for a better society

  • About this blog
  • How to write a science blog
  • Sign up for our newsletter
  • News from NTNU and SINTEF
  • Facebook
Gå til SINTEF.no
SINTEF logo
© 2026 SINTEF Foundation
Privacy Editorial Press contacts Website by Headspin