Editorial

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to this edition of ELECTRA which is highlighted by several very interesting articles contributing to the Energy transition through organization or technology enhancement. These are just a part of the changes happening in our industry sector and a collection of examples of what Cigre contributes.

Watts & Bits: How Power Grids and Cloud Computing Are Working Together to Implement “Utility 3.0” Through Electro-Cyber Integration, by Hiroshi Okamoto, PhD; CTO and EVP, TEPCO Power Grid

The electro-cyber integration is not just a technological advancement; it's a paradigm shift that promises to revolutionize how we generate, distribute, and consume energy, while simultaneously propelling advancements in digital technologies. The solution proposed by the author is to co-locate data centers with energy sources like nuclear or renewable plants. This minimizes transmission losses and reduces the need for grid expansion, while also ensuring a reliable power supply for these energy-intensive facilities.

Challenges for Electric Grid Development, by Javier Iglesias, President, CIGRE Spanish National Committee Member, CIGRE Steering Committee Project Director, Red Eléctrica de España (Spanish TSO)

The final consumption of global electricity has nearly doubled since 2000, making it possible for the electricity’s share to grow up to 20% of final global energy consumption.

To achieve a net zero emission level in 2050, a global view is needed to align the development model to system needs, depending on geography, maturity, and evolution of the technologies. This means integrating the different sectors (e.g., industry, transport, building) and coordinating all the actors (authorities, investors, grid operators) and involving the end user to include behind-the-meter distributed resources, etc., that can provide the flexibility needed in a transparent and affordable way. The International Energy Agency (IEA) affirms that the electric grid would need to double by 2050 to reach the Net Zero Emission scenario. Balancing the speed of generation and grid deployment with the evolution of demand is critical. The stress on supply chain, raw materials, and workforce will be a similar challenge.

Fostering Grid Flexibility and Renewables Integration with Advanced Composite Overhead Conductors, by Léo Richard Product Manager, Epsilon Cable, CIGRE France

This article describes the benefits of composite conductors and their contribution to the energy transition through energy and time savings:

High Tension Low Sag (HTLS) conductor networks inherently possess the:

• Ability to handle high peaks at elevated operating temperature – rather short time window - during which extra power flow is required (extra intermittent production, N-1 scenario, etc.),
• Ability to save up to 30% of electrical losses, at regular traditional conductor thermal capacity (day-to-day business)

Such duality ideally addresses the unpredictability and variability of renewables. It enables the necessary adjustments that grids will have to face in a world where most of our electricity will be coming from intermittent renewable sources and consumed intermittently as well (e.g. EVs).  

Industrializing the Energy Transition: Flexing the Power of Hydrogen, by Adam Middleton & Ertan Yilmaz from Siemens Energy

Bringing renewable energy from the power sector to other sectors to decarbonize the entire energy system is set to play a crucial part in the energy transition.

In 2023, the EU H2020 funded HYFLEXPOWER project demonstrated the first application of a 100% green H2 fired industrial gas turbine. It was also the first time an industrial scale power-to-hydrogen-to-power project was demonstrated in a real-world application. It proves that hydrogen can serve as a flexible energy storage medium and that an existing gas-fired power plant can be adapted to run on 100% green hydrogen. It also shows that there is insufficient, cost-effective green hydrogen readily available today for wholesale migration to 100% hydrogen-fueled gas turbines.

In other news, we are only a few weeks from our Paris Session 2024 which will have a record number of paper presentations and overall participants. This will be a very exciting Session and I hope to see you there.

Best regards,
Michel Augonnet

WANTED – EDITOR/COPYWRITER with POWER SYSTEM EXPERIENCE

Dear CIGRE members,
Our English language editor and copywriter has made the decision to retire at the end of 2024 so we are looking for someone with experience in our power system industry to replace her.
The position reports to the Central Office in Paris. It constitutes approximately 15-20 hours a month and can be done from anywhere in the world. As Editor you would be a member of the CIGRE Editorial Board.
If you or anyone you know might be interested, please contact Philippe Adam, Secretary General of CIGRE.

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