From Laboratories to the Power Grid: CIGRE Spain’s Initiative with Technological Research Centers
The Spanish National Committee of CIGRE is carrying out an initiative to bring together the Spanish electric power sector through free visits and seminars at Spanish Technological Research Centers (TRC). The initiative has been named “CIGRE Spain with our Technological Centers.”
The reason for this initiative lies in the Spanish CIGRE National Committee’s conviction of the importance of TRCs in the development and dissemination of technology and technological advances in the power network. TRCs in Spain conduct numerous applied and fundamental research projects related to the electric power system. They bring together a large number of specialists and high-level experimental resources that are available to all stakeholders in the electricity sector, covering both transmission and distribution and reinforcing the ONE GRID concept promoted by CIGRE. Many of the TRCs collaborate closely with universities, helping bridge the gap between academia and industry.
To move beyond the traditional presentation of new research results at conferences and seminars, the Spanish National Committee of CIGRE has proposed a series of combined seminars that include presentations and laboratory visits. Presentations are given by specialists from Spain or abroad on topics of high relevance, and each seminar includes a visit to the hosting TRC, which is specialized in the topic being addressed. Presentations focus the seminar theme and stimulate initial discussions and debates, while the technical visits foster further questions, related topics, and potential future collaborations. Attendees have the opportunity to meet researchers, visit laboratories, see live demonstrations, learn about ongoing projects, and connect these activities with the presentations and the latest advances in the field. These events also serve as a forum for sharing experiences and enhancing networking among participants.
The seminars have been very successful in terms of attendance (invariably fully booked with a waiting list) and have helped showcase the research capabilities of the TRCs. The chosen scale of the events (60–80 attendees) also contributes to a more engaging and interactive experience. The lively debates during the presentations, and especially during the visits, provide clear evidence of the excellent reception of these seminars.
So far, one seminar has been held at ITE, a TRC in Valencia, on Stationary Storage and Batteries (February 2025), another at CIRCE in Zaragoza on Network Automation and Digitalization (June 2025) and a third one at TECNALIA in Derio on Control and Automation of the MV and LV network (February 2026). New seminars are planned for the second part of 2026, one of which will take place at LCOE in Madrid, focusing on Power Quality.
This hybrid seminar-visit at the foremost advanced and most technological research institutions in Spain can be of great interest to other CIGRE National Committees and an excellent arena to raise public awareness of the recently created CIGRE Innovation and Education Fund.
First seminar-visit to ITE: “Stationary Storage and Batteries”
Second seminar-visit to CIRCE: “Network Automation and Digitalization”
Third seminar-visit to TECNALIA: “Control and Automation of the MV and LV network”
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