This webinar is the second in currENT’s Accelerating the Energy Transition series, building on the first webinar on ‘Optimised Power Grids for a Clean and Green Future’. 

This webinar will take place on 8th December 2020 at 2pm CET, and focus on the role that Direct Current (DC) grids can play in delivering on the European Green Deal, and ultimately decarbonisation by 2050.

The webinar will introduce DC grids and the benefits DC grids offer to the existing AC grids. There is huge opportunity in DC grids though there are challenges in ensuring secure and safe integration. A panel of industry leaders will present their perspectives on this topic, followed by a panel discussion with questions from the audience.

Speakers:

John Fitzgerald, Vice Chair of currENT, CEO SuperNode Ltd, will introduce and moderate the panel. 

Keynote Address from Mr. Joachim Balke, Head of Unit B1 Network and Regional Initiatives, DG ENER

Arnoldus Van Wingerde, Chief Scientist, Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, will discuss a view of 2050, electrification in decarbonization and the renewables required.   

Jochen Kreusel, Deputy President, T&D Europe, will provide an overview of DC Technology, discussing the background, characteristics, and the benefits and challenges of DC technology. 

Cornelis Plet, Coordinator, PROMOTioN Project, will discuss the state of the art on DC technology, operational issues, and where DC grid technology is today. 

Wolfgang Reiser, Managing Director of VESC and President of ivSupra, will discuss Superconductors in transmission with focus on the state of technology today and the advantages and challenges of implementing superconducting technology.  

Dirk Van Hertem, Electrical Energy Systems and Applications (ELECTA), University of Leuven, will wrap up with on where DC grids can take us in the future and how DC grids integrate with AC grids.