The Irish National Committee of CIGRÉ has secured Dublin as the location of the 2017 International CIGRE Symposium. The symposium, entitled 'Experiencing the Future Power System Today', will take place in Trinity College from May 30 to June 2, 2017 and is expected to attract up to 500 participants from around the world. The symposium will focus on experiences gained from trialling new techniques, technologies and concepts in the design, build and operation of electrical power and energy market systems around the world. The symposium has been approved by Engineers Ireland as a one-off event for CPD.
The future power system
The electricity industry across the world is in the middle of a major transition. The primary driver of that transition is a commitment to tackle climate change by decarbonising power systems and developing a sustainable approach to energy usage. In Ireland there is a commitment that 40 per cent of electricity consumption will come from renewable energy resources by 2020. Ireland is well on its way to delivering on this commitment and is already focusing on developing strategies for integrating higher levels of renewable energy resources into the future power system.
The integration of high levels of renewable energy resources requires radical change in the approach to developing and operating the power system at both transmission and distribution levels. The historical structure of a power system with large centralised generating plants, bulk power transmitted over the transmission system and then locally via the distribution system to consumers is no longer valid. We still have large centralised power plants, wind or PVs, connected to the transmission system, but we also have many thousands of small renewable energy resources that are located throughout the distribution system, including at the consumer level.
It also requires a change in how wholesale electricity markets remunerate both renewable and conventional generation whilst maintaining competitive energy prices for all consumers. One of the most important areas of change is engaging citizens in the energy debate and encouraging more active participation by citizens in a developing a sustainable energy future for all. Politicians and industry are joining forces with individuals and communities to bring forward the future power system in a way that meets the evolving needs of society.
Ireland is not alone in developing these strategies. The December 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change demonstrated a strong global commitment towards reducing carbon emissions across all sectors including the electricity industry. A range of innovative approaches to meeting the needs of power systems of the future to support these commitments are being developed and trialed in power systems around the world. At the Dublin Symposium participants from all parts of the industry can hear the success stories coming from these trials and the lessons learned.
About the symposium
The symposium will commence on the May 30 with tutorials on a variety of technical subjects, followed by the main event, two days of presentations on a variety of exciting topics. On the fourth and final day, there will be a technical visit to an installation of interest. The call for papers is now closed, with over 150 abstracts received from 28 different countries. The review process is completed and the successful authors have been notified. Full papers were due for submission by the end of February.
There was also a huge response to the call for student papers, but unfortunately, due to space restrictions, the limit on student papers that can be presented was 16.
The main topics for discussion at the symposium will be:
- Rules and standards for integrating a large number of distributed and small generation devices into the electricity system, including safety and operator training;
- Adaptable market designs that attract technology innovations and demand side participation;
- Maximizing the use of existing assets through innovative uses of HVDC, microgrids, smart grid devices, new materials, and conversion of lines to higher voltage or DC whilst retaining a high level of security of supply;
- Coordination between DSOs and TSOs – operating active distribution networks and associated market impacts including regulatory coordination and structure;
- Meeting the needs of energy users and all citizens - including environmental impact mitigation, stakeholder engagement in new infrastructure and community-based participation in electricity projects and markets;
- Impacts on the power system and power system technical performance in light of the changing mix of resources and technologies such as interactions of the electricity system with batteries and other storage technologies as well as heat, gas and transportation developments of multi-energy systems;
- Using big data to improve network planning and operation for both transmission and distribution system operators; and
- Operational, planning, environmental and technical challenges in transmission and distribution networks including harmonics, inertia and inverter based generation.
The Irish National Committee is also delighted to announce that in addition to the symposium, it will host a two day CIGRE Steering Committee meeting in Dublin on 29 and 30 May. This meeting, in conjunction with six Study Committee meetings (C1, C2, C4, C5, C6 & B2), a SAG meeting and multiple Working Group meetings, means that it will be a very busy and exciting time in Dublin at the end of May.
About CIGRÉ
Founded in 1921, CIGRÉ, the Council on Large Electric Systems, is an international non-profit association for promoting collaboration with experts from all around the world by sharing knowledge and joining forces to improve electric power systems of today and tomorrow.
CIGRÉ counts more than 3,500 experts from around the world working actively together in structured work programmes coordinated by the CIGRÉ 16 studies committees, overseen by the technical committee. Their main objectives are to design and deploy the power system for the future, optimise existing equipment and power systems, respect the environment and facilitate access to information.
Experts from the industry in Ireland have been involved in CIGRÉ activities since the 1950s. The CIGRÉ Irish National Committee (INC) was founded in 1955. The INC has sought to promote continued and strong representation by Irish and Northern Irish members in all CIGRÉ activities over the past seven decades. The INC has organised many local tutorial events for its members and joined forces with the UK national committee in 2009 to host a CIGRÉ colloquia in Belfast. The 2017 symposium will be the first symposium ever held in Ireland.
Further information is available by visiting the symposium website or by following CIGRÉ on twitter @cigredublin.
The main sponsorship packages have now been taken, but there are still some smaller sponsorship opportunities available at the event. If you are interested in a sponsorship opportunity or taking an exhibition stand, please contact CIGRÉ via its website for more information.