LISTalks on Energy Transition: Smart local energy systems: The key for unlocking grid flexibility

The "LISTalks" conference series brings together stakeholders, researchers, industry and authorities to answer state of the art research and innovation questions on our environment, climate change, and sustainability in strategies and design.

This webinar will address the growing importance of local energy systems in order to support the transition to a fully decarbonised society. On one hand, striving for decarbonisation will require a more flexible use of distributed energy resources, particularly renewable-based generation, taking full advantage of their presence in distribution grids. On the other hand, citizen engagement is required as consumers, now turned into prosumers, will have an increasingly active participation in energy supply and demand. In this context, concepts around smart local systems such as microgrids or renewable energy communities can be an effective means to unlock this flexibility by enabling the management and coordination of generation, storage and demand assets and facilitating the integration of the several stakeholders involved.

Two views on this topic will be presented to discuss the pivotal role to be played by local energy systems to support the energy transition.

This session is moderated by Pedro Rodriguez, Head of the Intelligent Clean Energy Systems unit, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), LU.

SPEAKERS

Lucija RAKOCEVIC (R&D Manager, Th!nk E, BE)

Lucija Rakocevic is R&D manager at Th!nk E, a Belgium based engineering and consulting company that helps prepare enabling framework and implements technologies needed for energy transition across Europe. She is currently leading or involved in the implementation of European projects such as DECIDE, The clean energy for EU islands secretariat, The Smart cities marketplace, The Covenant of Companies for Climate and Energy etc. Within these projects she has direct contact with the community energy initiatives on the ground and understanding on how different energy sector actors interact or can interact to help accelerate energy transition. Lucija has more than 10 years of experience in sustainable energy field from research and innovation, private and public sector perspectives. Lucija has degrees in physics and computer engineering from University of Arkansas, USA, MSc in mechanical science and engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA and PhD in electrical engineering from KU Leuven, Belgium.

André MADUREIRA (Group Leader – Sustainable Energy Systems, LIST, LU)

André Madureira got his  PhD in electrical engineering from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Portugal in 2010. He is currently Group Leader of the Sustainable Energy Systems Group in the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). Previously he was a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Power and Energy Systems of INESC TEC, Invited Assistant Professor at FEUP and Assistant Professor at the Lusófona University of Porto. He is author of more than 50 papers published in international journals and conferences with peer-reviewing and co-author of six book chapters. His current research interests include integration of distributed generation in distribution networks, demand response, electric vehicles, and smart grids in general.

Programme

Timing	Title	Speakers
15:00	Welcome introduction	Pedro Rodriguez, Head of Unit, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology
15:05	What energy communities can (not) do for grid flexibility?	Lucija Rakocevic,R&D manager at Th!nk E (Belgium)
15:30	Smart local energy systems: Energy is now going local	André Guimaraes Madureira, Group Leader, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology
15:50	Q&A
16:00	End