Groningen Centre of Energy Law awarded two NWO projects for research on Smart Grids

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded two research projects in the framework of the URSES-call (Uncertainty Reduction in Smart Energy Systems), in which the RUG / GCEL participates. The research focusses on smart energy systems (smart grids) and their regulation in the future.

The major expansion of sustainable electricity and an increase in electric mobility is expected to lead to insurmountable problems for traditional electricity systems based on centralized production and coordination of production and demand for electricity. The smart grid is expected to solve many of these problems, but it requires a completely new technical, organizational and legal framework.

In collaboration with several universities and industry partners, the Groningen Centre of Energy Law (GCEL) will conduct research on a new legal framework with two PhD researchers.

Within the Dispatch project, GCEL, Eindhoven University of Technology, the University of Twente and companies such as Alliander, Enexis, TenneT, Cofely and IBM are working together to develop a technical, organizational and legal framework that combines the very short-term planning of the network management with the 15-minute time limit applying in the energy market to make smart grids possible.

Within the SmaRds project, GCEL and TU Twente collaborate with companies like Cogas, Energie coöperatie Noordelijk Lokaal en Duurzaam and the project Meerstad to develop a new framework. This framework should make the deployment of smart grids possible, where local initiatives will act as drivers of this deployment.

For further information, please contact Martha Roggenkamp and Hans Vedder.

This article was published by the Faculty of Law.

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