The German Chamber of Industry & Commerce today hosted a ‘Smart Grid Summit’ to foster relationships and collaborations between German and Irish operators in the smart grid sector. The event marks the beginning of a week-long trade mission of six German companies who will highlight technology solutions for Ireland’s Smart Grid market.
Throughout the week, the delegation of companies, which includes leading European provider of power-line communication, devolo AG, telecontrol and substation automation technology manufacturers, SAE IT and leading German service and system suppliers, SAG GmbH, will take part in over 30 business meetings to explore opportunities with Irish organisations and present innovative German technologies and solutions for Ireland’s Smart Grid needs.
With 40% of electricity set to come from renewable sources by 2020, the development of a smart grid, will be crucial in ensuring Ireland can meet its ambitious energy targets. A Smart Grid is an electricity network that can cost efficiently integrate the behaviour and actions of all users connected to it – generators, consumers and those that do both – in order to ensure economically efficient, sustainable power system with low losses and high levels of quality and security of supply and safety.
Smart Grids monitor, analyse and control the supply of electricity in a responsive and dynamic way, and consumers also have more control over their consumption, thus helping to improve efficiency, ]reduce consumption, lower costs and benefit the environment.
Germany is widely recognised as having one of the most efficient energy infrastructure networks in the world and has been at the forefront of smart grid development.
Germany’s much heralded ‘Enegiewende’ (‘Energy Transition’) is one of the largest German infrastructural projects in modern times and is designed to make Germany one of the most energy-efficient and green economies in the world.