Show Me!: Large-Scale Smart Grid Demonstrations for European Distribution Networks

To reach the 2020 targets proposed by the European Commission (EC), several smart grid advances must still be implemented at the distribution grid level. The Grid+ project has described these advances in the latest European Electricity Grid Initiative (EEGI) research and innovation (R&I) road map for smart grids. A good review of these research activities can be found at Grid4EU, which is a large-scale demonstration project that aims to test and validate most of the relevant smart grid technologies in distribution networks.This article introduces, from Grid4EU´s perspective, the relevant research and demonstration activities on smart grids, highlighting correspondences with the main objectives of the EEGI road map. The information is organized into six “work streams”-integration of distributed energy resources (DER) into the grid, active demand (or customer involvement), energy storage, innovative power management at the medium-voltage level, innovative power management at the low-voltage level, and microgrids-that cover four of the five clusters of this road map.