Page 8 - European Energy Innovation - summer 2018 publication

8 Summer 2018 European Energy Innovation
COMMUNICATION
Electricity distribution networks:
vectors of solidarity in the
Energy Union
Michel Derdevet, Secretary General of Enedis*
While the current European Clean
Energy package negotiations aim
to extend the Union's ambition in
terms of energy transition, with more
important objectives than those of
the energy and climate package of
December 2008 and its famous "3×20"
(20% renewables in the energy mix,
20% reduction in CO2 emissions and
20% improvement in energy efficiency
by 2020), they also intend to reshape
the entire energy market, taking into
account climate issues, the current
digital energy revolution, and societal
changes in respect to energy.
Under this new market architecture
emerging within the Energy Union,
one of the political priorities of the
current Juncker Commission, the role
of one energy sector player has been
particularly emphasized.
With the widespread expansion
of renewable, diffuse and
decentralised energies, the debate
on infrastructures has moved, in
less than ten years, from upstream
(namely, the major electricity
transmission networks, security of
supply guarantors, and essential
architects of the opening up of
transnational markets) to downstream
(electricity distribution networks). The regional decision-makers, who are
Clean Energy Package specifically
focuses on Distribution System
Operators (DSOs), in recognition of
their central role as neutral system
operators thus facilitating the
functioning of European exchanges.
With the proliferation of new,
diffuse and decentralised sources
of production, the development of
storage, energy efficiency, erasure They are also part of a broader
and electric vehicles, as well as local vision of society. The Energy Union
considerations and the expectations cannot be the mere addition of self-
of local authorities regarding more contained “local energy clusters”
autonomous and renewable models, with a self-sufficient vision aimed
the distribution networks are clearly at protecting themselves from their
in a phase of transition or even neighbours. Both historically and in
revolution. the future, electricity networks were
and will remain formidable vectors of
The distribution networks (i.e. all solidarity: between Member States,
local low- and medium-voltage European regions and territories, in all
networks), which until now served their diversity.
citizens vertically from the very
high-voltage network (THT), have At a time when the Union is seeking
in recent years become formidable to strengthen its proximity to
collection networks, where the main European citizens, on the eve of
part of wind or photovoltaic energy the European elections, a European
is connected (95% of renewables policy on energy infrastructure is
are connected to them), produced possible. Let us take it forward with
locally accross hundreds of thousand determination and ambition! l
of sites. At the same time, they allow
for greater demand side integration, Contact information
support consumers in their quest for
greater efficiency and energy savings Djémila BOULASHA
and provide them with more and Head of European Public Affairs
more intelligent and intelligible data. Email: djemila.boulasha@enedis.fr
Mob: +33.6.07.51.74.47
With the arrival of smart metering www.enedis.fr
devices, such as Linky in France, the
distribution networks will more and
more manage a considerable volume
of data. This data will be relayed
back to consumers and all local or
keen to become actors in the energy
transition. Increasingly "smarter",
they are also the digital interface
needed to support new uses by
European citizens (electric vehicles,
connected homes, etc.) within
“smarter” local areas.
Electricity networks though, are not
just technical or economic entities.
* Enedis manages the public electricity distribution network for 95% of continental France.
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