The Powering a Sustainable Future: Energy, Space & Innovation event on 16 September brought together the energy and space communities, led by ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) and ENTSO-E. At a time when Transmission System Operators (TSOs) are facing increasing challenges from extreme weather, shifting climate patterns, cyber threats and physical threats, this was an opportunity for space companies, technology providers and innovators to better understand how space capabilities could address concrete TSO operational needs.
The event, which took place at ESA’s ESTEC site in the Netherlands, was a culmination of nearly a decade of cooperation between BASS and ENTSO-E, an organisation bringing together 40 TSOs from 36 countries, and serving electricity to half a billion European citizens. The matchmaking gathering was a launchpad for a new Space-Enabled Solutions for Resilient Grids Call for Proposals set to open in November, which will invite applications in relation to energy grid use cases identified by ENTSO-E.
Opening the event, Asimina Syriou, Energy Lead for ESA's BASS, welcomed participants and handed over to Rita Rinaldo, Head of Applications Projects and Studies Division at ESA, who introduced the role of BASS: “We support companies in the development of innovative services that use space to address the needs of different economic sectors – today the focus being on the energy sector. Matchmaking is an important part of what we offer, between companies, potential users and stakeholders belonging to different sectors – and investors a well.”
Nick Appleyard, Head of Commercialisation Acceleration Department at ESA, then went on to outline the importance of this initiative: “How do we make sure that the infrastructures that we all rely on, that the whole of society relies on, are going to be resilient against whatever it is that might destabilise and disrupt them?"
“The energy grid is a critical infrastructure - because if that isn’t functioning, nothing else will. As such, it is absolutely pivotal to the functioning of the economy that we make sure that the energy infrastructure is resilient - resilient to attack and sabotage, as well as to extreme events in the natural environment.”
He explained how the key drivers for BASS – commercialisation, sustainability and resilience – are aligned with the so-called energy trilemma of balancing security, affordability and decarbonisation, creating a natural synergy for collaboration.
Benjamin Lenoir, leader of the ENTSO-E Task Force Space4TSOs, echoed Mr Appleyard, highlighting how leveraging space-based services can strengthen the resilience of the European electricity energy grid, which he describes as “one of the most complex systems ever built and operated.”
Mr Lenoir said: “To operate reliably across the continent this highly interconnected system, TSOs have a wide range of operational needs spanning from infrastructure monitoring to secure communications. They all contribute to the reliability of the system."
“Today we are here to discuss capability building with space-enabled services and products – Global Navigation Satellite Systems, Earth Observation, Telecommunications or Space Situational Awareness – to complement existing terrestrial solutions, so that we have more resilient infrastructures at the end. Here, the collaboration with ESA is fundamental.”
The use cases identified by ENTSO-E are structured around two core themes: the first theme, improving situational awareness, is about solutions around risk awareness and infrastructure monitoring. The second theme, strengthening operational resilience for the grid, is about the operational resilience of the energy grid and emergency response.
“We are looking for solutions that are sovereign, interoperable and future-proof,” Mr Lenoir emphasised. “The 16 use cases based on operational needs, which will be detailed in the up-coming call for proposals, are aimed at providing the foundation for ambitious proposals. It is in the hand of the solution providers to imagine cutting-edge products and services that directly integrate into TSO geoinformation, asset management, and EMS/SCADA systems.”
Davide Coppola, Head of Space Applications Initiatives Section at ESA, and Gonzalo Morollón, Sustainable Power Grid Manager at ENTSO-E, ended the day by reflecting on the journey that had led to this event and the funding call jointly issued with ENTSO-E – and looking to the future.
Mr Coppola said: “Today the message on the innovation required is clear: we need to go beyond the obvious and turn real energy challenges into scalable solutions. Space is an enabler of Europe’s sustainable, secure and resilient energy future – we look forward to supporting promising, scalable ideas to address the needs of the European energy system.”
“If energy and space communities connect space capabilities with the operational realities of Europe’s grid, this can turn space into a practical, additional layer of resilience. That is the opportunity ahead of us,” Mr Morollón concluded.