The European power grid will undergo major changes in the next few decades. Implementing these changes requires an extensive R&D program. As of September, KEMA CEO Pier Nabuurs has become chairman of the European Technology Platform SmartGrids, which is developing a vision and strategy for this operation.

The current European power grid was installed for the most part in the 1960s. This grid is now becoming obsolete and was never designed for power trade, bidirectional transmission through growing (sustainable) decentralized generation and intensive international power transmission. Moreover, the use of electronics in the current grid is
very limited, which means that control options
are limited as well.

SmartGrids
Technical solutions are needed as a basis on which to discuss how the European grid might best respond to the demands set by the liberal market and a sustainable society. This is why the European Union took the initiative to set up the European Technology Platform SmartGrids, which is composed of representatives from energy companies, knowledge institutes, grid owners and operators, manufacturers, regulators, governments and consultants. Nabuurs chairs this advisory board, which will publish a strategic research agenda in October. In November and December research priorities have to be set, so that the first research projects in Europeand the EU member states can be started in 2007. Moreover, this platform will see to the actual development of smart grids.