As the leading smart energy conference for the energy transition, Enlit remains focused on how grid digitalization can accommodate a growing number of distributed energy sources, while addressing new consumption patterns and dynamics from Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations and data centers through increased grid flexibility and resilience. The energy ecosystem is at a crossroads, so Enlit will offer an excellent perspective on how to overcome challenges and how to tap into opportunities within the wider energy context.
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1. Grid Resilience: A Top Priority Amid Growing Complexity
In the wake of the main Iberian Peninsula blackout earlier this year, grid resilience will undoubtedly rank high on the list of items discussed at Enlit, especially by the many Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and Distribution System Operators (DSOs) attending the event this year.
While official statements about the underlying reasons for the blackout are still lacking, it is clear that the complex, interconnected, and distributed nature of grids makes them more vulnerable to disconnections and voltage increases potentially resulting in runaway scenarios and massive outages.
As electrification continues unabated, ranging from transport to industrial heat pumps and data centers, the economic cost of future grid outages will be huge, mandating effective preventative measures with Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled grid management software forming a critical tool for preventive maintenance, orchestration, and demand-response mitigation.
Companies to watch out for: Iberdrola, Siemens, Schneider Electric, GE Vernova, EDF
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2. Grid Flexibility: A Requirement for the New Energy Landscape
With increasingly fewer predictive load patterns, grids need to become more flexible in unlocking available capacity where and when it is needed, addressing uncertainty in both energy generation and demand, and mitigating grid congestion as much as possible. This essentially means a shift from a deterministic to a probabilistic approach, with AI playing an important role here as well.
Companies to watch out for: Siemens, ABB, Kraken, GE Vernova
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3. Nuclear SMR Vendors Making an Appearance at a Mainstream Energy Event
Nuclear energy in the form of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) hold the promise of a clean, safe, sustainable, and reliable energy source, complementing intermittent and unpredictable renewables such as solar and wind. Moreover, they can be co-located at industrial sites and data centers, circumventing grid capacity issues. (See ABI Research’s Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) – Technologies, Applications, and Use Cases report). Interestingly, for the first time, SMR vendors Holtec and Stellaria will exhibit at Enlit, a clear sign of nuclear going mainstream.
Companies to watch out for: Stellaria, Holtec, Siemens Energy
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4. Powering AI Factories: The Elephant in the Room
The lack of grid capacity to connect large data centers has been debated at length. It will be no different at Enlit. The topics mentioned above will all contribute to alleviating the capacity issue.
Cooperation across the data center and infrastructure ecosystems will be equally instrumental in addressing the data center energy conundrum. And it’s not just about energy capacity. The very specific characteristics of AI workloads in terms of their energy spikes cause issues with grid stability due to harmonic interference. This is a topic to be continued.
Companies to watch out for: Microsoft, Schneider Electric, Mitsubishi Power
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5. Smart Metering
The smart metering ecosystem of chipsets and module developers, connectivity providers, and software vendors has traditionally been massively present at Enlit. However, it is now emerging from its legacy play of consumer-tailored billing and usage reporting toward a strategic capability offering “behind the meter” intelligence to energy operators, supporting them with critical edge data to improve resilience and increase flexibility of their energy grids.
Companies to watch out for: Honeywell, Gridspertise, Nordic Semiconductor, Nokia, Ericsson, Quectel Wireless, Sequans, ST Microelectronics, Telenor, Telit, Wirepas
Conclusion
The energy sector is evolving fast: accelerating digitalization, adoption of agile practices, wide-ranging partnerships with stakeholders, and a fast transition to clean energy. Enlit will bring the energy ecosystem together once again in Bilbao, taking stock of the progress, engaging in discussions, and making plans for the future.
Will you be at Enlit 2025? Reach out to us to connect.