A Power Sector in Transition Understanding Transition Towards a Cleaner Grid and how Distributed Energy Resources Affect the Design and Operation of Electric Power Systems

Important changes in the supply and the demand side of electricity apparatus are now underway, triggered by a combination of drivers dramatically affecting the transmission sector of power systems: greenhouse gas emissions, distributed generation, energy efficiency and the full integration of the European energy market. A variety of accelerating factors - including active consumer, aggregators, energy storage, e-vehicles, etc..- are creating a new era for the many stakeholders, incl. system operators, regional entities, industry and consumer organizations, producers or their trade bodies, Regulators, public decision makers and the society at large. Entraining this background, ENTSO-E and the TSO Community strive for a secure, resilient, flexible, adequate and well interconnected pan-European power system, and they are acting unanimously to develop the most suitable responses to the challenges of the energy transition and digital transformation. This paper highlights several matters of importance in the above system operations and grid development processes, especially focusing on the use case of Italy.