Background and Structure

The Global Power Sector Transformation is

Ongoing and Critical for Climate Goals

IRENA Innovation Week – 'The Age of Renewable Power'

Objectives:

• Bring together global public and private sector experts to identify transition trends

and innovations that will facilitate the transition;

• First-of-its-kind event on RE innovation that provides a global platform for thought

leaders, technical experts and policy makers to share their vision;

• First edition of IRENA Innovation Week, 10-13 May 2016 briefing:

Three days allows participation from far away but is still manageable;

Beethoven Halle, Bonn;

238 participants from 41 countries;

Theme: The Age of Renewable Power;

Plenary session, deep dives, group sessions;

In cooperation with partners incl. ABB, Siemens,

IEC, PTB, EPO, CERN; DLR, E.ON, etc.

The Opening BMWi State Secretary: Rainer Baake;

The event reception is hosted by the City of Bonn;

IRENA Innovation Week 2016 - Summary of Participation

Number of ParticipantsAttended 238Participants 107Secretariats 31Speakers 67Students 33

Also a significant number of users of the streaming service

• 10 May- Excursions (Site visits)

The Federal Network Agency (German regulator);

E.ON Energy Research Centre in Achen;

Jülich Solar Institute (CSP test installation);

German Aerospace Center, DLR’s thermal storage

laboratories in Cologne.

Structure

• 11-13 May discussions

Plenary discussions (by Innovation type)

Technical DeepDive sessions (Innovation supply side)

Group discussions (Innovation demand side)

Summary sessions to bring every one up to speed and

look for matrix and opportunities to use findings for

climate action

Structure

• High level opening

Country perspectives Costa Rica, Russia

Technology perspective ABB

• Systemic innovation

Business models

Market design

• Technological innovation

Wind

Grid technologies

Battery storage

• Operational innovation

Supergrid or offgrid

Demand side management

1. Plenary Sessions

• The future grid: Smart mini- and micro-grids

• The future grid: Electric highways

• Energy storage and electric vehicles

• New market designs

• Energy systems modelling and planning

• Extending the frontiers of reliability

• From science to innovation

2. DeepDive Sessions

• Group Discussions I : Challenges, needs and obstacles (Day 1)

• Group discussions II: Innovations and solutions (Day 3)

• Three set of group discussions :

Decentralised electricity systems for islands and rural electrification

Emerging electricity systems with high demand growth

Mature electricity systems with low demand

• Chaired by a policy maker

• Mixed participants public, private, academia

3. Group discussions

Findings

High level findings on group and plenary discussions

• The power sector transition is well underway and gathering momentum:

Germany 88% RE power on 8 May 2016;

Portugal 4 days 100% RE power May 2016;

Costa Rica 300 days 100% RE power last year;

Denmark leads in system integration: sector coupling, flexible fossil;

Russia 50 GW wind project under consideration;

China has 230 million smart meters installed, plans more than 22

UHVDC lines above 800 kV/13 GW by 2020

High level findings on group and plenary discussions

• Technology innovation is important but we have the technology needed

for the next 2 decades

Interesting demand side innovations

• Market, business model innovation potential is important

Different views on need for significant market reform

Standards/quality control needs more attention

• The end point is not clear, may differ by country

What is the right supergrid/offgrid mix

LVDC grids to supplement LVAC grids

Different views on battery storage needs

Strategic consequences

• Focus more on markets and business models and regulatory

frameworks, less on technology

More market is needed

• Leave room for flexibility in policy design

• Put more effort into identification of best practice today (eg Hawaii and

other island frontrunners)

Exciting developments:Constituencies that feel

the impact:

Role for international

cooperation:

(1) Smart mini- and

micro-grids

Virtual generators – Next Kraftwerk

and Tiko already implemented this

business model• All stakeholders (energy

planning ; reliability ;

science-to-innovation)

• Mature power systems

(market design ; smart grids

; electric highways ;

science-to-innovation)

• Emerging power systems

(market design ; electric

highways)

• Utilities (smart grids ;

storage & EVs ; electric

highways)

• Technology, internet,

mobile phone and

commercial transport

companies (storage & EVs ;

market design)

• Rural villages and

population in poor areas

(smart grids)

• Creating common vision

around the deep dive areas

• Best practice, knowledge

and information sharing

• Development, utilization and

harmonization of standards

• Cooperation of stakeholders

among each other, e.g. TSOs,

academia, industry/private

sector, national stakeholders

• Integration of neighbouring

markets, role of

interconnections

• Reaching economies of

scale, and ensuring

interoperability of systems

• Combination of policies and

instruments

• Innovation beyond

technologies for policy,

financing, business models

• Inform policy-makers (energy,

electricity, climate, planning)

and innovation initiatives (e.g.

Mission Innovation)

(2) Electric highwaysGas insulated transmission lines (GIL)– extra-high voltage saving

space in contrast to overhead lines

(3) Energy storage &

electric vehicles

Mobility as energy service –

electric vehicles enabling sector

coupling

(4) New market designsICT offers closer engagement of

consumers and sensitization to

price signals

(5) Energy systems

modelling & planning

Increased computational

capability – more comprehensive

and reliable modelling including RE

(6) Extending the

frontiers of reliabilityQuality control & standardisation

pave the way to bankability

(7) From science to

innovation

Evidence of step innovation trend

on ICT focused to enable RE

integration

Deep dive sessions

Suggestions for IRENA work

• Taxonomy of power systems for solution finding

• Understand not only integration problems but also solutions

• Provide a platform for stakeholders experiences exchange

• Focus on seasonality issues, sector coupling

• Identify and spread best practice in existing innovations

• Focus on credible policy frameworks and financing

• Coordinate amongst organizations in countries

• Work with commercial banks on technical and social aspects

• Provide guidance on minimum requirements for RE projects

• Assist in RE standards and metrics adaptation to national conditions

• Developing countries participation in international standardization

Outputs

The #IRENAinnovation hashtag was used by 660+ contributors in 1,200+ tweets over an 11

day period. In total, it reached 1.3+ million accounts and created 8.6+ million impressions.

30 social media cards were created for event speakers and shared throughout the event by

both IRENA and our partners:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irenaimages/albums/72157667805018925

The event recap video is available on an Innovation Week playlist on IRENA’s YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tytP7nCSoRQ&list=PLGZxC2iViPRqtNBlNgYQA_fyTLD4

GWytn

Edited/branded plenary session video recordings and individual participant video

interviews (10+) will be added to the YouTube playlist this week.

The IRENA Innovation Flickr album has photos from all portions of the event:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irenaimages/albums/72157667805018925

5 IRENA newsroom posts were published on various elements of the event, and one more

recap post will be published when the final report is completed: https://irenanewsroom.org/

There were six media articles covering elements of the event

Press coverage to date

Post event questionnaire

Upload presentations, summary slides, list of participants

Insights report in preparation (DRAFT available)

Post-event webinar

Video material is available online

Deliverables

Next steps

The approach works well

High level of appreciation from all sides

Not everyone stays for three days but enough do to ensure continuity

Engagement public and private sector creates important value added

Need to start preparations at least nine months ahead of the event

Need to streamline partner engagement and sponsorship

Need to establish a project team focused primarily on the event

Limit number of speakers per session further, allow sufficient time for

discussion

Facilitate networking further (eg overview of participants background with

portrait photos, use conference software)

Introduce additional small group discussions eg during breakfast, lunch,

aperitif

Lessons learned

Presented to UNFCCC TEM during SB sessions on 19 May 2016

Innovation Day – Today – To inform our member countries

Submit results to Mission Innovation for their consideration (ministerial 1-2

June)

Support in preparation of IRENA Innovation landscape report

Distribute conference report widely

Make ppt slides available

Use of findings

Issues to be decided soon:

Next edition 2017 or 2018

Location: Bonn

Timing – Ahead of the climate meetings

Theme –The Age of Renewable Power - or a different theme

Structure:

- Maintain format 1 day excursions and 3 day meetings

- Maintain mix of plenary, deep dive and group discussions

Innovation week second edition