The European Commission’s ‘Action plan on the digitalisation of the energy system’ lays the groundwork for building an integrated energy system that can support the growing interconnectedness of the market and enable digital and energy value chains to work more closely together. The action plan will provide strong support to REPowerEU, the joint European action presented in March 2022 to accelerate the switch to renewables and hydrogen, to become more energy efficient and make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels well before 2030.

Research and innovation are key to accelerate the development, implementation and upscaling of digital solutions in energy supply, demand and transportation (transmission and distribution) to support the energy transition. Horizon Europe, the EU’s Framework Programme for research and innovation, supports the development and integration of digital solutions in the energy system to make it more efficient, resilient and able to integrate higher shares of renewable energies.

This includes actions on many levels, such as supporting circular design, development and manufacturing of individual components; component control, performance measurement, self-diagnostic, ancillary services to the power system, digital twins; integration in the built environment (to address energy efficiency and comfort in buildings); increase transport safety and efficiency; and digital tools that allow to optimise workflows (cost, time, quality, resource use).

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