RWTH Successful in the Field of Smart Grids

Out of all European universities, RWTH acquires the most EU funds for smart grid projects. 

In order to make Europe a climate-neutral continent by 2050 and to convert the power supply system, which has so far been based on conventional large-scale power plants, the European Union is promoting projects in the field of smart grids. These are smart grids that involve the communicative connection of the actors in the energy system to the supply grid, from generation to transport, storage and distribution to consumption. In the last two Framework Programs, the EU has allocated around 366 million euros to R&D projects and 1.96 billion euros to demonstration projects. From 2007 to 2020, 407 projects have already been funded in this area, playing a vital role in modernizing electricity grids.

The Joint Research Center (JRC), Directorate General and Scientific Service of the European Commission, recently published the report “Smart Grids and Beyond: An EU research and innovation perspective.” This lists the most successful project applicants and discusses their crucial role in the energy transition. According to this, RWTH Aachen University is the most successful university among all 333 academic applicants, with 31 projects, including three coordinated by RWTH. Within RWTH, Professor Antonello Monti and his team from the Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems were particularly successful with a total of 18 EU-funded projects. “The power grid is the backbone of the energy transition: Making the grid smart is necessary to get the most out of the infrastructure. RWTH has unique competencies and laboratories to support research in this field,” Monti said.

Click here for the full JRC report.