Today in Valladolid, the Minister of Economy and Employment of the Junta de Castilla y León, Tomás Villanueva, and the General Manager of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation, Pedro Fábregas, opened the seminar "Smart grids: how they will change our lives" in which their introduction in Spain was debated.
Moreover, the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation and the Junta de Castilla y León, through its Ministry of Economy and Employment, took advantage of the seminar to sign a collaboration agreement in order to carry out activities that contribute to raising awareness and promoting energy efficiency and the rational use of energy in the Autonomous Community. The agreement, which will last two years, aims to carry out various activities to improve corporate, institutional and civic conduct in order to contribute to reducing environmental energy consumption.
The challenge of the new networks
The seminar, organised at the initiative of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation and the Junta de Castilla y León, analysed the new decentralised , multidirectional energy model, which requires different electrical networks, "intelligent networks" capable of integrating the needs and demands of new generators and new customers.
The board member of the National Energy Commission, Tomás Gómez, in his speech defined the concept of "smart grids", their features and the technologies used in their development. He also discussed the challenges of these networks faced with, for example, the integration of renewable energies and the impact of electric vehicles on the network.
The Director of Electricity Network Management of GAS NATURAL FENOSA, Blanca Losada, explained the challenge posed by intelligent networks for electricity companies. She indicated that these networks will permit a secure, efficient and sustainable supply, through improvements in network reliability, better integration of intermittent generation, optimisation of network operation, reduced energy losses and more advanced demand management.
In his turn, the Director of Smart Energy from Indra, Santiago Blanco, explained the role of information and communications technologies in the design of new power grids and ranked smart meters as the first step towards the new networks. Also, the Grupo ZIV President, Norberto Santiago, reported on technological applications in the electrical sector, detailing the contributions of the electronic components supply companies and providing the vision of the power industry suppliers.
The System Operator and the Administration
The impact of the new intelligent networks on the management of the system and their future development was detailed by the CEO of Red Eléctrica of Spain, Alberto Carbajo, while the head of the Department of Smart Grids of the Valencia Institute of Energy Technology, Ignacio Delgado, predicted how smart grids will change the lives of consumers.
The conference, which was closed by the General Director of Quality and Sustainability of the Department of Development and the Environment of the Junta de Castilla y León, José Manuel Jiménez, and the General Manager of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation, Pedro Fábregas, was attended by more than 150 professionals from various sectors, especially energy and renewables, as well as by technicians from government, academia and research.
A New Initiative of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation
With this seminar, the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation continues to develop its activity and the dissemination of significant energy and environmental elements to promote the protection of the environment, as well as promoting information, education and awareness of society of the respect for and preservation of the environment.