The R2D2 project hosted the panel session “Resilience Against Natural Disasters and Extreme Weather: Innovations, Applications, and Policies in Power Systems,” on November 5th at MEDPOWER 2024 in Athens. This session featured participation from the eFORT project, HEDNO Climate Strategy, and ETIP SNET.

With over 50 participants, “the panel was a unique opportunity to bring together experts from industry, academia, and different EU initiatives to discuss the emerging topic of power systems resilience. This is more critical than ever given the increasing impact of climate change-induced extreme weather, raising the topic highly in the agenda of system operators and decision-makers around the globe. The panel provided a holistic view on the topic, making a step forward towards resilient power systems.”, explained Mathaios Panteli from University of Cyprus, partner of R2D2.

Panelists covered a wide range of topics, including advanced monitoring and control systems, the integration of renewable energy sources, microgrid deployment, data analytics, and risk-aware investment planning and policy and regulatory frameworks. They showcased cutting-edge solutions and real-world examples enhancing grid resilience and adaptability to uncertain system and climatic conditions.

Key concerns highlighted included the need for stronger collaboration between industry and academia to promote resilience-aware planning and operation of power systems, as seen in initiatives like the R2D2 project. Although tools and methodologies for enhancing resilience exist, their effectiveness is often hindered by a lack of accurate data, underscoring the importance of data sharing among utilities and organizations. Additionally, there is a significant gap in global regulatory and policy frameworks, which currently do not sufficiently incentivise investments in resilience and risk-aware power system planning.

The main conclusions emphasised the need for improved collaboration between academia and industry, particularly through EU initiatives like R2D2 and eFORT. There was a strong focus on enhancing extreme weather forecasting using AI/ML to better predict and prepare for impacts. It was also recommended to apply models and tools in real-world case studies to demonstrate their effectiveness. Publicly accessible databases should be created for researchers and practitioners. Finally, regulatory bodies are urged to develop financing mechanisms to encourage utilities to enhance their resilience.