On March 28 and 29, a technical site visit took place in the city of Bilbao. Initiated by the technical partners from Amsterdam, some of whom had not seen any of the Bilbao activities in the ATELIER project yet, met with their Bilbao counterparts.
The first day was devoted to a better general understanding of the demonstrators in Bilbao and Amsterdam, and of the historic background in both city development and in European projects. This was complemented with further presentations on the geothermal activities in Bilbao, the monitoring activities that are now gaining pace as well as a panel discussion on the future outlook for the demonstrated technologies.
The second day focused on smart, meaning the ins and outs of smart grids and the impact of smart charging on the electricity grid. Regarding the smart charging, the multifaceted simulation of DNV based on realistic data and including the grid, PV production, charging and heat pumps, revealed that depending on the incentives in the grid, the smart charging can have both positive and negative impact on the grid, indicating that careful design is important.
Furthermore, Spectral and Tecnalia covered the subjects of energy management systems, smart grids and congestion as well as the aspects of a local energy market. Both parties show that the devil is in the details for a successful system implementation.
All in all, the two days offered a good opportunity for intense exchange of knowledge and experience, a lot of contacts were made or improved and the participants can look back on a fruitful event!
Author: Kim Nathalia, City of Amsterdam
Picture Credits: Deitze Otaduy, Rudy Rooth