17.03.2022
Europe is continuing its rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewables, driven not only by climate neutrality goals but also by geopolitical developments. Russia’s war in Ukraine has, as never before, raised the issue of ensuring energy independence. Latvian public electricity DSO Sadales tīkls is already organising the second AC/DC Tech forum to facilitate discussions with decision makers and experts of the field, market participants, as well as to inform the general public about the present challenges and the changes that can be expected in the power supply industry. The forum will take place on 21 April from 11:00 to 14:30, and everyone interested will be able to follow it online – on the Facebook page of Sadales tīkls and other internet media.
The main topic of the forum will be ‘The active customer (prosumer), geopolitics and energy supply’. The term ‘active customer’ refers to an electricity user who not only consumes the electricity purchased by the electricity trader and supplied by the distribution operator, but also actively monitors his/her consumption data and habits or produces electricity for his/her own consumption, for example through solar panels.
“Last year, we organised the first AC/DC Tech forum, focusing on the role of the electricity distribution operator in achieving the goals of climate neutrality, the rapid growth of distributed generation in our electricity grid and the reorganisation of the system to the ‘new normal’. At this year’s forum, we will continue to discuss current energy supply issues, which concern the development of the electricity distribution system and the coordination of electricity network capacities, the importance of technology and data, and the structure of electricity supply tariffs and the legal framework. Let’s talk about one of the most important aspects at the moment – ensuring the energy independence of a country,” said Sandis Jansons, chairman of the board of Sadales tīkls, when outlining the content of the upcoming conference.
This year, the forum will consist of three parts – presentations, experience stories and panel discussions. In the presentation part, the question ‘What is the price of sustainable energy?’ will be answered by Andris Piebalgs, a professor at the Florence School of Regulation and former European Commissioner for Energy, while Raimonda Kursīte, Head of Business Development in Europe at ‘Schneider Electric’ and member of the incentive ‘Future Energy Leaders in Latvia’, will tell more about the involvement of active customers in energy supply. The question ‘Can you corner the power grid?’ will be answered by Jānis Kirkovalds, a member of the board and Development Director at Sadales tīkls, while Līga Kurevska, Director of the Energy Department of the Public Utilities Commission of Latvia (PUC), will outline the principles for the formation of energy service costs. Foreign guest lectures are also expected.
In the second part, representatives of Latvian municipalities will share their experience on the production of solar energy for municipal consumption, as well as the use of electricity consumption data to increase energy efficiency. This will be followed by two panel discussions in which experts will discuss issues of ensuring energy independence in Latvia, the role of digitalisation and data in future energy supply, as well as regulatory issues focusing on how various external aspects and changes driven by them affect the role of users, producers and supervisory authorities in the energy sector. Representatives of the Ministry of Economics, PUC, JSC Augstsprieguma tīkls, JSC Sadales tīkls, JSC Latvenergo and other organisations will take part in the discussions.
The forum is organised by Sadales tīkls, the Latvian electricity distribution system operator, with the aim to facilitate discussions on the transformation of the industry among decision makers, experts of the field, market participants and start-ups, as well as to inform the general public about the challenges and the upcoming changes that can be expected in the power supply industry. It is planned for the forum to take place on an annual basis with updates and improvements in the range of topics to be discussed. The first AC/DC Tech Forum took place on 4 March 2021.