Member States, the European Commission and industry representatives co-signed a declaration for the digitalisation of energy on 19 September. The Tallinn Declaration, also known as the e-energy declaration, is a first for Smart Grids because of its unprecedented level of cooperation between EU Member States and a large number of key industry players in the sector.
Aerial view of Tallinn – Photo credit: Tuomo Lindfors in CC
The signatories of the Tallinn E-Energy Declaration intend to strengthen cooperation between the public sector and business. They undertake, in particular, to:
- make full use of existing infrastructure and unleash the potential of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency,
- facilitate the fulfilment of EU energy and climate goals by promoting the deployment of innovative, digital technology solutions,
- find synergies with other sectors and services, such as health and mobility, for the benefit of an innovative market for consumer energy services based on standards-compliant and interoperable smart homes and grids,
- contribute to a more secure and diversified energy supply, well-functioning of the internal energy market, and greenhouse gas emission reductions that are reached among others through improved and cost effective energy efficiency, increased renewable energy uptake, accelerated R&D activities, and to support a competitive European economy with a strong industrial base,
- build upon existing, identify and develop new innovative digital solutions that benefit the efficient functioning of energy systems and markets, in order to achieve maximum value from variable renewable energy sources, energy storage, demand side response and smart energy efficiency tools,
- present showcases and share results of existing best practices and initiatives as well as innovative ideas and projects that integrate energy and digital solutions in retail, distribution, transmission and generation,
- support and enable the spreading of innovative ideas across the EU, in particular based on R&D&I in the Horizon 2020 programme that aims at supporting interoperable smart homes, cities and grids, big data, cyber-security and innovative and interactive electricity networks,
- take measures to integrate the benefits of European wholesale market to retail markets to empower consumers for more market participation and active involvement on demand side management, to enhance competition and reduce energy poverty.
- engage actively in preventing cyber threats in the energy sector by applying appropriate security measures
- take efforts to implement privacy and data security by design for new digital energy infrastructure
- ensure adequate means for engaging private sector expertise and investment
ITEMS International for Think Smartgrids