Our electricity is becoming greener and greener – and power generation is becoming more and more decentralized and volatile. What’s more, the electricity demand is set to rise sharply over the coming years and decades: For 2045, the German government has set the goal of 400 gigawatts (GW) of photovoltaic generation capacity and 230 GW of wind power capacity. According to conservative estimates, the electricity demand will have doubled by then. Part of the rise in demand will be caused by the around 40 million electric vehicles on German roads that are forecast by the German Renewable Energy Federation. The EU climate targets are expected to lead to considerable growth both in generation and demand in other Member States as well, which will create great challenges for distribution grid operators. Artificial intelligence (AI) will play an important role in managing and controlling ever more complex load flows. This is why the leading industry players will be discussing the role of self-learning algorithms for controlling distribution grids at EM-Power Europe, the international exhibition for energy management and integrated energy solutions from May 7–9, 2025 in Munich. The technology and practical implementation of disruptive AI and GenAI, digital twins and 5G will be discussed in the Innovation and Digitalization session ahead of the exhibition at the EM-Power Europe Conference on May 6 and 7, 2025.

EM-Power Europe 2025: Digital solutions for the energy industry. ©Solar Promotion GmbH

The load flows in distribution grids are already complex and multidimensional. This is where AI comes in. It can be a real game-changer for tomorrow’s distribution grid by taking on several tasks at once. Its most important role will be the calculation of load flows across grids and subsections of grids. These will be based on real-time measurement data coming from transformer stations, consumers and producers, as well as on external data such as weather forecasts and the subsequent output predictions for PV and wind power stations. This means that AI will be able to help to ensure grid stability and identify errors. It will also permit grid planning based on time series, by predicting where grid expansion will become necessary. Smart systems can also be enabled to control generation and consumption through automated processes, dampening peak loads and preventing any overvoltage within a line from being transferred to the next voltage level through switching operations in the local grid transformers. The fact that AI-based software learns from past events and mistakes means that, based on ever more detailed forecasts, it will be able to work more and more effectively to prevent grid congestion as time goes on.

Investments in infrastructure

Before data can be analyzed and processed, it needs to be collected. In other words, AI-supported systems depend on a powerful and comprehensive measurement and control infrastructure, and this is still lacking in most distribution grids. The European Commission estimates that grid operators within the EU will need to invest at least 170 billion euros in grid digitalization and intelligence by 2030.

German research

At the same time, grid operators have to collaborate with researchers to develop smart applications and solutions. And this is already happening everywhere around the country. Stadtwerk am See in Überlingen, for example, recently collaborated with HTWG Konstanz – University of Applied Sciences, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) and the International Solar Energy Research Center Konstanz in a research project for the development and testing of prototypes of AI-based low voltage controllers. Standard load profiles are still the predominant approach in the private customer segment, but in view of the rising number of prosumers, they are becoming less and less suitable for the job. This is why Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE) has dedicated a research project to the topic. The goal is to generate the data basis needed for various optimization and forecasting tasks using AI-supported processes.

In addition, seven German distribution system operators – SWKiel Netz GmbH, RheinNetze AG, Stadtwerke Bielefeld GmbH, Enercity Netz GmbH, Energieversorgung Halle Netz GmbH, Stadtnetze Münster GmbH and Netze Duisburg AG – have launched an industry initiative to take the first steps towards an AI-driven grid organization. They are planning to develop a generative AI and a specialized AI platform for grid operators, as well as to implement functioning prototypes for four different use cases within the next six months.

Austrian use case

Artificial intelligence is already being used by Austrian distribution system operator Kärnten Netz GmbH (KNG), where applications for the connection of photovoltaic installations are processed by a bespoke, fully digital and automated process. The applications are analyzed on the basis of the load flows of 160,000 connected systems within the grid area of KNG. The program is based on MATLAB, a software tool, and uses electrical and local data from the geographic information system, as well as SAP customer master data. The process has cut the time from the start of the plausibility assessment to the offer being sent out from two or three days to just 30 minutes. According to KNG, so far, the system has created more than 10,000 automated offers for PV connections to KNG grid customers.

EM-Power Europe – where strategists and pioneers meet

EM-Power Europe, held from May 7–9, 2025 in Munich, offers industry professionals a comprehensive overview of all available applications and solutions for energy and grid management, including fully digitalized and AI-supported processes. Top innovators, decision makers and practitioners will gather at the leading international exhibition, at the EM-Power Europe Conference, The smarter E Forum and the Start-up Area to showcase products, services and business models for integrated energy solutions and resilient power grids, and discuss future trends and market dynamics. EM-Power Europe is part of The smarter E Europe, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, and will take place alongside the three exhibitions Intersolar Europe, ees Europe and Power2Drive Europe.

EM-Power Europe, and the parallel events Intersolar Europe, ees Europe and Power2Drive Europe, will take place from May 7–9, 2025 as part of The smarter E Europe, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, at Messe München.

For more information, please visit:
www.em-power.eu
www.TheSmarterE.de

EM-Power Europe

EM-Power Europe is the international exhibition for energy management and integrated energy solutions. Under the motto “Empowering Grids and Prosumers” it provides a platform for grid operators, utilities, project developers, installers, as well as energy consultants, managers and service providers. The focus is on the latest trends and developments in modernizing and digitalizing the power grid to turn it into a flexible smart grid, integrating prosumers, e-mobility and power-to-heat concepts into a holistic, renewable energy system.

EM-Power Europe will take place from May 7–9, 2025 as part of the innovation hub The smarter E Europe, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, at Messe München. Whether electricity, heat and transport – the following three exhibitions dedicated to renewable 24/7 energy supply will take place alongside EM-Power Europe:

• Intersolar Europe – The world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry
• ees Europe – The continent’s largest and most international exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems
• Power2Drive Europe – The international exhibition for charging infrastructure and e-mobility

EM-Power Europe will be accompanied by the EM-Power Europe Conference that presents the perfect opportunity to discuss the energy system of the future with international experts. This includes topics such as the smart integration of decentralized renewable energy systems, grid management, digitalization and integration of flexibility, which, among other things, depends on the participation of end users. To cover all aspects of a future-oriented energy world, the EM-Power Europe Conference is accompanied by three other specialist conferences.

EM-Power Europe is organized by Solar Promotion GmbH, and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG (FWTM).

For more information on EM-Power Europe, please visit: www.em-power.eu.