Four exhibitions, one mission: developing a clean and advanced energy industry. After three successful days, it’s clear that this was another excellent year for The smarter E Europe, the innovation hub for new energy solutions. With a total 1,354 exhibitors (+15 percent), 100,000 square meters of exhibition space (+16 percent) and around 50,000 visitors (+8 percent) from 162 countries, The smarter E Europe holds its title as the continent’s largest platform for the energy industry – just one year after its launch.
This year’s event focused on the core issues of a future-oriented energy industry, from renewable energies to decentralization and digitalization to sector coupling. Particular attention was paid to smart and interconnected energy systems while a wide range of innovative technologies, new business models and pioneering projects were explored at the accompanying conferences and forums. A total of four energy exhibitions took place at the innovation hub from May 15–17, 2019: Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, Power2Drive Europe and EM-Power.
Accelerating the transformation to make renewable energy available 24/7 – that’s the vision of The smarter E Europe, the innovation hub for new energy solutions. And Europe’s largest platform for the energy industry is not alone in this vision – a plethora of international stakeholders in the modern energy industry gathered from May 15 to 17 in Munich. Because it’s clear that photovoltaics, wind power and other renewable sources of energy are stronger together as well as in combination with storage systems and intelligent distribution and use. The focus is on decarbonization not just in power generation, but also in our heat supply, transportation and industry.
“With its new fields of concentration, The smarter E Europe covers an even broader and more varied spectrum. The whole ecosystem of renewable energies, battery storage and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, coupled with smart energy management, is the solution we need to ensure a modern, sustainable world for future generations,” says Giampiero Frisio, Head of the Business Unit Smart Power at ABB. Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, spoke at the opening of the conferences on Tuesday, emphasizing what is needed to make this happen: “It’s crucial to ensure that renewables, storage, load control, flexibility and digitalization interact as smoothly as possible to create the perfect team.”
Smart Renewable Systems Conference – from microgrids to virtual power plants
The renewable energy market is booming worldwide and generating enormous dynamism. There are many reasons for this, from the growing competitiveness of renewables to falling costs for storage to the surge in e-mobility. As digitalization advances, new developments are also being fostered by innovative solutions and products as well as new business models. The topic of power-to-X, too, is becoming increasingly important within the energy industry.
The Smart Renewable Systems Conference 2019 focused in particular on the topics of prosumers, microgrids and virtual power plants, with the overarching theme of smart energy systems – from generation to distribution to consumption. Attendees had the firsthand opportunity to learn more about industry trends and explore cutting-edge case studies. Many experts also discussed the latest trends and developments in the international markets. Over 2,000 attendees acquired new knowledge at The smarter E Europe conferences and side events in 2019.
Awards for the pioneers of the new energy world
One highlight in 2019 was the presentation of The smarter E AWARD, which rounds off the first day of the exhibition in style each year. In the Outstanding Projects category, the accolade went to BayWa r.e. renewable energy GmbH, mondas GmbH and Siemens AG, while Axiotherm GmbH, SolarGaps and Stäubli Electrical Connectors GmbH were selected by the top-class panel of judges in the Smart Renewable Energy category. The Intersolar AWARD and ees AWARD were also presented in addition to The smarter E AWARD. The winners and finalists of all three AWARDs are the pioneers of a new energy world. They are helping to improve people’s lives, create innovative business models and give a decisive boost to progress in the industry. The international media response is no less than they deserve.
Innovative power in the air – Start-ups@The smarter E Europe
Alongside the award ceremony, visitors enjoyed a particularly impressive display of the renewable energy market’s innovative power and dynamism at the joint booth Start-ups@The smarter E Europe in hall C4. This booth gave start-ups the chance to network with decision makers, investors and established companies. Young companies used the presentation space to present the innovative new business models and technologies which they have developed to help actively shape the transition. “These businesses demonstrate the ways in which the energy transition is already bearing fruit. They are showcasing solutions for decarbonization and a smart, decentralized energy supply in all sectors. The start-ups are solving problems, meeting new needs and highlighting the incredible untapped potential that is just waiting to be released as the energy transition advances. They’re also proving how much more we can expect to see in the way of technological development as part of the energy transition,” says Robert Busch, CEO of the German Association of Energy Market Innovators (bne).
