EIMV Highlights from the CIGRE Session Paris Conference

From 25 to 30 August 2024, the Milan Vidmar Electric Power Research Institute proudly presented its achievements and in-depth knowledge at the CIGRE Session Paris Conference, a unique international event in the power industry, bringing together experts from all over the world every even year. The conference, where authors present their papers and expertise in a constructive group debate, once again offered an excellent opportunity to share knowledge, exchange ideas and network with experts.
Our researchers Dr Katarina Ana Lestan and Ana Cerk presented a paper entitled "Dialogue as an Important Link for Increasing the Level of Project's Feasibility". Based on the "Facilitating Renewable Energy Deployment in Electricity Sector of Slovenia” project, an integrated approach to facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources in the electricity sector of Slovenia was presented. A specific challenge arose from information related to environmental values and protective regulations, where some aspects are objective and spatially defined, while others are subjective. The approach, analysis of the results and discussion were presented and verified through working meetings with stakeholders throughout the development process of the task.
The renewable energy sources implantation project in Slovenia 2021-2023 covered the possibility of implementing renewable wind, solar and hydro energy, and is an example of positive dialogue. The dialogue took place at three levels of target audience: state stakeholders, investors and local public. A proposal for sensitivity mapping criteria has been developed in close cooperation with beneficiaries and opinion leaders. All opinion leaders and other stakeholders (investors, NGOs) were actively involved in the work process.
The conclusions of the approach used in the RES Slovenia project and presented in the paper provide a starting point for further scientific research and sustainability-oriented activities in the field of spatial planning. Based on the findings of the project, recommendations are proposed to find appropriate joint solutions. Furthermore, through the implementation of the RES project, it has been shown that the apparent conflicts between stakeholders are reduced through dialogue, which attracted a great deal of interest from the participants. The presentation stimulated a lively debate on innovative approaches and challenges in this field and offered insights into possible solutions and future directions. Participants commended our authors for their in-depth analysis and comprehensive presentation, as these are important for further developments in the sector.
The Head of the Environment Department, Dr Rudi Vončina, attended the C3 Working Group (Power system environmental performance) at the Paris Conference as the National Committee's representative. This year's debate focused on presenting the progress of the Working Groups and the integrating role of C3 Working Group in ensuring sustainability in the electricity sector. The C3 Working Group focuses on key issues related to the green transition, including reducing the environmental impacts of electricity generation and transmission, efficient management of natural resources and the integration of renewable energy sources. In addition to the usual progress reporting by the working groups, this year's working meeting also focused on exchanging ideas and best practices to promote the green transition and to identify new guidelines to help the electricity sector achieve its sustainable development objectives. Our cooperation with this working group is a particular honour, as it allows us to actively contribute to the development of strategies and solutions to reduce our environmental footprint and promote sustainable practices.
Researcher Tim Gradnik, as the head of the A2.60 Working Group A2.60 (Dynamic thermal behaviour of poert transformers) of A2 Study Committee (Power transformers and reactors), organised a meeting of the Working Group and presented a paper entitled "Improvement and Validation of IEC Dynamic Transformer Thermal Model" at the conference. The paper proposes improvements to the standard IEC thermal model, supported by the newly developed open source CIGRE Dynamic Transformer Thermal Model Benchmarking Platform. The platform enables transparent, objective and reproducible analysis and development of advanced thermal and related dynamic transformer models.
Dr Simon Podkoritnik has completed his work in the A3 Study Committee A3 (Transmission and distribution equipment) and has been newly appointed to B1 Study Committee (Insulated cables). As a representative of the National Committee in THE B1 Working Group, he presented at the working session the Slovenian issue of cable lines and the technical challenges we are facing in the region, as well as the solutions to the problem by our experts.
The Milan Vidmar Electric Power Research Institute was also represented at the event at the conference exhibition pavilion. Together with our partners ELES d.o.o. and Operato d.o.o., we showcased our services and products and established the possibilities of a new international cooperation in research and development.