Event overview

The first International Conference on Energy Systems Integration was held at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado in December 2017. Following its success, the second International Conference on Energy Systems Integration was held at Imperial College London, UK.

The transformation of our energy systems is happening quickly and the importance of integrating across systems is recognized. The conference theme was “100%: The Role of Energy Systems Integration”.

Delegates were encouraged to think of achieving 100% in all its possible meanings, including:

• 100% Renewables – What would this mean for cities, for small nations in large systems, for large nations, for island nations? How would resources be optimally used on different geographic scales? Is there no role for non-renewable energy?
• 100% Decarbonisation – What does it take to decarbonise all sectors, transport, water, manufacturing, IT and all goods and services?
• 100% Access – How do we approach equitable access to energy resources? How does inequality of access impact healthcare and education? How do we make sure no one is left behind?
• 100% Integration – Do we need to, and can we contemplate fully integrating the planning and operation of our major infrastructures? How do we quantify the benefits? How do we achieve this goal?

The 2019 Conference program was organized so that we can cover 100% of the energy system and 100% of the integration challenges. The integration challenges are across the energy system, but here we have organized the challenges under different parts of the energy system. The event called attention to these energy sectors to better understand their unique challenges, as well as unique solutions.

Conference keynote speakers

The programme featured keynote speakers who are all leading thinkers in their areas, covering 100% of the necessary disciplines, including behavioural sciences, economics, policy, technology and systems modelling. They presented their thoughts and created a discussion to advance our common understandings and illuminate new research questions.

The Energy Systems Integration Group in collaboration with the European Energy Research Alliance worked on an ESI Research Road Map covering 100% of the research challenges. The road map formed an integral part of the conference.