In its meeting of February 22, 2019, the Board of Directors of Friends of the Supergrid adopted a vision for the future of the association that will transform the way we look at grid infrastructure.

The Board first resolved to launch a rebranding of the association with immediate effect. We are pleased to present to you our new brand, Friends of Sustainable Grids (FOSG).

From now on, the association will focus on two main pillars:

1.Connecting Grids

With the advent of RES development, the energy landscape as we know it is changing. Cooperation is no longer required only amongst transmission grids, but must integrate all types of electricity related grids, including energy communities, distribution, gas, hydrogen, EVs, etc. It is also essential to involve players at various levels, such as industry, institutions and other stakeholders.

FOSG has set the aim to become THE platform where all those grids and related stakeholders can connect and set the stage for a holistic approach to creating effective solutions for the efficient and sustainable development of grids.

To do this, FOSG will organize a series of roundtables covering topics as diverse as governance, technology and artificial intelligence, regulatory and legal, as well as funding. The output will be focused concept notes that will then feed into a demand note combining the various aspects covered in the roundtables.

2.Energy Education

Enabling the energy transition requires the support and understanding of consumers and decision makers. FOSG will become a catalyst that will actively contribute to and facilitate the widespread dissemination of knowledge regarding the functioning of the electricity market. This will take place at two levels, namely consumers and decision-makers.

The more educated consumers are, the more likely they are to support the decisions of policy makers. Decision-makers in turn must understand the asks of consumers and have a coherent and inclusive vision of the perspective of players in the sector so that a harmonious solution to grid(s) development can be found, hence the demand note mentioned above.

To achieve this vision, FOSG will support and further existing and new initiatives in energy education, focusing on public acceptance for what needs to happen to allow the energy transition to progress smoothly.

In addition, we are restructuring our membership. From now on, we will have three levels of membership, namely “full” members, “associate” members and “institutional” members. Each category comes with different perks and varying membership fee levels so that we are accessible to all.

For more information on our vision or membership inquiries, please email us at info@supergrid.brussels

We look forward to creating the energy grid(s) of the future together!

Pierre Bernard

CEO