This morning, the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson visited the facilities of the Red Eléctrica Group in Tres Cantos (Madrid) where she became acquainted with the Group's innovation ecosystem. During her visit, she was accompanied by the Chairwoman of the Company, Beatriz Corredor, the CEO, Roberto García Merino, and Silvia Bruno, the Director of Elewit; the Group's technological platform.

This subsidiary, created in 2019, catalyses and boosts the innovation of the Group to help it in its strategic mission, which is mainly focused on driving the green transition and expanding universal and inclusive connectivity.

The European Commissioner for Energy underlined the strategic role of innovation: “Now that we are gradually leaving the pandemic behind us, I look forward to having a greater presence in EU countries, as gaining insight and knowledge in the field is essential for the definition of our policies. That is why my visit today to Red Eléctrica, and its innovation platform Elewit, is very important. The energy transition is a challenge, but it also represents opportunities for EU companies and for promoting Europe's leadership in clean and sustainable technologies.”

For her part, the Chairwoman of the Group, Beatriz Corredor, pointed out that “the challenges posed by the green and the digital transformation require an unwavering commitment to innovation as a key driver to achieve the energy and climate targets of the European Union, including reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and, ultimately, achieving climate neutrality by 2050”, and she concluded by assuring that “there will be no energy transition without innovation.”   

Innovation courses of action currently underway

During the meeting, Kadri Simson learned first-hand about some of the innovation initiatives promoted by Red Eléctrica together with leading technology companies in Spain: Zeleros from Valencia, Hesstec from Seville and Nearby Computing from Barcelona all presented their innovative initiatives.

• Zeleros is currently one of the main companies of reference in sustainable mobility. This Valencian technology company is working, with the support of the Group, on its unique version of the hyperloop, which would enable efficient and sustainable high-speed transportation of passengers and cargo over long-distances. 
• HESStec is a company based in Seville that is pioneer in the development of energy management systems and hybrid energy storage solutions. Its technological developments, which it promotes with the support of Red Eléctrica, make it possible to manage electricity grids more efficiently, flexibly and intelligently.
• Nearby Computing, based in Barcelona, has created, together with REE, an edge computing platform for the automatic systems of electricity substations. The aim is to provide these systems with greater flexibility and agility, which is essential in a context in which there is a high penetration of renewables.

Visit to REE's CECORE

Kadri Simson also visited the CECORE, the back-up electricity control centre that Red Eléctrica de España has for the operation of the electricity system, which is a replica of CECOEL, the control centre that the Company has at its head offices in Alcobendas.

Both are pioneering centres worldwide and their activity is essential to guarantee the electricity supply in Spain and make the green transition possible. In 2021, these centres have enabled the national electricity system operator to integrate a share of over 46.7% of renewable energy into the electricity generation mix.

About Elewit

Elewit's purpose is to offer solutions to the new challenges in the electricity and telecommunications sectors with a fundamental goal: to drive connectivity and the energy transition to build a more sustainable future.

To achieve this, Elewit focuses its activity around the following key challenges: improve the efficiency in the development of the electricity grid and the management of grid assets; optimise the operation of the electricity system, making it more efficient, reliable and flexible; foster connectivity in cities and rural areas through the opportunities associated with 5G, satellites and the use of new digital technologies; optimise and automate OT and IT security; take full advantage of the opportunities of new trends in the electricity sector; generate new services and business logic regarding existing assets; increase the sustainability of the Group's activities as well as optimizing processes and increasing the safety and well-being of the Group’s professionals. www.elewit.ventures