Energy infrastructure and power pathways: shared experiences in the United States and Europe

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) invite everyone interested to a free briefing highlighting the challenges facing electric power systems in the United States and Europe. The future electric grid must be dynamic and adaptive to adequately respond to a number of game-changing trends: the growth of distributed electricity generation, advances in critical technologies, and the expanding role of real-time data in managing the power sector. However, a clear path has yet to be defined that harnesses these trends for a secure, affordable, and low-carbon energy system. Speakers will include: Jon Wellinghoff, Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Daniel Dobbeni, President, Eurogrid International; and former President, European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) Neil Brown, Non-Resident Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States (Co-Moderator) Carol Werner, Executive Director, Environmental and Energy Study Institute (Co-Moderator) Both the United States and Europe are faced with pressing concerns around their existing grid infrastructure's ability to cope with today's fast-changing technological advances. Ensuring efficiency, reliability, and resiliency across the power sector will require the partnership and coordination of regulatory agencies, business leaders, and policymakers. Modernizing the grid requires policy frameworks that support the development and deployment of innovative technologies, identify financing for these capital-intensive upgrades, and are grounded in a more robust effort to coordinate transmission planning. This briefing will spotlight the urgent nature of these challenges and showcase the potential of transatlantic learning and dialogue for improving our electricity power systems. This briefing will build from the work of those participating in the German Marshall Fund's Energy Transition Forum. The Energy Transition Forum was created in 2012 to provide a regular venue for open, structured, and fact-based dialogue among senior leaders from the private and public sectors in the United States and Europe. Energy Transition Forum