Microgrids and the future of the European city

Abstract

Smart grids are fundamental to transform today's electricity grids to address growing demand, renewable intermittent and distributed generation, and environmental pressures. Microgrids are an integral part of the transformation. But, as in all transformations, there are challenges as well as opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to present several European microgrids, focusing on their relative roles with respect to each other and to the overall energy eco-system. We hope this will provide insights into how microgrids may evolve in the years to come.