SMARTEST – 2^nd Edition

SMART operation of Energy Storage Technologies in integrated energy systems, smart grids and cities

Energy storage technologies play a critical role in modern energy systems, enabling the integration of renewable energy sources and improving overall system reliability. Energy storage grid integration represents a key factor of additional flexibility, enabling renewable integration, contributing to power system stability, and supporting grid resilience. Furthermore, long-term energy storage will be required in the next future with the increasing share of renewables, which are characterized also by relevant seasonal fluctuation. Therefore, energy storage it is expected to become a critical infrastructure, relevant to enable and to boost the Clean Energy Transition and Electrification of final uses.

Energy storage  technologies allow excess energy to be captured over multiple time scales and made available when it is most needed. This capability not only improves the efficiency of the energy system, but also supports the transition to a more sustainable energy future.

However, the operation of energy storage systems in the context of integrated energy systems needs to be optimised in accordance to sector coupling technologies to minimise inefficiencies that can arise from a number of factors, including energy conversion losses, self-discharge rates and operating strategies. Effective optimisation involves the use of advanced algorithms and predictive analytics to efficiently manage charging and discharging cycles. This enables operators to ensure energy carriers are stored and released at the most favourable times, maximising overall system efficiency. Moreover, long-term reliability is required at the energy storage system level, as well as at the single technology one.

Accurate modelling of energy storage systems is critical in current energy models to enable better integration of renewables by accurately design system architecture also considering a technologies hybridization approach and representing how these systems respond to fluctuations in energy supply and demand. This helps energy system operators make informed decisions, ensure reliability and stability, evaluate different operational strategies, design new markets, and their impact on efficiency and costs.

Accurate modelling of energy storage systems also enhances the potential for sector coupling, which refers to the interconnection and optimisation of different energy sectors, such as electricity, heating, cooling, hydrogen and mobility to provide more integrated and sustainable solutions, better adapt to the variability of renewable energy production and optimise the use of available resources. This is essential to move towards a more flexible and resilient energy system.

At urban and district scale, energy storage is also a key enabler of flexible, resilient and integrated energy systems, supporting Renewable Energy Communities, Positive Energy Districts, and climate-neutral cities. Its effective deployment requires not only technological optimisation, but also suitable governance and business models, citizen engagement, and digital solutions able to coordinate distributed generation, flexible demand and storage within increasingly complex urban energy systems.

After the success of the 1^st edition in Madrid in 2025, the EERA Joint Programmes Energy Storage (ES), Clean Energy transition for Sustainable Society (e3s), Energy System Integration (ESI), Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), Smart Grids (SG), Smart Cities (SC), are jointly organising this workshop which will take place in Naples, hosted by Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (UNINA), on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th April 2027 at the Department of Industrial Engineering of the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II.

This workshop will bring together experts in energy storage, energy system integration, energy modelling, digitalization as well as socio-technical-economic aspects of the energy system, both in industry and academia, to share advancements in each discipline and seek to enhance synergies among them to further advance the energy transition.