Read the conclusions of the BRIDGE General Assembly – the key annual conference of this European Commission initiative that unites Smart Grid, Energy Storage, Islands and Digitalisation Projects to create a structured view of cross-cutting issues.

On 2-4 March 2021, the BRIDGE General Assembly 2021 took place online, organised by the European Commission.  The objective of the BRIDGE annual meetings is to create a better understanding of the BRIDGE projects, learn more about projects results and help to establish closer cooperation for European best practice standards. The BRIDGE initiative also aims to stimulate structured dialogues between regulators, authorities and innovation projects on smart grids and energy storage, as well as facilitate the uptake of technologies in the framework of the energy sector in the Green Deal.

The event attracted over 200 participants in the plenary and around 70 participants at each parallel session that gathered the 59 ongoing BRIDGE projects. 23 new projects were presented as well as the lessons learned from the 3 finalised ones. The sessions covered the work the BRIDGE working groups on Data Management, Regulation, Consumer and Citizen engagement and Business models as well as its Task Forces.

NESOI project coordinator - Andrea Martinez presented during the session: "Unlock financing for EU islands energy transition: Needs and Challenges". The presentation introduced the main objectives and target audience of the project, the key challenges EU islands are facing as well as the support they need. By bringing together different actors with their different experiences, the final scope of the BRIDGE General Assembly  is to identify concrete actions to be implemented by strengthening the collaboration between projects.

For more details on the Bridge General Assembly key takeaways, please download the following report here