At The smarter E Europe 2025, the blackout in Spain put the Achilles’ heel of the energy transition into the spotlight: the power grid. In Munich, experts from around the world discussed why it is not renewables that are the problem - but outdated system structures. The exhibition alliance impressively demonstrated how smart grids, digitalization, and flexibility can help make our energy system resilient and future-proof.
Munich and Madrid are about 2,000 kilometers apart. But, to the visitors and exhibitors attending The smarter E Europe, Spain and its capital city felt all too close from May 7–9, 2025. From the conference rooms to the exhibition halls at Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, the blackout in the Iberian Peninsula at the end of April was a topic on everybody’s lips.
The energy experts from all over the world who were present in Munich did not want to speculate about the exact causes. However, everyone agreed that renewables were not to blame per se, but rather the Spanish energy system. “It is not really a renewable energy problem; the problem lies in the system as a whole,” said Luís Vale Cunha, Director of European Policies and Projects at E-REDES, during the EM-Power Europe Conference.
Renewable energy systems require adapted grids
The power grids are clearly outdated – and not just in Spain. They were designed for a central energy system, whereby fossil fuel power plants continuously met electricity demand and provided the necessary stability. The grids are simply not equipped to deal with the challenge of a renewable energy supply with its volatile, decentralized power generation and, in turn, they are putting the brakes on the energy transition, complained Dr. Anser A. Shakoor, Executive Leader at GE Vernova. “We need to rethink how we plan our system,” he concluded. And that means redefining the concept of supply security. Modern protection mechanisms have to go beyond the current traditional reserve margins.
Grid specialist Cunha cited numerous starting points that need to be addressed in this context: “A lack of inertia, configuration of protecting schemes, the way we deal with frequency, the way TSOs and DSOs cooperate with each other, lack of standardization across Europe, the different policies in different integrated markets across Europe.”
Dr. Alexandre Oudalov, Power Systems of the Future Manager at Hitachi Energy, emphasized the role of the growing number of power electronic devices. These may well pose certain challenges in terms of their effect on the power grid, but they also offer enormous opportunities, as their behavior can be programmed and they can react far quicker than conventional systems. “We have lots of technologies available, they just need to be deployed and combined properly in order to make a system more prepared for events like those in Spain.”
But what technology should we use and how does the interplay between renewable power generation and consumption work best? The 2,737 exhibitors from 57 countries in the exhibition halls of The smarter E Europe had the answers.
Utiligize, for example, demonstrated how grid operators can better plan their grids with many decentralized energy sources using its Software-as-a-Service platform Forecast & Investment. This platform won the Danish company The smarter E AWARD in the Smart Integrated Energy category. AI-based forecasting models use data from smart meters and geographical information systems as a basis for billions of calculations. The platform can forecast local capacity and voltage constraints through 2050 with hourly precision. These data allow grid operators to take sound planning and investment decisions and cut investment costs (CapEx) by up to 35 percent. The platform is scalable and able to integrate new technologies, such as vehicle-to-grid systems.
Using their software platform zenon, COPA-DATA showed how it is possible to optimize hybrid energy systems and drive forward the digitalization of transformer stations. Applications include photovoltaic power plants, battery energy storage systems (BESS), on and offshore wind power plants and hybrid microgrids that the software monitors in real time. It also supports operators when it comes to modernizing their infrastructure by integrating conventional transformer stations into digital systems.
Janitza’s target groups are utilities, computer centers and the production industry. At The smarter E Europe, the company presented energy meters and visualization software such as the new energy analyzer UMG 800, which serves as the basis for monitoring grid status in accordance with Section 14a of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG). The analyzer can be used to take individual measurements, analyze voltage quality and even set up entire metering systems.
A key topic at The smarter E Europe was flexibility, which is urgently required to balance volatile power generation with electricity demand. Energy management systems (EMS) have a vital role to play here. These were showcased by many exhibitors in Munich, including by Fenecon, another winner of The smarter E AWARD in the Smart Integrated Energy category for its innovative EMS. The system provides fully autonomous visualization and control of battery storage systems, solar inverters, heat pumps and EV charging stations for energy efficient and grid-serving operation. AI-supported forecasts and grid monitoring enable it to perform a predictive analysis of energy consumption patterns and create optimized charge and discharge plans.
Helped by its fluffy two-legged mascot HEMSi, industry giant E.on stood out with its Home Energy Management System (HEMS). This is compatible with many manufacturers’ inverters, battery storage systems, EV chargers and heat pumps, and integrates dynamic electricity tariffs. Customers can register for one either via E.on or through other providers. The device is also suitable for retrofitting existing systems to meet the legal specifications set out in Section 9 of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and Section 14a of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG). According to the energy company, bidirectional charging will also soon be supported.
The demand for HEMS has risen enormously, reported Product Developer Thomas Handwerker from E.on’s exhibition booth. Initial skepticism among consumers toward being in any way restricted by shifting the timing of their power consumption has vanished in the face of the opportunity to save money via dynamic tariffs and reduced grid charges. PV installers are only competitive today if they also offer a HEMS. However, customers can also order the device themselves online and download the corresponding software.
Anyone who has lost track of all the many energy management offerings available can use the impartial HEMS finder to help them. This was developed by the start-up SPiNE, in collaboration with the Ansbach University of Applied Sciences in Bavaria, and launched at The smarter E. End customers, installation companies, distributors or utilities can select various criteria on the website and search for a suitable HEMS as well as compare several systems.
The young company also presented other intelligent solutions in the Start-up Area at The smarter E Europe. One such solution is a kind of app store for energy applications that runs locally in the meter cabinet on an energy management gateway or control panel. This can be used to install apps for both grid-serving control and market-oriented control, such as in combination with dynamic electricity tariffs, without the need to install new hardware every time. This saves time, money and space in the meter cabinet, explained Christina Hollmann, Product & Marketing Manager at SPiNE.
And just what happens when there is a power failure, despite modern grid planning and automation, digitalization and energy management? In this scenario, the backup control unit COMBI-PRO-MAX from Spanish company Toscano can help. This company won The smarter E AWARD in the Smart Integrated Energy category, leading to smiles all round among the audience during the awards ceremony. The moderator provided assurances that the panel of judges had already selected the winner before the blackout in Spain.
The control unit is so small that it fits in the palm of a hand. In the event of a power failure, the system will automatically switch to backup or off-grid operation, ensuring the supply of critical consumers. The device can be integrated into a top-hat rail housing, allowing easy installation in the meter cabinet with all required switches being part of the same module.
“Our success reflects our strong belief in an integrated approach to renewable energy, one that goes beyond isolated solutions. For us, it is about building smart, integrated systems that make sustainable energy available 24/7, combining solar, storage, intelligent grid management, and real-time data monitoring. This is not just about producing clean power, but about ensuring reliability, resilience, and efficiency at every level,” explained CEO and Managing Director Carlos Toscano. And that sums up the very essence of The smarter E Europe in a nutshell.
Around 107,000 industry professionals from 157 countries seized the opportunity to forge contacts, set up partnerships or initiate projects at The smarter E Europe. With more than 2,600 attendees, the accompanying specialist conferences and side events also attracted a great deal of interest.
The smarter E Europe, with its four exhibitions Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, Power2Drive Europe and EM-Power Europe, clearly demonstrated that the energy industry is ready for the next phase. While the global deployment of renewable energies is in full swing, the next step will be to make the energy system more flexible, more digital and more integrated. The smarter E Europe will return to Munich from June 23–25, 2026 – for the first time from Tuesday to Thursday.