On 10 September 2026, energy professionals and researchers gathered in Ljubljana, Slovenia, for “Smart Grids in Practice: Experiences and Results from European Projects STREAM and OPENTUNITY”, an event organised by Elektro Ljubljana and the University of Ljubljana.

Bringing together around 30 participants from distribution and transmission system operators, technology companies, research organisations and the energy media, the event provided an opportunity to present the results emerging from both projects and, importantly, to discuss how these experiences can translate into practical changes in the energy system.

From project results to practical discussions

OPENTUNITY was represented throughout the event by several project partners, providing different perspectives on the project’s work and its results.

Janez Gregor Golja from the University of Ljubljana opened the OPENTUNITY contributions with an overview of the project’s objectives, innovations, pilot sites and current stage, highlighting some of the main outcomes from the demonstration activities carried out across the four pilots, as well as the project’s cross-platform demonstrations.

The presentations then moved into specific examples of how OPENTUNITY technologies are being applied and tested in practice. Amibit presented its Reduxi HEMS system and its work within the project on heat pump flexibility, coordination with Elektro Ljubljana, NILM participation and user research. Elektro Ljubljana shared its experience as a DSO and data provider, including the processes required to make operational data available for testing OPENTUNITY’s DSO-focused tools, such as ICCS’s short- and long-term asset management and grid planning solutions.

   

Other contributions connected OPENTUNITY’s work with broader questions around flexibility and electrification. Avantcar discussed the challenges and opportunities associated with the rapid growth of e-mobility and highlighted the OPENTUNITY solution developed with Kolektor sETup for optimising EV charging schedules according to day-ahead electricity prices. The approach significantly reduced charging costs for the part of the fleet where it was tested.

How can flexibility support smarter grid development?

The event’s two roundtable discussions provided an opportunity to move from project results towards some of the practical challenges facing the energy sector.

The first discussion focused on the DSO perspective and the value of flexibility. Participants explored where flexibility can be most useful for network operators and what regulatory, technical and operational changes may be needed to make greater use of it.

One of the key ideas discussed was the potential of flexible connections to make better use of existing grid capacity. Instead of dimensioning networks exclusively around occasional peaks, flexibility could in some situations allow certain assets to temporarily adjust their consumption or generation when network constraints occur. This could help operators accommodate additional renewable generation or new connections while potentially delaying or reducing some infrastructure investments.

The discussion also highlighted that flexibility should not be seen as a replacement for traditional grid reinforcement. Its value depends on the specific network conditions, the reliability of the flexibility service and the regulatory and contractual framework governing its use.

Connecting flexibility with the growth of e-mobility

The second roundtable focused on e-mobility, looking at both the challenges created by the rapid electrification of transport and the opportunity for EVs to become an additional source of flexibility for the electricity system.

EV charging infrastructure can create new peaks in electricity demand, but smart charging and other flexibility mechanisms can also turn these assets into a resource for grid management. The experience presented by Avantcar within OPENTUNITY provided a concrete example of how charging schedules can be optimised while reducing costs.

This dual role of electric vehicles as both a new source of demand and a potential flexibility resource, will become increasingly relevant as EV adoption continues to grow.

 

From European projects to real-world change

The event demonstrated the value of bringing project partners and energy-sector stakeholders together to discuss not only what has been developed, but also how these solutions could work in practice.

For OPENTUNITY, the discussions provided an opportunity to share the results of its demonstrations while gathering perspectives from actors directly involved in operating and developing electricity networks. The exchange also highlighted some of the remaining challenges that need to be addressed if flexibility is to become a reliable and scalable tool for the future energy system.

As OPENTUNITY approaches the final months of the project, these discussions are particularly relevant:

the focus is increasingly shifting from developing and demonstrating individual innovations towards understanding their practical impact, scalability and potential contribution to a more flexible and resilient European grid.