The energy transition is not just a technical challenge—it is also a challenge of market design and regulation. How should the energy system be organized? What infrastructure is needed and what is the best way to operate the energy system? These questions guide the EERA Joint Programme on Energy Systems Integration (JP ESI) and will shape our activities this year.

At the May Spring Event in Zagreb, researchers, policymakers, and industry from mainly Croatia and South-East Europe explored solutions for energy system integration.

Looking ahead, on October 22, the Joint Program on Energy Systems Integration will build on this momentum with a workshop on how to estimate the system value (and market revenues) of new technologies in the energy system. Bringing together all EERA Joint Programmes, the workshop will foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and demonstrate how energy system modelling can inform both policy and industrial decision-making and guide innovation policy.

On the 23rd of October, the 3rd Annual ESI Conference in Brussels will focus on linking the energy transition to the Clean Industrial Deal. From integrating data centers in a sustainable manner to energy infrastructure planning, the event will explore how Europe can decarbonize while maintaining industrial competitiveness. How to break through the current situation in which industry waits for more renewable (and affordable) electricity to become available before they electrify, whereas investment in renewable electricity is slowing down for a lack of new demand?

JP ESI is more than a research programme—we provide a platform for researchers, policy makers and the energy sector to meet and discuss the future of the European energy sector. Zagreb, the October workshop, and the Brussels conference will show that the energy transition will not be delivered by technology alone, but that the roles of energy companies, network operators, consumers and governments, and the incentives that shape their actions, need to be designed carefully.