Iberdrola’s hub in Bilbao consolidates with 75 collaborating companies and entities in its smart grid center
BILBAO, 12 Aug. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub -GSGIH-, which Iberdrola has in Bilbao, has been consolidated ten months after its inauguration as the world center for innovation in smart grids with 75 collaborating entities and companies for the development of digitization solutions for the network, integration of renewables, use of electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
The latest to join the Iberdrola Hub in Bilbao have been IBM Technology, IBM Consulting, Schaffner, Automa and NTT Data, which lead innovation projects to improve customer service, as well as Turning Tables, INESC TEC and the universities of Murcia and Comillas, with projects to achieve a more efficient network by applying flexibility to accelerate decarbonisation, as reported by the company.
Iberdrola has invested more than 337 million euros in R&D&I in 2021, 15% more than in 2020. Part of the resources have been directed to projects related to smart grids.
It should be noted that, among the achievements of the GSGIH in these first months of activity, is the identification of ongoing R&D projects for a total estimated investment of 32 million euros in Iberdrola Redes EspaƱa.
The Iberdrola Hub, which has the collaboration of the Bizkaia Provincial Council, is “a hub for innovation and open collaboration to develop solutions between manufacturers and newly created companies, Start-Ups”.
In this way, smart grid innovation projects are promoted that respond to the challenges of smart grids in the coming years.
“This collaboration is key to the generation of projects in which i-DE’s technical experts transparently analyze, together with the most active companies in R&D&i, the needs of the business to prioritize the lines of work in new technologies available,” he stressed.
In the same way, the challenges that are proposed from the Hub stimulate the development of possible solutions, thanks to the Start-Ups.
This space for public-private collaboration -with more than 1,000 square meters and located at Iberdrola’s network headquarters in Larraskitus- is configured as a hub for attracting talent and promoting new technologies that will make the energy transition possible, maximizing the use of renewables, fully integrating energy storage systems and optimizing access to new uses of electricity, such as mobility and air conditioning.
In addition, it is also an international collaborative project, which brings together the potential of more than 200 professionals in the development of innovation projects that will be developed in countries in Europe, America and the Middle East.
SCHOLARSHIPS AND POSTGRADUATE
Another priority objective of the Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub is to promote the transfer of knowledge through scholarships and postgraduate courses. It serves as a catalyst for business development through startup incubation and acceleration programs and activates competitive intelligence actions, such as the design of global conferences.
Another axis of action revolves around the connected worker and the robotization of operations, in order to make use of sensorized equipment to receive real-time information on risks and network anomalies.
In addition, it uses ground and aerial robots (drones) to carry out operations remotely, avoid displacement and work more safely and efficiently.
The Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub is connected to the Biscay Startup Bay strategy, as it was also discovered in a scaleup place for startups from the energy sector that settled in the Bizkaia Tower.