The European Union’s North Sea countries recently vowed to build more than half of the bloc’s needed offshore wind capacity by 2050 in order to reach EU climate neutrality. At the heart of the ambition to turn the North Sea into a green energy powerhouse lies the idea that countries will collectively harvest the water’s windy resources and jointly reap the benefits of this interconnected clean electricity revolution. But such a complex network is yet to be designed and built, raising questions about how a meshed offshore grid could actually be implemented from a technical and economical point of view.

In this Perspectives, Giles Dickson, Chief Executive Officer of WindEurope, and Jochen Kreusel, Global Head of Market Innovation at Hitachi Energy, argue that absolute urgency is required in connecting renewables more efficiently.

The energy industry is one of the world’s top three target sectors for cyber attacks. Not least recent events such as the ransomware strike on the Colonial Pipeline which disrupted fuel supplies to the US Southeast, a data breach at Danish wind turbine maker Vestas, and a cyber attack on the nuclear unit of Brazil’s Eletrobras have reminded us how vulnerable to cyber crime the energy sector still is.

In this Perspective, Craig Savage, General Manager of Asset Management at Australian electricity distribution grid operator United Energy, shares his experience in dealing with the growing threat of wildfires. He explains how United Energy invests in technology and digital tools to create a more climate-resilient network.

Power Electronics is not a topic of everyday discussion. Nevertheless, it is a vital transformational technology that is quietly operating in the background – unseen and unheard – yet, embedded into products that people use every day to make life more enjoyable.

Welcome to this Second Edition of Perspectives – a collection of insights, opinions and ideas from technology and business leaders across our industries and beyond.

In this Perspective, Gerhard Salge, Chief Technology Officer at Hitachi Energy, explains why electricity will be the crux of a carbon-neutral energy system. He argues that electrifying the globe can only work with a much more flexible and interconnected power system, enabled by the right conditions.

In this Perspective, Alexandre Oudalov, Manager of the Power Systems of the Future Initiative at Hitachi Energy, argues that interconnected electricity networks are the true enablers of the carbon-neutral energy system of the future.

Delivering the energy transition requires groundbreaking electrical engineering feats. The newly opened 1,400-MW NordLink interconnector uniting Norway and Germany for the first time is one such achievement that celebrates a decades-old TSO partnership and underlines the need to cooperate across borders to deliver the energy transition.

In this Perspective, Chris Peeters, CEO of Elia Group and of one of its subsidiaries, Elia Transmission and Stefan Kapferer CEO of Elia Group’s second subsidiary, transmission system operator 50Hertz, share their thoughts about how speeding up the energy transition will impact their businesses.

In this Perspective, Adrian Timbus invites wind power experts and energy transition leaders to share their perspectives on how the offshore wind sector is evolving.

In this Perspective, André Burdet, Hitachi Energy, explores how the emergence of electric mobility interconnects with sustainable energy to deliver on the promise of future cities as we journey towards carbon-neutral society.

In this Perspective, Mr. Tan Chee Hau, Director of Planning and Prioritisation at Singapore's Smart Nation and Digital Government Office, provides valuable insight on why decarbonizing Singapore's electricity supply is key to the nation's vision of a smarter and greener quality of living for sustainable societies.

In this Perspective, Anthony Allard, Executive Vice President and Head of Hitachi Energy's business in North America, makes the case for using the momentum generated by the Great American Reset to modernize and decarbonize the North American power network.

The declining cost of clean energy technologies opens an important pathway leading to a new, lower-emissions era. An unprecedented increase in capital spending however is required to help countries, especially emerging and developing nations, in achieving net-zero emissions.

The Edition was built on the feedback and ideas that we received after publishing the First Edition last year. I would like to thank all the authors for their fascinating contributions, which explore pertinent and timely topics in a very human way.

To mark the launch edition of #Perspectives and the coming together of Hitachi ABB Power Grids, Claudio Facchin, CEO, gives his perspective on how fusing digital with energy expertise will contribute more value to customers and society.

Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), shares his perspective on the energy industry and how investment in clean energy is central to boosting a green recovery.

How does a new joint venture contribute to today’s global energy landscape? Four leaders from across Hitachi and ABB Power Grids share their thoughts.

Agustín Delgado, Chief Innovation and Sustainability Officer, Iberdrola, believes we’re on the cusp of an energy revolution. What role will renewable energy play?

Covid-19 is the ultimate disruptor, changing every aspect of life as we know it. Jochen Kreusel, Market Innovation Manager, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, explores what Covid-19 will mean for the future of power grids.

The Indian energy market has gone through impressive growth to become one of the largest in the world. Two of Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ leading customers, PGCIL and POSOCO, guide us through the intricacies of managing one national grid during extraordinary times to meet the future needs of its 1.3 billion people.

David Goddard, Global Head of Digitalization, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, envisages the world post Covid-19 and assesses how we can power the future.

The Heads of HR for Hitachi and Hitachi ABB Power Grids respond to questions from our Youth Panel – an enthusiastic and engaged group of talented Generation Z employees from across the world who came together to decide what they want to know about the future of their business, its culture and opportunities.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ CTO, Gerhard Salge, gives his final thoughts on this First Edition of #Perspectives and shares his hopes of more idea exchanges and sharing of viewpoints and different perspectives around key energy and digital topics in the future.