The use of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere must be minimised as fast as possible to reach a climate-neutral society by 2050. A vital prerequisite of the de-carbonisation is the rapid growth of renewables. In 2050 more than 60 % of electrical power is expected to come from wind and solar, both significantly more remote located than traditional thermal power generation. To achieve this, efficient grid-integration of renewables across Europe and globally requires the development of high-power transmission systems and components, and more specifically Medium Voltage DC (MVDC) and High Voltage DC (HVDC) switchgear. In existing grids MVAC and HVAC switchgear is filled with the insulation gas SF6, the world's most potent GHG with a global warming potential (GWP) of 24 300. SF6-emissions due to leakages during gas handling or defective sealings / compartments represents a significant part of the grid owners' total GHG emissions. MISSION project will develop and demonstrate three SF6-free products as key-levers for climate neutral power transmission based on the requirements defined by TSOs, filling critical gaps in future hybrid ACDC grids: 1. SF6-free HVAC circuit breaker will be developed and type tested by Siemens Energy and installed and demonstrated by Statnett in Norway and RTE in France reaching TRL 8, 2. SF6-free HVDC GIS will be developed and type tested by Siemens Energy in Germany reaching TRL 8, 3. MVDC circuit breaker will be developed and tested in relevant environment by G&W reaching TRL 6. In addition, MISSION will determine technical properties of different SF6-alternatives for application in AC and DC switchgear for high and medium voltage operation. MISSION will contribute to enable emission-free energy transmission and switchgear technology transition for a resilient and sustainable future electric grid.

HVDC-Wise project explores concepts and proposes solutions to foster the development of large HVDC based transmission grid infrastructures, able to bring benefits in terms of resilience and reliability to the existing electrical system and capable of integrating the forthcoming large amount of renewable energy. To do so, 5 ambitious specific objectives in line with the HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-02-08 call expectations were selected: -Develop a complete reliability-&-resilience-oriented planning toolset (metrics, methodology, tools) with appropriate representation of future HVDC-based grid architecture concepts to fulfil TSOs’ resilience and reliability needs. -Propose and compare on generic cases, different HVDC-based grid architecture concepts fulfilling functional requirements relative to TSO’s resilience needs for the widespread AC/DC system. -Validate resilience-oriented planning toolset and the HVDC-based grid architecture concepts on three realistic use cases. -Identify, assess, and model emerging technologies for HVDC-based grid architecture concepts needed for the deployment of widespread AC/DC transmission grids. -Prepare for the adoption and deployment of the proposed solutions by the industry. HVDC-Wise is a multidisciplinary project engaging 14 partners from 11 countries covering the academic (5), TSOs (4) and industrial worlds (5). An implementation plan is presented in the form of 8 work packages, 6 of which are technical in nature. Synergy in communication and dissemination by the several partners and stakeholders will permit to maximize the HVDC-Wise project impact. Solutions to overcome the fundamental technological barriers as well as appropriate deliverables, tasks, milestones, and risks to complete the project objectives in due time are presented. HVDC-Wise proposes, designs, and validates HVDC-based grid architecture concepts enabling the deployment of reliable, resilient widespread AC/DC transmission grids to achieve the European energy transition.

Towards a dominant renewable energy generation scenario in the EU, it is key to modernise transmission systems for an efficient transport of the energy produced. The deployment of HVDC systems plays a crucial role in enabling electricity transmission over long distances with minimal losses. There is the need to bring new cable technologies that can increase the life cycle of future HVDC systems, and longer reach, more precise, easy to install sensor-based technologies to analyse cable status and locate potential faults. EasyDC-FOS project will commit to demonstrating a new generation of HV cable systems with optimised energy transport capability and longer life period, due to the use of an alternative XLPE insulation material, paired with the development of a series of smart tools for monitoring ageing and efficient fault detection in transmission networks, and reaching a TRL5 by the involvement of 3 demonstrators, 1 test bench and 2 real-world use cases, in different EU countries. This will be achieved by the: 1) optimisation of insulation materials for HVDC cables with operating temperature over 90ºC; 2) development of predictive models of physics and ageing behaviour of new cable system in response to thermal, acoustic and electric field stress stimulus; 3) prototyping of a set of fibre-based DTS, DAS, point vibration, and PD monitoring systems for long-distance cable corridors; and 4) integration into a cybersecure Edge Infrastructure that will allow real-time monitoring of cable conditions, as well as immediate response from TSOs, satisfying the KPIs in terms of system efficiency and stability, lifetime and thermal capacity assessment, and the accuracy of the sensors. For that purpose, EasyDC-FOS is bringing together a wide experienced consortium led by LMK, involving leading industrial technology developers of cables systems, a cable OEM, academic institutions, two TSOs, a key sector association, and sustainability and management experts at European level.