The 'Good Practice of the Year' is a prize awarded annually by the Renewables Grid Initiative upon recommendation of our jury of experts. The winning practice should be innovative and an improvement to the existing practices in its category. The award will hence honour a single exceptional practice, not an entire grid project. However, the minimum criterion for a submitted practice to be considered in this competition is a clear connection to a grid project that is needed for the integration of renewables. European and non European grid operators, project developers, NGOs and public authorities engaged in grid projects are invited to send their submissions and let their most original and successful practice shine.
The award for “Communication & Engagement” recognises practices that enable grid developers and stakeholders to work closer together for mutual benefit. It rewards approaches that demonstrate an understanding of stakeholders’ needs, foster engagement at eye-level and respond to societal expectations in an innovative manner. Good practices in this category include for example innovative forms of citizen dialogue, new communication tools, original compensation measures, experimental cooperation projects, pylon design approaches that improve acceptability of grid projects, etc.
This category recognises innovative thinking related to technology and system integration. We are looking for practices that contribute to the creation of a smarter power grid. However, since the grid is part of a bigger energy system, this category also aims to reward related practices which enable and scale renewable system integration. These practices can pertain but are not limited to: system flexibility, digital solutions, smarter generation, demand response solutions, storage, sector integration and smart synergies with other infrastructure projects (e.g. gas).
The “Environmental Protection” award honours outstanding practices in nature and biodiversity protection related to grid projects. The jury will reward projects that avoid or significantly reduce the impacts of grids on nature and landscape, meaningful mitigation measures as well as measures which can improve environmental quality. We are looking for success stories in the fields of habitat restoration along grid lines, ecosystem enhancement under overhead lines, bird/wildlife protection, NGO-TSO cooperation, nature-friendly grid design and many more.
Stephanie Bätjer
Programme Manager – Communication
Programme Manager – Communication
t: +49 30 2332 11017
Mara Radulescu
Manager - Communication
Manager - Communication
t: +49 30 2332 11027
Liam Innis
Manager - Energy Ecosystems
Manager - Energy Ecosystems
t: +49 30 2332 11015
RGI gratefully acknowledges the EU LIFE funding support:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the LIFE Programme. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.