Integrated Energy Systems

About

The Implementation Working Group (IWG) on integrated energy systems (IES) is established by the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan Steering Group (SG) to support the implementation of the SET Plan in the integrated energy systems area. 

IWG4 contributes to the delivery of SET Plan Action 4, which focuses on increasing the resilience and security of the energy system. The IWG IES addresses the research, development and innovation (RD&I) activities to be carried out to develop and manage a fully decarbonised energy system and its infrastructures in which all vectors (electricity, gas, heat and cold, hydrogen, water, etc.) contribute to a reliable, resilient, affordable and efficient delivery of energy for all applications in market conditions. Considering energy systems at the light of such an integrated approach fosters a unique European leadership. 

In practice, IWG IES provides a platform for Member States and stakeholders to coordinate research, innovation, and deployment priorities that accelerate the transition toward more integrated, flexible, and secure energy systems. IWG IES also aims to support the market uptake of innovation results. 

The relevance/influence area of IWG IES – that includes the whole integrated energy systems – is crosscutting with respect to other technology areas (other IWGs), thus giving the same IWG IES a central role in the SET Plan Community to strengthen the system perspective.  

Concerning the industrial EU initiatives, IWG IES is mainly supported by the ETIP Smart Networks for Energy Transition (SNET). Concerning the public research framework, IWG4 relies on EERA JP Smart Grid and EERA JP Energy System Integration.

According to the programme from the new SET Plan Governance, IWG IES delivered its Thematic Vision (May 2026), that presents a pathway for the development of integrated energy systems in Europe across three time horizons: 2030, 2040 and 2050. It shows how research and innovation (R&I) can support the transition from secure operability and early deployment (2030) to system-wide optimisation (2040), and finally to long-term (2050) stewardship of a climate-neutral, resilient and socially accepted energy system. Across all horizons, transversal enablers such as digitalisation, cybersecurity, skills, circularity and societal participation are essential for turning integrated energy systems into trusted socio-technical infrastructures. 

Targets and objectives

The Thematic Vision lays the basis for the RD&I done in the field of integrated energy systems in Europe both, on Member States as well as on European level. 

The aim of the Thematic Vision is to describe the evolution of integrated energy systems across the short, medium and long‑term horizons, designing a coherent and system‑oriented pathway for the development of integrated energy systems in Europe. IWG IES Vision document spans the following six priorities: 

• strengthening European independence and resilient supply chains
• supporting resilient integrated systems
• improving environmental sustainability beyond carbon
• enabling efficient system integration
• reducing overall system costs
• ensuring a just transition. 

Integrated energy system in the short term (2030): 

By 2030, Europe’s integrated energy systems are expected to be operationally viable and increasingly deployed, though not yet fully optimised. Electricity grids act as the main backbone, linked more strongly with hydrogen, heating and cooling, mobility and industry. 

Flexibility becomes a critical system resource, while digitalisation is widespread but still fragmented. Regional and local energy systems, including municipalities and energy communities, emerge as important building blocks for flexibility and resilience. 

In this phase, the R&I vision is to enable secure and resilient operability of rapidly transforming energy systems. Priority areas include grid-forming technologies, AI-assisted forecasting and planning, cyber-secure digital platforms, advanced power electronics, smart metres, storage, demand response and sector coupling as well as system efficiency. The focus is on validating technologies in real operating conditions, supporting regulatory evolution and enabling scalable deployment while also addressing affordability, environmental impacts and social fairness. 

 Integrated energy system in the medium term (2040): 

By 2040, integration becomes a structural principle of European energy governance, planning and markets. Cross-vector planning of electricity, hydrogen, gas and heat infrastructures becomes standard practice, and system-level optimisation becomes the main driver of efficiency gains and cost reductions. Europe is expected to emerge as a global leader not only in technologies, but also in integrated system design, modelling, governance and digital platforms.

The R&I vision for this phase is to operate fully integrated energy systems at scale, optimised across sectors, markets and infrastructures. 

Key priorities include pan-European planning tools, digital twins, AI-supported supervision, integrated flexibility markets, resilience-by-design, circularity, and inclusive governance frameworks that allow households, communities, aggregators and industry to participate actively. The emphasis shifts from deployment to consolidation, cost efficiency, resilience and avoidance of stranded assets. 

Integrated energy system in the long term (2050): 

By 2050, integrated energy systems are expected to have matured into the permanent foundation of Europe’s climate-neutral, resilient and circular energy system, based on seamless interaction among all energy vectors, infrastructures and users. 

Electricity remains the backbone, complemented by storage, hydrogen, thermal systems, power-to-X and other conversion pathways, with highly automated and digitally orchestrated operation. 

In this horizon, R&I moves towards long-term stewardship, focusing on adaptive governance, resilience under climate extremes and geopolitical shocks, trustworthy automation, circularity by design and social legitimacy. Europe’s long-term ambition is not only to operate such systems domestically, but also to become a global pioneer of integrated energy system architectures, standards and governance models.

IWG members

The working group on integrated energy systems is co-chaired by Austria and Italy representatives and includes 14 other European countries, as listed below (in alphabetical order):  

Relevant links

• ETIP SNET (ETIP on smart networks for energy transition)  
• EERA JP Smart Grid 
• EERA JP Energy System Integration 
• CETPartnership