STREAM partner Elektro Primorska was among the presenters. Gregor Skrt shared the company’s experience and lessons learned from managing a distribution network in Slovenia where installed distributed generation capacity is approaching parity with total customer demand. His presentation covered the role of data quality and GIS accuracy in smart grid planning, the limitations of 15-minute smart meter data for real-time control, and the importance of moving from static deterministic planning to probabilistic, time-series based approaches.

The message was clear: smart grid starts with smart planning. Before automation or flexibility solutions can deliver their full potential, the data infrastructure and network models behind them must be solid.

Elektro Primorska was also represented in the first panel discussion “Power System Transition – Challenges from the System Operators’ Perspective“, by Jurij Jurše, alongside representatives from HEP ODS and HOPS. The panel addressed the growing complexity of power flows, the barriers to deploying battery flexibility services, and the urgent need for stronger coordination between distribution and transmission system operators. A recurring point across the discussion was that many of today’s obstacles are not technical but regulatory: permitting delays, conservation restrictions and the absence of frameworks for new grid services are shaping what operators can and cannot do in practice.

For STREAM, the event was a valuable opportunity to hear from the field. The challenges discussed in Zagreb are directly relevant to the work being done at the Slovenian pilot site, where Elektro Primorska is actively testing flexibility solutions on real LV networks.