International Smart Grid Action Network
The International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) is an international collaboration platform on smart grids operating as a Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and as a Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) initiative. Composed of 24 active members from five continents and the European Commission, ISGAN promotes international cooperation on planning, developing, and deploying smart electricity grids through knowledge exchange, policy dialogue, technical collaboration and capacity building.[1]
ISGAN provides a space for governments, policymakers, researchers, electricity system operators, industry and other stakeholders to share knowledge on electricity system modernization, renewable energy integration, digitalization, flexibility and resilience. It develops publications, case studies, and policy recommendations intended to identify emerging advances, share best practices, and support evidence-based decision-making.[1]
History
ISGAN was launched at the first Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM1) in Washington, D.C., in July 2010. It was formally established in April 2011 during the second Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM2) in Abu Dhabi as an Implementing Agreement operating under the IEA Technology Collaboration Programme framework. Since then, the network has subsequently been renewed through successive five-year terms and continues to operate both as an IEA TCP and a Clean Energy Ministerial initiative.[1]
In 2014, ISGAN launched the ISGAN Awards of Excellence, an annual competition in partnership with the Global Smart Energy Federation (GSEF), which recognizes outstanding smart grid demonstration projects worldwide. The awards were created to celebrate excellence in smart grid innovation and encourage the replication of successful projects and best practices across different countries and jurisdictions.[1]
The following year, ISGAN established the Knowledge Transfer Platform (KTP), an interdisciplinary collaboration mechanism that brings together experts with complementary expertise to develop knowledge products, policy recommendations and specialized technical support. By 2023, ISGAN had completed nine Knowledge Transfer Platform projects.[1]
In 2016, ISGAN launched its Virtual Learning webinar series, which has since become one of the organization's primary knowledge-sharing activities. The webinars bring together participants from academia, government, industry, and nonprofit organizations to exchange experiences, discuss emerging trends, and present research and best practices in smart grid development.[1]
In 2018, Annex 3 released the Smart Grid Evaluation Toolkit, which integrates cost-benefit analysis (CBA) with a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) framework to support the assessment and comparison of smart grid investments.[1]
A significant organizational change took place in 2019 when the Annexes were transformed into Working Groups. The new structure comprises six Working Groups, including the cross-cutting Communication Working Group, which supports knowledge exchange and dissemination across all technical activities.[1]
Objectives
ISGAN aims to improve the international understanding of smart grids by facilitating collaboration among participating governments and organizations.
Its objectives include promoting international knowledge exchange on smart grid technologies and policies; supporting the deployment of smarter, cleaner, more flexible, and more resilient electricity systems; identifying and disseminating best practices and lessons learned; developing policy-relevant guidance and technical publications, and encouraging collaboration among governments, utilities, research centers and industry.[1]
ISGAN emphasizes the role of smart grids in enabling renewable energy integration, electrification, digitalization, flexibility, resilience and interoperability across electricity systems.
Organization
ISGAN operates through an Executive Committee (ExCo), which is composed of representatives appointed by each participating Contracting Party. The Executive Committee meets twice a year and is responsible for approving annual work programs, determining strategic priorities, overseeing finances, appointing the Presidium members, and supervising Working Group activities.[1]
The Executive Committee is supported by the Presidium, which consists of the Chair and two Vice-Chairs; the Operating Agent and Secretariat; the Budget Review Group, and several Working Groups.[1]
Zabala Innovation assumed the functions of the Operating Agent and Secretariat in 2025, while the Asian Co-Secretariat continues to be jointly operated by the Korea Smart Grid Institute (KSGI) and the Korea Power Exchange (KPX).[1]
Membership
ISGAN consists of 25 active Contracting Parties, which represent governments from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. Participation is open to governments that are invited by the Executive Committee under the IEA TCP framework. Governments may designate public agencies or other entities to represent them.[1]
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada
- China
- Denmark
- European Commission
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- India
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Singapore
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States
Activities
ISGAN organizes its technical activities through six permanent Working Groups:
- Communication Working Group (CWG)
- WG 3: Cost-Benefit Analysis and Toolkits
- WG 5: Smart Grid International Research Facility Network (SIRFN)
- WG 6: Power Transmission and Distribution Systems
- WG 7: Smart Grid Transitions and Institutional Change
- WG 9: Flexibility Markets. Development and Implementation
The CWG collects, summarizes, and disseminates information emanating from ISGAN activities. It is also responsible for internal and external communication. This includes facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing between different Working Groups, as well as contributing to public-facing presentations and reports and organizing webinars and workshops.[1]
WG 3 develops tools for use by analysts, regulators, utilities, and other electricity system stakeholders to identify, define, and quantify the benefits of demonstrating and deploying smart grid technologies. These tools help define and determine system requirements and priorities for smart grid system investments and regulatory changes.[1]
WG 5 develops and validates technologies, protocols, standards, and systems that can operate effectively in diverse geographical areas and grid environments. Participating countries can evaluate pre-competitive technologies and systems across various smart grid implementation scenarios and locations, using standardized testing procedures.[1]
WG 6 critically reviews the evolution of smarter and cleaner power transmission and distribution systems. It focuses on four areas: expansion planning and market analysis, technology trends and deployment, system operation and security, and transmission and distribution system interaction.[1]
WG 7 examines the institutional and social changes associated with smart grid deployment. Using innovation studies, political science, institutional economics, sociology, and energy-related laws and regulations, it makes these aspects understandable for policymakers and other stakeholders.[1]
WG 9 covers all aspects of market design for power system flexibility. This includes the entire spectrum of market timescales, ranging from long-term investment signals to second-by-second balancing and response. It considers physical grid characteristics, such as voltage control, repeatability, inertia and locational constraint alleviation.[1]
Working Groups produce a wide range of technical and policy-oriented documents, including casebooks, discussion papers, fact sheets, surveys, and technical reports.
The Lighthouse Project is a cross-cutting initiative that supports the transition to smarter, more resilient electricity distribution systems. Launched in 2023, it focuses on the long-term planning and implementation of smart distribution grids amid uncertainty. Through a Knowledge Sharing Process (KSP), the project brings together ISGAN members and other stakeholders to co-create practical insights and forward-looking approaches to long-term distribution grid planning and implementation.[1]
Its main outputs include policy briefs, casebooks, the ISGAN Knowledge Hub, surveys, webinars and workshops that support supporting adaptive, collaborative, and forward-looking approaches to distribution grid planning. The framework developed by the project is structured around five phases of planning: foresight, strategic decision-making, long-term planning, assessment and decision support, and implementation. Three enabling framework conditions support these phases: legal and governance, actor coordination and collaboration, and information and knowledge.[1]
ISGAN Awards of Excellence
Since 2014, ISGAN has presented the Awards of Excellence in partnership with the Global Smart Energy Federation (GSEF) to recognize outstanding smart grid projects, policies, and programs worldwide. The awards aim to identify projects with strong potential for replication, innovation, and contribution to the modernization of electricity system. Recipients are selected by an international jury and recognized at the annual Clean Energy Ministerial meeting.[1]
Over the course of more than ten rounds of award competitions, ISGAN has recognized over 25 smart grid pilot, deployment, and demonstration projects around the globe, each with a different smart grid-related theme.[1]
Partnerships
International collaboration is a core element of ISGAN's activities. In addition to the IEA and CEM, ISGAN collaborates with several other international organizations involved in electricity system transformation to promote knowledge exchange, align research and policy efforts, and accelerate the deployment of smart grid solutions worldwide. These activities include joint publications, workshops, and other events.[1]
Among ISGAN's principal partners include the Green Powered Future Mission (GPFM) under Mission Innovation, which aims to demonstrate that power systems in different geographical areas and climates will be able to effectively integrate up to 100% variable renewable energy into their generation mix by 2030 while maintaining cost-efficient, secure and resilient systems, and the Global Smart Energy Federation (GSEF), an association of major smart grid stakeholder associations and initiatives, committed to sharing best practices and providing countries seeking to deploy smart grids with easy access to clean technology, policy, and project insights.[1]
ISGAN maintains close cooperation with the 21st Century Power Partnership (21CPP), a multilateral CEM initiative that advances policy, regulatory and technical solutions for power system transformation, the Clean Energy Solutions Center, which supports governments in developing clean energy policies, the Global Power System Transformation Consortium (G-PST), a public-private collaboration that connects power system operators, industry, and leading research institutions to address the key technical challenges involved in operating secure, affordable and advanced power systems, and the European Technology and Innovation Platform Smart Networks for Energy Transition (ETIP SNET), which guides research, development and innovation activities to support Europe’s energy transition.[1]
ISGAN also collaborates with several IEA TCPs, including the Energy Storage TCP, the High Temperature Superconductivity TCP, the Hydrogen TCP, the Industrial Energy-Related Technologies and Systems TCP, the [ https://iea-pvps.org Photovoltaic Power Systems TCP], and the Users TCP.[1]
References
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