ISGAN – International Smart Grid Action Network

Goal

ISGAN aims to accelerate the global development and deployment of smart electricity grids that enable cleaner, more efficient, and more flexible energy systems worldwide.

ISGAN leverages high-level government leadership and industry technology innovation to support greater national ambition in developing and deploying smart grids in ISGAN member countries.

Overview

The International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) is an international platform for the development and exchange of knowledge and expertise on smarter, cleaner, and more flexible and resilient electricity grids (“Smart Grids”). ISGAN provides an important channel for the communication of experience, trends, lessons learned, and visions in support of global, national and regional clean energy objectives as well as new flexible and resilient solutions for Smart Grids.

ISGAN is both a CEM initiative and an International Energy Agency (IEA) Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP), and was formally established in 2011. As of 2025, ISGAN consists of 26 Contracting Parties. Their nominated representatives form the Executive Committee (ExCo), which oversees ISGAN’s strategic operations. The ExCo is supported by two Co-Secretariats: Zabala Innovation and Korea Smart Grid Institute (KSGI). Zabala Innovation also serves as the Operating Agent (OA) of ISGAN, acting as its legal representative.

For more background on ISGAN’s structure visit here.

Activities & Working Groups

ISGAN organises its activities under standing Working Groups, each operating under its own manager and with its own set of national experts, appointed by member countries. The activities in the Working Groups are planned every year and presented as the individual Programmes of Work by the Working Group Manager and are approved by the Executive Committee. Currently, ISGAN has six Working Groups.

Communication Working Group

Flexibility Markets

Smart Grid Transitions

Cost Benefit Analysis & Toolkit

International Research Network SIRFN

Power T&D System

30th ISGAN Executive Committee Meeting

The 30th Meeting of the ISGAN Executive Committee was convened in Dublin, Ireland, in October 2025, and was kindly hosted by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

The sessions highlighted ISGAN’s focus on digitalisation, flexibility, interoperability, and resilience as key enables of the clean energy transition. Country representatives shared national experiences, explored opportunities for collaboration across the six Working Groups, and defined priorities for future work.

Two inspiring workshops were also held, featuring internal and external stakeholders, Advancing Interoperability in a Fragmented Energy System and Changing Structural Conditions: Activated Flexibilities through Price Signals, as well as a visit to the ESB Renewables Operations Control Centre.

ISGAN Awards of Excellence

ISGAN Awards of Excellence

Goal

The CEM Award for outstanding achievement in smart grid innovation—the ISGAN Award of Excellence—showcases leadership and innovation in smart grid projects around the world. Projects receiving this prestigious award serve as global exemplars of the value that smarter, cleaner electric grids can offer. Thus, the Award of Excellence helps promote proven smart grid concepts.

11th Annual ISGAN Awards of Excellence (2025)

ISGAN announced its 11th Awards of Excellence, recognising global examples of smart grid projects and approaches. This year’s competition focused on “Excellence in Solutions for Enhanced Grid Operation”. The winners were selected by an international expert jury organised by ISGAN’s long-standing partner, the Global Smart Energy Federation.

The winning project was the Open Networks Programme, led by Energy Networks Association (UK). ISGAN also awarded one runner-up, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), and two honourable mentions, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH and Eindhoven University of Technology.

10th ISGAN Awards of Excellence (2024) focused on “Flexibility for Grid Resilience’’ Smart Grid Workforce Development for an Inclusive Energy Transition

Winner: Empowering a Resilient Korean Power Grid through Inertia Analysis, ESS Optimisation, and DR Advancements, Korea Power Exchange, South Korea
Runner-up: POwering SYstem flexibiliTY in the Future through RES (POSYTYF), Ecole Centrale de Nantes, France
Honourable Mentions:
- Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Japan
- Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE), Germany
- Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited, India

9th ISGAN Awards of Excellence (2023) focused on “Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Smart Grid”

Winner: [FleXunity] Scaling-up Power Flexible Communities Business Models Empowered by Blockchain & AI, Cleanwatts Digital, S.A., Portugal
Runner-up: CartoLine – the New “Predictive Maintenance” Tool, Enedis, France
Honourable Mentions:
- Korea Electric Power Corporation, South Korea
- IntelliSmart Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., India

8th ISGAN Awards of Excellence (2022) focused on “EV Integration with Smart Grid’’ and ‘’Smart Grid Workforce Development for an Inclusive Energy Transition’’ in partnership with the Empowering People Initiative.

Smart Grid Workforce Development for an Inclusive Energy Transition
- Winner: India Smart Grid Forum, India
EV Integration in Smart Grid
- Winner: Stedin Netbeheer B.V., The Netherlands

7th ISGAN Award of Excellence (2021) focused on ‘’Future-Proofing the Grid Operation via Advanced Digitalization & IoT’’

Winner: Smart Energy Project, Canada
Runner-up: EU-Sysflex German Demonstration

6th ISGAN Award of Excellence (2020) focused on ‘’Digitalization Enabling Consumer Empowerment’’

Winner: Smart Grids and Smart Communities Demonstration Project, Slovenia
Runner-up: Future Flow, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Romania

5th ISGAN Award of Excellence (2019) focused on ‘’Excellence in Smart Grids for Local Integrated Energy System [Smart Microgrids]

Winner: Open Microgrid Project, Korea
Runner-up: Rural Intelligent Grid [RIGID], Poland

4th ISGAN Award of Excellence (2018) focused on ‘’ Smart Grids for Flexibility’’

Winner: Coordinating Power Control, Sweden
Runner-up: Smart Grid Deployment Project, Korea

3rd ISGAN Award of Excellence (2016) focused on ‘’ Smart Grids for Reliable Electricity Service’’

Winner: CenterPoint Energy Smart Grid, United States

2nd ISGAN Award of Excellence (2015) focused on ‘’ Smart Grids for Renewable Energy Integration’’

Winner: GRID4EU – Large-scale Demonstration of European Smart Distribution Networks, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, France
Winner: EirGrid’s DS3- Delivering a Secure, Sustainable Electricity System, Ireland
Winner: Smart Grid Station of Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea

1st ISGAN Award of Excellence (2014) focused on ‘’Consumer Engagement & Empowerment’’