In Topic 2 “Digitalization and System Technologies”, methods and technologies for the design and operation of economic, efficient and reliable integrated energy systems are developed and demonstrated. To assess the technical feasibility of the energy system design of 2050, groups of individual technologies that are particularly system-relevant will be identified and their system integration and automated operation will be tested in large-scale research infrastructures under close to real conditions. In that manner, Topic 2 is structured in following three subtopics:

• Subtopic 2.1 “Digitalization and Systems Technology for Flexibility Solutions” emphasizes on cross-sectoral energy system integration, integration of direct energy storage, flexible operation of energy-intensive industrial processes, and the full digitalization of the energy system under consideration of novel ICT solutions. A technical evaluation of novel hardware and software solutions will be performed under close-to-real conditions on individual technology and on the level of subsystems.

• Subtopic 2.2 ”Design, Operation and Digitalization of the Future Energy Grids” is dedicated to the design, integration and operation of energy grids for electricity, gas, heat and liquid fuels across all scales. Novel concepts for simulation and optimization (design, scheduling and control) of energy grids with intermittent and stochastic renewable energies will be developed and a portfolio of energy services for maintaining grid stability will be established.

• Subtopic 2.3 “Smart Areas and Research Platforms” focuses on testing, validating and demonstrating the full range of innovative software and hardware solutions developed in ST 2.1 and ST 2.2 in smart areas, i.e. largescale research infrastructures that are closeto-real-world environments. Besides technical aspects, the interaction between users and the system will also be studied.