Webinar: Turning solar storm and DC bias risks into grid stability

Join Siemens Energy’s webinar on solar storms and grid resilience. Learn from experts about space weather risks and DC compensation solutions for reliable energy.

Can your power grid withstand a solar storm?
Does DC bias cause complaints in your neighborhood?

Space weather events like solar storms can disrupt electricity transmission, damage infrastructure, and threaten energy security. Combined with renewable energy sources and other Direct Current (DC) inputs, your Alternating Current (AC) grid faces additional stress from parasitic DC currents.

These risks are real - and growing. Join our expert-led webinar to learn how science, grid operators, and technology providers are working together to protect critical power systems and tackle the challenges of the energy transition.

What you’ll discover

The science behind solar storms and DC bias in AC grids
Prof. Renner (TU Graz) explains how solar activity impacts Earth’s magnetic field and power grids, presenting real DC measurements from a joint research project.
Grid operator challenges & strategies
Fredi Belavić from Austrian Power Grid (APG) shares how they prepare for and mitigate space weather risks and DC bias.
Innovative solutions from Siemens Energy
Martin Stoessl explores Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GIC) hardening and advanced DC compensation technologies that safeguard grid stability and ensure reliable energy supply.

Why attend?

While solar storms are unpredictable, solutions exist to protect your grid from risk. As the energy transition accelerates and renewable sources grow, DC bias in AC grids becomes a challenge. The good news: it can be managed. Discover how advanced technologies and cross-industry collaboration transform these risks into resilience.

Herwig Renner holds a position as associate professor at the Institute for Electrical Power Systems at Graz University of Technology. His general teaching and research activities are in the field of power system planning and operation. Special focus is put on transmission system control and stability and power quality. He was member of several CIGRE working groups and is member of the CIRED technical committee.

Fredi Belavić works at Austrian Power Grid, Austrian transmission system operator, focusing on power and instrument transformers and its condition assessment and maintenance strategy as well as digitalization and digital transformation in the HV substations. Before joining APG he was covering several positions in sales, business development and application support, in the field of protection, automation and control equipment and systems. He graduated as an electrical engineer at University of Maribor, Slovenia, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Fredi Belavić is active in several CIGRE, CIRED, IEC and national working groups and co-author of several papers.

Martin A. Stoessl has been working in the transformer industry for more than 35 years. He is currently Innovation and Standardization Manager in Siemens Energy’s Grid Technologies Business. In previous positions Martin has worked in ELIN, VA TAECH Siemens and Siemens Energy for Transformers in positions in Engineering, Quality Management, Sales and Order Execution and was responsible for Siemens Energy’s global Technology Centre for Large Power Transformers. He graduated from Danube University of Krems and has a higher vocational education in Electrical Engineering.