2026 TECHNICAL CATEGORIES
1. CLEAN POWER GENERATION FOR A NET ZERO FUTURE
- Utility-scale solar & hybrids
- Wind (onshore & offshore)
- Geothermal, hydro & marine
- Waste-to-energy & biomass
- Nuclear & SMRs
- Distributed generation & microgrids
- Off-grid & rural power
- Industrial clean energy & critical minerals
- Decarbonising power & flexible gas
- District cooling & heating
2. SMARTER TRANSMISSION AND GRID INNOVATION
- HVAC & HVDC systems
- Cross-border links & power pools
- Substation automation & digital upgrades
- Voltage/reactive power control
- Advanced conductors & line ratings
- Grid congestion & flexibility
- DER integration
- Forecasting & outage prediction
- Climate-resilient grid planning
- District energy integration
3. FLEXIBLE ENERGY SYSTEMS WITH HYDROGEN AND STORAGE
- Green hydrogen
- Blue hydrogen, CCUS & gas transition
- Hydrogen blending & ammonia
- Battery tech (Li-ion, LFP, etc.)
- Long-duration energy storage (LDES)
- Thermal & mechanical storage
- V2G & EV battery reuse
- Industrial electrification
- Peak shaving & resilience
- Hybrid fuel & storage systems
4. ENERGY MARKETS AND INVESTMENT INNOVATION
- Market reforms & liberalisation
- Carbon pricing & trading
- Capacity & flexibility markets
- Renewable PPAs & auctions
- Investment & risk frameworks
- Digital trading & real-time pricing
- Cross-border power trade
- Green bonds & finance
- PPP & project finance
- Regulatory enablers
5. AI-POWERED UTILITIES AND PREDICTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
- Predictive maintenance & monitoring
- AI forecasting & optimisation
- Digital twins & simulation
- Analytics & automation
- Customer insights & smart billing
- Control room automation
- Energy management platforms
- ML-based fault detection
- AI-driven sustainability tracking
- Virtual assistants & chatbots
6. SMART GRIDS AND GRID EDGE INNOVATION
- Smart meters & IoT
- Demand response & flexibility
- Virtual Power Plants & aggregators
- Rooftop solar, batteries & EVs
- Blockchain P2P trading
- Intelligent inverter tech
- Consumer engagement & prosumers
- Microgrids & local energy communities
- DERMS platforms
- DER regulations
7. URBAN ELECTRIFICATION AND CLEAN MOBILITY
- EV charging & planning
- Public transit & fleet electrification
- Smart mobility hubs & MaaS
- Load management & smart charging
- Battery swapping & V2G
- Urban energy planning
- Energy-as-a-service for transport
- Decarbonising last-mile logistics
- Renewables integration in cities
- Clean mobility policy & incentives
8. CYBERSECURITY AND DIGITAL TRUST
- OT & IT cybersecurity
- Data privacy & compliance
- Incident detection & response
- Cloud & edge security
- AI ethics & transparency
- Blockchain security
- Infrastructure resilience
- Cyber workforce training
- Interoperability security
- Digital risk management
9. FUTURE-READY WATER SYSTEMS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
- Renewable desalination
- Wastewater treatment & reuse
- Smart metering & leak detection
- Energy efficiency in water utilities
- Agricultural water & irrigation
- Industrial water reuse & zero-liquid discharge
- Water-energy nexus planning
- Pipelines, storage & drainage
- Rural & off-grid water solutions
- Water quality monitoring & compliance
10. CIRCULAR WASTE AND RESOURCE RECOVERY
- Municipal solid waste management
- Waste-to-energy & thermal treatment
- Sludge & biosolids management
- Industrial & hazardous waste reuse
- Organic waste composting & biogas
- Materials recovery & recycling
- E-waste management
- Construction & demolition recycling
- Circular economy models
- Landfill diversion & zero-waste strategies
11. ESG AND SUSTAINABLE FINANCE LEADERSHIP
- ESG reporting & benchmarking
- Climate risk & resilience
- Green bonds & sustainable finance
- Governance & board accountability
- Social impact & stakeholder engagement
- Diversity, equity & inclusion
- Carbon neutrality roadmaps
- Nature-based solutions & biodiversity
- Investor transparency
- Just transition & community benefits
12. TALENT POWERING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE
- Reskilling & upskilling
- Leadership & talent development
- HSE management
- Just transition workforce planning
- Diversity & inclusion in hiring
- Vocational training partnerships
- Operational excellence frameworks
- Workforce well-being & engagement
- Talent retention & attraction
- Project management excellence