The European Space Agency opened a call on Sept. 29 for operational services developed with Slovenian grid operator ELES. The scope covers Earth observation, satellite communications and navigation technologies. The initiative is designed to support commercial service delivery using satellite data, artificial intelligence and digital twins.
Applications are open until Nov. 27. Projects can receive zero-equity ESA co-funding covering as much as 50-80% of eligible costs, depending on company status and national approval. Slovenia has already pre-authorised funding for eligible domestic applicants.
ESA call requirements and market orientation
ESA said the programme is not primarily a research exercise. It is seeking market-ready concepts backed by sustainable commercial business models and operational customers. The call is therefore structured around services intended for use in day-to-day grid operations.
The use cases listed for the call include renewable-generation and demand forecasting, congestion analysis and dynamic thermal ratings. Other areas include infrastructure monitoring, predictive maintenance and vegetation management. The programme also supports integration of external data into grid digital twins.
Forecasting, ratings and congestion using satellite inputs
Satellite-derived weather information is cited as a way to improve forecasts of solar irradiation, wind conditions and ambient temperature. Those inputs can then be used to improve renewable forecasts and load-flow calculations. The same weather data can support operational decisions affecting system constraints.
The call also highlights dynamic thermal ratings for overhead lines. In this approach, line capacity varies according to temperature, wind and other real-time conditions rather than relying on a conservative static limit. ESA said this can effectively release additional transmission capacity from existing infrastructure.
Monitoring corridors and integrating data into digital twins
Satellite imagery is listed as a tool for identifying vegetation encroachment along long transmission corridors. It can also be used to detect landslides, wildfire exposure or other physical threats that may affect network reliability. These inputs are intended to feed operational planning and risk management workflows.
The programme describes a service model that differs from traditional utility procurement. Instead of purchasing a sensor or one-off engineering project, grid operators could subscribe to continuously updated datasets and analytics. A technology provider could package satellite information with terrestrial sensors and artificial intelligence into an operational product for control-room engineers.
Regional context for Southeast Europe grid constraints
ELES is presented as a testing environment because Slovenia has a heavily interconnected electricity system and significant renewable-development ambitions. The network constraints are described as increasingly influenced by weather-dependent generation and regional power flows. ESA said success could also create export opportunities for similar services.
ESA links the work to challenges across transmission and distribution networks in Southeast Europe, including ageing infrastructure, renewable integration, vegetation risks and extreme weather. It also points to pressure to extract more capacity from existing lines before expensive reinforcement is completed through permitting and construction processes that can take years.
Insurance links and potential shift in spending priorities
The call notes a growing connection between grid resilience and insurance. Better information about wildfire, flood, landslide and weather exposure can support maintenance planning and help utilities and insurers quantify infrastructure risks more accurately. Digital twins are described as combining those datasets with actual grid topology and equipment condition.
ESA said the programme points toward a different type of electricity-market infrastructure provider. The future “grid contractor” may not necessarily manufacture transformers or construct transmission towers, but instead sell continuously updated information enabling existing assets to carry more electricity with fewer failures and earlier intervention. ELES-ESA is positioned as commercially significant because it tests whether grid data itself can become a scalable energy-sector product.
