The Next Phase of the Energy Transition: Why Distribution Networks Need More Than Standard Solutions
Dennis Bergsma, Head of R&D at Lovink Enertech. In this article, he shares his professional perspective on the challenges facing modern distribution networks and the role of lifecycle-focused cable splicing solutions in supporting long-term network reliability.
The distribution network has become a critical asset
For many years, the energy transition was mainly seen as a generation challenge. The focus was on building wind farms and solar farms and replacing fossil fuel generation with renewable electricity. That phase is still important, but it is no longer the whole story. The next phase is different: the real challenge is how to connect, transmit, manage, and reliably distribute electrical power.
Across Europe and beyond, the same pattern is becoming visible. Value is shifting from generation assets toward distribution grids, flexibility, storage, digitization, reliability, and system integration. Utilities need to connect more assets, operate networks closer to their limits, work with fewer skilled workers, and make better use of existing infrastructure.
That changes the role of medium-voltage cable accessories. The future is not simply about installing more standard cable splices. It is about reducing failure risk, reducing the installation burden, protecting asset life, and creating lifecycle value in networks that are becoming more heavily loaded, more dynamic, and more critical.
Where standard solutions fall short
Standardization remains essential. It provides clarity, repeatability, and a minimum level of confidence. But compliance with standards alone is not always enough. Current operating conditions are revealing the shortcomings of existing standards. For example, testing is performed with a perfect 50 or 60 Hz waveform, while environmental factors, such as heat waves, are disregarded. The relevant question is no longer only: does the splice pass the standard? The more important question is increasingly: will the splice continue to perform reliably for the required service life under real-world field conditions?
Utilities, industrial customers, and contractors are therefore asking broader questions. How can installation risk be reduced? How can premature failures be avoided? How can performance be maintained under thermal stress, moisture, and aging? How can lifecycle costs be controlled?
These questions move the discussion away from the lowest purchase price and toward lifecycle value. A customer does not buy a cable splice simply because it wants a splice. A customer buys confidence: a reliable network, predictable performance, lower failure risk, and a service life that matches the asset strategy. This is where premium solutions become necessary: not premium as a label, but premium because the cost of failure, an outage, replacement, rework, and operational uncertainty is much higher than the initial component price.
Product leadership in practice
Italy provides a clear example. In networks experiencing extremely high failure rates in medium-voltage splices, the issue is not merely the individual component. The real issue is lifecycle performance: premature failures reduce useful life and increase operating costs, outage risk, and replacement pressure. If the failure mechanism is linked to environmental exposure, moisture, aging, or installation sensitivity, continuing to use traditional standard splice designs does not necessarily solve the problem.
Technologies such as liquid insulation and resin protection address precisely this type of challenge. Liquid insulation supports long-term dielectric performance, while resin protection creates a robust barrier against moisture and environmental influences. The objective is not simply to pass a test, but to restore the cable splice system to the necessary service life and associated lifecycle cost level.
Germany shows the same principle from another angle. In a long-distance network transmitting power from a wind farm, traditional cable splices experienced overheating and premature failure due to high sheath currents. Replacing one standard splice with another would not have solved the root cause. By applying cross-bonding solutions to reduce sheath currents, the system could be brought back toward its expected service life. The lesson is clear: future reliability often requires systems thinking, not just component replacement.
Moisture, heat, and aging: old problems in new forms
Moisture intrusion has always been one of the greatest enemies of underground cable systems. Historically, the discussion focused on high water tables, flooded manholes, damaged outer protection, or incorrectly applied shrink technologies. Climate change is altering the context. Moisture and environmental stress now appear in more diverse and demanding forms: repeated flooding, standing water, summer or winter heat waves, high ground temperatures, and accelerated material aging.
Italy has shown how heat and environmental conditions can become part of the reliability discussion. Similar concerns are visible in regions exposed to extreme heat, such as parts of the United States. Heat waves, dry soil conditions, and water intrusion do not act separately; together, they accelerate stress on underground cable accessories.
Proven resin-based technology remains highly relevant. It is not a fashionable solution; it is a timeless one. A robust resin protection system provides a stable barrier against moisture and environmental exposure while supporting long-term performance under real-world field conditions.
From component supplier to lifecycle partner
Failure investigations of shrink-based medium-voltage splices often point to familiar root causes: assembly or positioning errors, material damage during installation, breakdown due to material aging, overheating, or environmental exposure. The pattern is important. Many failures are not caused by a single factor. They result from the interaction among product design, installation practices, material behavior, thermal loading, and environmental conditions.
The value of next-generation accessories will not come solely from the physical connection. That value will come from the combination of product performance, installation quality, diagnostics, field knowledge, and lifecycle support.
For utilities, industrial customers, and contractors, the better question is not: what is the cheapest splice? The better question is: which solution best protects the network over its required service life? This opens the door to premium lifecycle-based solutions: installation-tolerant splice systems, robust insulation and sealing designs, cross-bonding and system-level current management, installer training, failure analysis, diagnostic support, and lifecycle advisory services.
The future will reward lifecycle value
The next decade will not be defined by who can manufacture the lowest-cost standard component. It will be defined by who can help grid operators, contractors, and industrial customers build, operate, and maintain complex distribution networks with confidence.
The conclusion is clear: the future value of a cable accessory will increasingly depend on how it contributes to network utilization, reliability, and lifecycle confidence, not only on whether it meets today's minimum standard.
The energy transition is entering a new phase. The winners will not only be those who generate renewable energy. They will be those who enable distribution networks to connect, manage, and reliably use it.
For Lovink, that means building on proven technology and moving further into premium, lifecycle-oriented solutions for the distribution networks of the future.
