The article discusses two fundamentally different approaches to deploying smart, environmentally friendly energy networks. The key aspects of the formation of a market and administrative mechanism for stimulating the development of alternative energy and transformation of the traditional energy model with the systematic application of the principle of distributed energy generation are identified. The European Union's experience in developing an adaptive energy system combining traditional energy technologies and innovative developments aimed at improving the efficiency of energy system operation and integrating disparate energy systems of individual countries belonging to the European Union into a single pan-european energy system was used to achieve the objectives of the study, which entails widespread use of "smart" energy technologies that will allow not only to form an effective model of energy generation, and power consumption, and promote the development of the concept of "smart" cities, ensuring compliance with the necessary conditions for the use of power as a basic element of innovative development of society and the acceleration of technological progress.

The article identifies two fundamental approaches to large-scale development of the energy system using smart energy networks: iterative approach and project approach.

The iterative approach is to develop the energy system as a whole, with the gradual introduction of energy innovations, which creates corresponding iterations. Accordingly, this approach is characterized by the presence of separate logically ordered stages, where the next stage is possible only after the previous one is completed.

The project approach is to implement local high-tech projects with the use of smart grids in a limited area and then integrate disparate projects into a single energy system.

Keywords:

"smart" grids, energy, energy strategy, distributed power generation.