The future electricity generation mix evolution, EU projects 97% generation from variable RES by 2050, will render current solutions for grid balancing and stability insufficient. Intermittent generation will require extensive electricity demand flexibility - beyond conventional solutions - to alleviate the unpredictable grid stresses in high VRES times. This flexibility cannot only come from electricity end-uses, the volatility and variability of RES generation is too high. Energy system decarbonisation will necessitate the use of novel conversion and storage in alternative energy carriers and their networks to achieve the avoidance of RES generation curtailment. The PLANET aim is to design and develop a holistic Decision Support System for grid operational planning and management in order to explore, identify, evaluate and quantitatively assess optimal strategies to deploy, integrate and operate conversion/storage systems on the distribution grid of several energy carriers within boundary constraints of real deployments outlined in the future energy system scenarios. Such tools are crucial for policy makers and network operators who need support in decision making process. The simulation of the integration between electricity, gas and heat networks models, together with conversion/storage technologies models for power-to-gas, power-to-heat and virtual thermal energy storage, will help to understand and quantify how these conversions can affect network stability, reliability and responsiveness as well as to optimize these metrics across networks. The PLANET tools will be demonstrated and validated using information from the actual premises and customers of two distribution network operators in Italy and France. They manage electricity, natural gas and district heating networks, hence they provide a solid testbed corresponding to real-world solution deployments to evaluate the actual benefits of PLANET solutions.

E2DRIVER will develop a collaborative-cooperative training platform boosting the automotive supply industry collective intelligence on energy efficiency. The platform will provide access to training material, online lessons, guidelines, energy and financial tools, virtual reality modules and a community of key actors in the sector for SMEs to undergo energy audits and implement their recommendations. To this end, E2DRIVER training methodology will enable the development of specific training plan itineraries based on the company’s needs and trainees’ role in the company, which will increase the effectiveness of the training sessions and the awareness on energy issues among the staff. The development of E2DRIVER platform will not be a static action resulting from the project execution, but will enable a continuous update of the training material, best practices, benchmarking analysis and guidelines due to the implementation of an ontological flip teaching method, which enables trainees to generate their own knowledge and training materials to be shared through E2DRIVER cooperative networks. E2DRIVER platform will be tested and validated in 40 companies from the automotive supply industry in four countries that represent over 50% of the EU employees in this sector: Spain, France, Italy and Germany. Moreover, a total of 60 trainers will be certified in E2DRIVER training methodology, which will ease the replication of the project results and the business consolidation of E2DRIVER platform. E2DRIVER gender-balanced consortium includes three well-known research institutions with expertise in energy efficiency, social science and decision-making processes. In addition, a partner in charge of training at national level and an association as multiplier organization has been involved in every pilot country. Finally, this competitive consortium is complemented by two research oriented SMEs focussed on exploitation and dissemination issues.

PHOENIX aims at changing the role of buildings from unorganised energy consumers to active agents orchestrating and optimising their energy consumption, production and storage, with the goal of increasing energy performance, maximising occupants’ benefit, and facilitating grid operation. The project will design a portfolio of ICT solutions covering all aspects from hardware and software upgrades needed in legacy equipment and optimal deployment of sensors, to data analytics and services for both building users and energy utilities. PHOENIX will take advantage of artificial intelligence technologies, as well as edge/cloud computing methods, to provide the highest level of smartness to existing buildings. The tools that will result from the different work packages will offer the possibility of establishing a new framework that will enable the optimisation of the energy use and infrastructure exploitation, while at the same time facilitate the creation of new SMEs and Start-Up ideas to exploit new revenue streams and business opportunities. To achieve this ambitious goal, PHOENIX relies on a consortium which has the technological knowledge and expertise to understand the social and technical requirements and translate them into ICT innovations (i.e. IoT, AI and Data Analytics) for the integration and smartness upgrading of existing buildings with legacy equipment and systems. To demonstrate the real impact and replicability, the proposed solution with ICT innovations and cost-effective services will be validated in 5 different pilots at European level (i.e. Ireland, Greece, Sweden and Spain). Moreover, the consortia have high expertise and business capacities to disseminate and exploit the PHOENIX results. PHOENIX will provide a portfolio of ICT solutions to increase the smartness of legacy systems and appliances in existing buildings which will increase the SRI of existing buildings. These improvements will translate in human-centric new services.

FLEXCoop introduces an end-to-end Automated Demand Response Optimization Framework. It enables the realization of novel business models, allowing energy cooperatives to introduce themselves in energy markets under the role of an aggregator. It equips cooperatives with innovative and highly effective tools for the establishment of robust business practices to exploit their microgrids and dynamic VPPs as balancing and ancillary assets toward grid stability and alleviation of network constraints. Optimization in FLEXCoop applies to multiple levels. It spans local generation output, demand and storage flexibility, as well as the flexibility offered by EVs to facilitate maximum RES integration into the grid, avoidance of curtailment and satisfaction of balancing and ancillary grid needs. This is achieved via automated, human-centric demand response schemes with the participation of appropriately selected residential prosumers. To enhance prosumer acceptance, the FLEXCoop innovative services will feature non-intrusiveness, comfort and well-being preservation, non-violation of prosumer daily schedules as well as maximization of benefits through transparent and open participation in markets. It will also guarantee easy switching between DR service providers, vendor lock-in avoidance, customized DR service contracts and objective settlement and remuneration, thus establishing an energy democracy context and empowering prosumers to become active energy market players. FLEXCoop brings together a wide range of baseline technologies to build an open and interoperable DR optimization framework, including a fully-fledged tool suite for energy cooperatives (aggregators) and prosumers involved in the DR value chain, ensuring: (i) DR stakeholders empowerment and transformation into active market players, (ii) end-to-end interoperability between energy networks, energy management systems and devices and (iii) the realization of new business models for energy cooperatives.

The de-centralization of electricity generation requires equally de-centralized and affordable solutions to integrate more RES, increase the security of supply and decarbonize the EU energy future. The combination and unique integration of de-centralized storage with technologies for local energy system optimization, including demand response, electric vehicle charging optimization and synergies with other energy vectors at the local level, can offer a cost-efficient pathway (in comparison to high-CAPEX grid upgrade investments) for local energy systems optimization in presence of high volumes of volatile and intermittent RES, since huge amounts of currently non-utilized flexibility can be unleashed to ensure optimal congestion management and effective tackling of local instabilities and imbalances. MERLON introduces an Integrated Modular Local Energy Management Framework for the Holistic Operational Optimization of Local Energy Systems in presence of high shares of volatile distributed RES. Optimization in MERLON applies to multiple levels spanning optimal coordination of local generation, with demand and storage flexibility, as well as flexibility offered by EVs and CHP Plants to facilitate maximum RES integration, avoidance of curtailment and satisfaction of balancing/ ancillary grid needs. MERLON will enable the realization of novel business models, allowing local energy communities to introduce themselves in local flexibility markets, while paving the way for the realization of novel Microgrid-as-a-Service models, assigning to local DSOs the role of “Aggregator of Aggregators” for the provision of added value services to the overlay distribution grid. It equips local stakeholders (DSOs, energy cooperatives, prosumers) with innovative and highly effective tools for the establishment of robust business practices to exploit their microgrids and dynamic VPPs as balancing and ancillary assets toward grid stability and alleviation of network constraints.