OBJECTIVES
FlexUnity aims to provide advanced tools and services to address the Energy Transition challenges. Its outcomes will support RES penetration while ensuring grid stability and lower balancing costs, improve energy efficiency for end-users and amplify investments in self-generation, storage and load management, giving more opportunities to consumers to capture value from their energy assets.
FlexUnity main goal is to develop and validate the VPP digital tools based on advanced Artificial Intelligence, remote automatization and blockchain to optimize community energy flexibility, match consumer’s energy needs, ensure further development of RES, optimize distributed energy resources, and contribute to the current energy security and climate change challenges, while enhancing retailers and aggregators competitive advantage.
Description
Outcome
Success criteria & KPI
1
Validation AI algorithms and blockchain deployment in operational environment to reach high scalability and reliability of system performance and validation of end-user applications
Flexibility pool engine optimised with AI mechanisms for enabling energy and flexibility management, compliant with utility revenues maximization at community level and end-user comfort and energy dynamic requirements. Attractive and informative end-user dashboard and applications backed with blockchain.
Validation with end-users with more than 90% positive feedback on usability and energy savings.
2
Validation of End-to-end VPP enabling Framework, complying with user and technical requirements under different markets and diverse stakeholders
Robust and highly scalable back-end VPP enabling Framework supported by an IoT architecture; including high-speed data acquisition and transmission module, high-speed data and signal processing module, as big-data analytics and storage module. The IoT architecture will also ensure data privacy & security.
Validation in operational environment with two pilots and energy markets specifications for balancing services, checking processes and its replication and expected outputs, ensuring secure and high-performance replication. Reduced communications and data failure down to 5%.
3
Validation of the three levels of innovative Business Models for energy communities and grid balancing services impact
New market design and new balancing services to accommodate aggregated flexibility offers. With the definition of innovative tariff options that will ensure end-user engagement and facilitate their participation on market signals, as well as reduce the payback period of PV and batteries investments and optimise energy community set-up investments.
Validation of the new market design and balancing services for energy flexible communities and increase of aggregated remote load management with more than 90% positive feedback for participation on energy markets.
4
Development of the scale-up communication approach and commercialization and operational strategy
Business models supported with added value services and market approach validated with pilots and new potential customers, plus submission of patent with relevant project outcome
Business models supported with added value services and market approach validated with pilots and new potential customers, plus submission of patent for the flexibility pool optimization algorithms and achieve first purchase orders by 2022.