Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FLOW (Flexible energy systems Leveraging the Optimal integration of EVs deployment Wave)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-07-01 do 2023-12-31
The transport sector is responsible for about 23% of EU CO2 emissions, primarily due to its strong dependence on fossil fuels. The electricity system and operators are facing significant challenges due to the increasing penetration of variable renewable energy sources (RES) and distributed energy resources (DER) that call for appropriate solutions to manage both generation and demand, ensuring grid balancing, avoiding grid congestion and deferring network investments. The energy and mobility systems are undergoing massive electrification with forecasted low-emission vehicles and recharging points spiking over the next few years, supported by ambitious policies, aiming for a climate neutral EU transport and energy systems by 2050. This exponential growth presents challenges including significant (e.g. 80%) increase in household electricity consumption but also brings great opportunities since Electric Vehicle (EV) smart charging, possibly connected with local RES and Energy Storage System (ESS) provides grid operators with additional flexible assets to address network needs if integrated user-centric solutions are designed. However, several challenges must be overcome for smart charging and V2X to be the expected game-changer, including technology interoperability, affordability, user acceptance and pricing, electricity markets participation of EV flexibility assets, cooperation from all stakeholders, integration and aggregation of diverse assets in a coordinated manner, new business models, and enabling policies and regulations
FLOW enables and valorizes EV flexibility through user-centric V2X smart charging and orchestrates their integration into energy grids to provide flexibility assets to enhance penetration of renewables and alleviate grid challenges. FLOW has 30 partners from across 9 countries and covers the entire value chain: OEM, tech. providers, CPOs, aggregators, DSOs, TSO, ICT developers, RTOs with expertise in users, mobility, optimisation tools, energy integration. FLOW aims to achieve the following objectives:
• Create and validate user-centric smart charging EV experiences
• Promote harmonisation, standardisation and interoperability
• Improve and validate a portfolio of EV smart charging technologies and strategies
• Deliver advanced tools for planning, design & operation of integrated charging solutions
• Enhance EV flexibility by improved orchestration across actors.
• Demonstrate and validate solutions in 3 demonstrations and 2 testbeds.
• Boost Replication and scalability of EV/EVSE
FLOW enables and valorizes EV flexibility through user-centric V2X smart charging and orchestrates their integration into energy grids to provide flexibility assets to enhance penetration of renewables and alleviate grid challenges. FLOW has 30 partners from across 9 countries and covers the entire value chain: OEM, tech. providers, CPOs, aggregators, DSOs, TSO, ICT developers, RTOs with expertise in users, mobility, optimisation tools, energy integration. FLOW aims to achieve the following objectives:
• Create and validate user-centric smart charging EV experiences
• Promote harmonisation, standardisation and interoperability
• Improve and validate a portfolio of EV smart charging technologies and strategies
• Deliver advanced tools for planning, design & operation of integrated charging solutions
• Enhance EV flexibility by improved orchestration across actors.
• Demonstrate and validate solutions in 3 demonstrations and 2 testbeds.
• Boost Replication and scalability of EV/EVSE
After 18 months of the FLOW project has contributed to a common understanding of drivers assumptions and potential for advanced smart and bidirectional charging solutions. This is evidenced by the completion of four deliverables describing the external drivers, internal baseline, potential barriers and a common smart charging definition, respectively.
FLOW has also made great progress in user engagement, assessing user needs and understanding user satisfaction. A number of different surveys, online interviews and face-to-face interviews have been conducted. A report describing the efforts to recruit users has been completed.
Towards addressing interoperability, cybersecurity and shared data models, FLOW has completed three reports on 1) communication protocols and data models, 2) data privacy and cyber security and 3) data driven markets for EV-centered stakeholder cooperation.
With the goal of advancing open solution for optimal EV system design and operation, FLOW has developed and improved a suite of tools to support forecasting, optimization, and coordination and aggregation of electric mobility assets. This has resulted in three reports on AI forecasting tools for e-mobility, advanced energy management solutions and a comparison of edge versus cloud computing for smart and bidirectional charging.
Work has been progressing on integrated assessments and system platform integration to enhance vehicle to grid integration. A scenarios working group has been created and leveraging baseline definition an sets of scenarios have been developed based on market and policy-based targets. The development of an orchestration platform is being developed that will enable simpler and more streamlined data exchange between stakeholders.
Laboratory validation testing continues to be carried out. Additionally, work to prepare the testbeds and demos is underway. Upgrades to the testbeds are either complete or nearing completion, after which they will be used to validated more integrated and larger systems like the V2X charging system with a common DC bus that is being developed within FLOW to enhance modularity and scalability as well as other unidirectional and bidirectional chargers. The demonstrations are also taking shape with selection of sites, chargers, engagement of stakeholders and moving the installation process forward.
Additionally, the communication, dissemination and exploitation work is all being done in parallel with project identity (website, social presence), and development of communication and dissemination plans, as well as identification and description of key exploitable results.
FLOW has also made great progress in user engagement, assessing user needs and understanding user satisfaction. A number of different surveys, online interviews and face-to-face interviews have been conducted. A report describing the efforts to recruit users has been completed.
Towards addressing interoperability, cybersecurity and shared data models, FLOW has completed three reports on 1) communication protocols and data models, 2) data privacy and cyber security and 3) data driven markets for EV-centered stakeholder cooperation.
With the goal of advancing open solution for optimal EV system design and operation, FLOW has developed and improved a suite of tools to support forecasting, optimization, and coordination and aggregation of electric mobility assets. This has resulted in three reports on AI forecasting tools for e-mobility, advanced energy management solutions and a comparison of edge versus cloud computing for smart and bidirectional charging.
Work has been progressing on integrated assessments and system platform integration to enhance vehicle to grid integration. A scenarios working group has been created and leveraging baseline definition an sets of scenarios have been developed based on market and policy-based targets. The development of an orchestration platform is being developed that will enable simpler and more streamlined data exchange between stakeholders.
Laboratory validation testing continues to be carried out. Additionally, work to prepare the testbeds and demos is underway. Upgrades to the testbeds are either complete or nearing completion, after which they will be used to validated more integrated and larger systems like the V2X charging system with a common DC bus that is being developed within FLOW to enhance modularity and scalability as well as other unidirectional and bidirectional chargers. The demonstrations are also taking shape with selection of sites, chargers, engagement of stakeholders and moving the installation process forward.
Additionally, the communication, dissemination and exploitation work is all being done in parallel with project identity (website, social presence), and development of communication and dissemination plans, as well as identification and description of key exploitable results.
While many of the deliverables have been submitted for WP1, WP2, WP3 and WP4 this has led to limited impact. The work from these tasks is used in preparation for subsequent activities. The majority of results and impacts are concentrated on the outcomes of WP5, WP6 and WP7. These will occur later in the project. The technical report describes the activities in the project that will contribute to achieving the desired impacts.