The ELEXIA project started in October 2022 and develops and upgrades validated tools for planning and managing integrated energy systems in different conditions. It integrates and combines energy systems across vectors and sectors towards a cost-optimised as well as flexible and resilient energy system of systems. A Digital Services Platform will host the energy management and planning services and will foster flexibility and sector coupling. A System Planning Toolbox is under development and will be deployed to support effective sector coupling at local sites considering different scenarios, operational details, possibly conflicting interests of multiple local actors, and security of supply. An Energy Management Systems is also under development and will be deployed for secure and efficient operation of sector coupled local sites including forecasting, digital twins, optimization, control, monitoring, assessing operating conditions, predicting anomalous operation, and preventing occurrence of breakdowns. ELEXIA will demonstrate the use of planning and operational tools in a one-stop-shop, modular and open, digital platform at TRL7–8. It will demonstrate the benefits of sector integration at local / national level in three different geographical, climate and economic conditions in Europe: in an industrial port environment in Portugal, in an urban-city hub environment in Denmark, and in an industrial-urban-residential environment in Norway. ELEXIA will assess environmental, economic and social sustainability, will deliver a methodology for CAPEX / OPEX and value creation, and focuses on policy and governance. It puts focus on stakeholder engagement and societal acceptance and ensures effort towards future exploitation and replication. ELEXIA establishes and will demonstrate realistic and concrete pathways to ultimately achieve independence of fossil fuels by harnessing the latent flexibility of the energy system through integration, data-intelligence, and planning, working towards the 2050 European goals.
Currently ongoing is the integration of tools and methods, the preparation of the pilot sites is in its final phase to allow for the demonstration phase to start in October 2025. This includes training of stakeholders and further intensification to identify potential replication sites. Information and involvement of stakeholder beyond the consortium is another key activity of the next phase of the project.