Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GLocalFlex (A Global as well as Local Flexibility Marketplace to Demonstrate Grid Balancing Mechanisms through Cross-sectoral Interconnected and Integrated Energy Ecosystems enabling Automatic Flexibility Trading)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-01-01 bis 2024-06-30
GLocalFlex aims to scale flexible local energy systems (LES) by making energy flexibility markets easily accessible and low-barrier, encouraging consumer participation across all energy sectors. It promotes interoperable solutions at all grid levels (consumers, producers, retailers, aggregators, and market) using modular standards and tools. The system is designed to be flexible in energy use and adaptable for upgrades or integration of various appliances and microgrids, creating complex but viable energy ecosystems.
The GLocalFlex concept supports any LES, Positive Energy District (PED), community, or appliance to evolve consistently and cost-effectively, maximizing their flexible potential. The project will demonstrate large-scale, near real-time flexibility trading in six European locations, with consumer and system-centric pilots developing and replicating flexibility services. It aims for fully automated, machine-to-machine flexibility trading and order execution in LES through open, interoperable markets and IT tools, enhancing grid stability and integrating renewable technologies.
The GLocalFlex concept supports any LES, Positive Energy District (PED), community, or appliance to evolve consistently and cost-effectively, maximizing their flexible potential. The project will demonstrate large-scale, near real-time flexibility trading in six European locations, with consumer and system-centric pilots developing and replicating flexibility services. It aims for fully automated, machine-to-machine flexibility trading and order execution in LES through open, interoperable markets and IT tools, enhancing grid stability and integrating renewable technologies.
Detailed activities are mentioned in the technical review paper and these are summarized sections from that report.
Work Package 1
Main coordination and management of the project. Assuring fluent work for partners toward project goals.
Achievements:
- Good kick-off of the project: successful kick-off meeting to connect partners and to create common drive toward project outcomes and ambitions.
- Deliverables submitted on time: despite some being large in size, submissions were on time.
- Keeping the work flowing despite of amendments.
Work Package 2
The objective of this work package is the development, deployment, and evaluation of flexibility solutions and services in pilot sites in France, Spain, and Switzerland.
Main achievements of the WP during the reporting period:
1. The D2.1 provides:
a. the pilot sites description
b. Pilot sites planning and partnering (Milestone 8)
c. the pilots organisational, functional and technical architectures.
d. the market and regulatory challenges, and the technical challenges.
e. the System Use cases
f. pilots' specific KPIs
2. Based on the system architectures defined in the D2.1 functional specifications of the following components:
a. trading agent
b. Energy Box optimization module
c. Aggregation platform and market simulation/emulation in the French pilot
d. Interactions between the different components
e. First definition of the baseline
f. First proposition to predict heating and hot water consumption
g. Collection of the weather data’s
3. Recruitment has been completed for the Swiss demonstration site following a change of demonstration site, and 10 out of 40 units have been recruited for the French demonstration site.
Work Package 3
WP3 scopes three of the six pilot sites in GLocalFlex, namely the Finnish, German and Czech Pilot.
Main achievements of the WP during the reporting period:
• The pilot sites have successfully cooperated to determine the range of required pilot planning components. This helped each pilot to specifically work on topics which were lacking in the early stages of the project. Knowledge was shared to ensure each pilot has successfully completed MS2 and T3.1 in time.
• The pilots have each developed advanced technical architectures that lay the foundation for all future deployments of the GLocalFlex marketplace. These architectures scope the integration of physical flexibility assets into the full-scale marketplace integration through respective agent models.
• The pilots have shaped various project tasks in other WPs to them being the key relation to any other task. This scoped business use cases, marketplace development and the catalogue of flexibility services.
Work Package 4
WP4 develops and maintains the GLocalFlex local flexibility market (LFM). This WP includes the design, implementation, testing, and documentation of the market framework.
Main achievements of the WP during the reporting period:
1. Defined communication specification for market interface
2. Developed a rule base and guidelines for market participation
3. Created Deliverable 4.1 and 4.2 including previous points and additional architectural overviews of the marketplace
4. Deployment of multiple marketplace instances for testing, staging and production including CICD infrastructure.
Work Package 5
The main objectives of WP5 are, on the one hand, the creation and population of a catalogue of services and, on the other, describe and evaluate new business models supported by the GLocalFlex marketplace.
The main achievements of the WP during the reporting period:
1. Overarching business use cases defined.
2. Project KPIs defined.
3. Flexibility potential of different appliances and catalogue of services delivered.
Work Package 6
WP6 focuses on activities to ensure high potential for replication, on technical, economic and social standpoints.
The main achievements of the WP6 during the 1st reporting period are:
- Create a document (D6.1)
- Develop and test a participatory methodology
- Collaboratively establish a vision and plan for a flexibility impact evaluation simulation tool
Work Package 7
This work package is focused on dissemination, communication and promotion of the project.
Main achievements of the WP during the reporting period:
1. Developed a Communication and Dissemination Plan early on in the project. Target audiences were identified, and key messages were established.
2. Launched the Energy Nexus Cluster, connecting with 6 relevant EU-funded projects. The project also played an active role in the BRIDGE initiative.
3. Stakeholder engagement through active event participation and research dissemination: A key achievement has been the project’s active participation in numerous events and workshops, engaging diverse stakeholders and fostering collaboration. This includes hosting its own events, producing research papers and presenting at conferences.
Work Package 1
Main coordination and management of the project. Assuring fluent work for partners toward project goals.
Achievements:
- Good kick-off of the project: successful kick-off meeting to connect partners and to create common drive toward project outcomes and ambitions.
- Deliverables submitted on time: despite some being large in size, submissions were on time.
- Keeping the work flowing despite of amendments.
Work Package 2
The objective of this work package is the development, deployment, and evaluation of flexibility solutions and services in pilot sites in France, Spain, and Switzerland.
Main achievements of the WP during the reporting period:
1. The D2.1 provides:
a. the pilot sites description
b. Pilot sites planning and partnering (Milestone 8)
c. the pilots organisational, functional and technical architectures.
d. the market and regulatory challenges, and the technical challenges.
e. the System Use cases
f. pilots' specific KPIs
2. Based on the system architectures defined in the D2.1 functional specifications of the following components:
a. trading agent
b. Energy Box optimization module
c. Aggregation platform and market simulation/emulation in the French pilot
d. Interactions between the different components
e. First definition of the baseline
f. First proposition to predict heating and hot water consumption
g. Collection of the weather data’s
3. Recruitment has been completed for the Swiss demonstration site following a change of demonstration site, and 10 out of 40 units have been recruited for the French demonstration site.
Work Package 3
WP3 scopes three of the six pilot sites in GLocalFlex, namely the Finnish, German and Czech Pilot.
Main achievements of the WP during the reporting period:
• The pilot sites have successfully cooperated to determine the range of required pilot planning components. This helped each pilot to specifically work on topics which were lacking in the early stages of the project. Knowledge was shared to ensure each pilot has successfully completed MS2 and T3.1 in time.
• The pilots have each developed advanced technical architectures that lay the foundation for all future deployments of the GLocalFlex marketplace. These architectures scope the integration of physical flexibility assets into the full-scale marketplace integration through respective agent models.
• The pilots have shaped various project tasks in other WPs to them being the key relation to any other task. This scoped business use cases, marketplace development and the catalogue of flexibility services.
Work Package 4
WP4 develops and maintains the GLocalFlex local flexibility market (LFM). This WP includes the design, implementation, testing, and documentation of the market framework.
Main achievements of the WP during the reporting period:
1. Defined communication specification for market interface
2. Developed a rule base and guidelines for market participation
3. Created Deliverable 4.1 and 4.2 including previous points and additional architectural overviews of the marketplace
4. Deployment of multiple marketplace instances for testing, staging and production including CICD infrastructure.
Work Package 5
The main objectives of WP5 are, on the one hand, the creation and population of a catalogue of services and, on the other, describe and evaluate new business models supported by the GLocalFlex marketplace.
The main achievements of the WP during the reporting period:
1. Overarching business use cases defined.
2. Project KPIs defined.
3. Flexibility potential of different appliances and catalogue of services delivered.
Work Package 6
WP6 focuses on activities to ensure high potential for replication, on technical, economic and social standpoints.
The main achievements of the WP6 during the 1st reporting period are:
- Create a document (D6.1)
- Develop and test a participatory methodology
- Collaboratively establish a vision and plan for a flexibility impact evaluation simulation tool
Work Package 7
This work package is focused on dissemination, communication and promotion of the project.
Main achievements of the WP during the reporting period:
1. Developed a Communication and Dissemination Plan early on in the project. Target audiences were identified, and key messages were established.
2. Launched the Energy Nexus Cluster, connecting with 6 relevant EU-funded projects. The project also played an active role in the BRIDGE initiative.
3. Stakeholder engagement through active event participation and research dissemination: A key achievement has been the project’s active participation in numerous events and workshops, engaging diverse stakeholders and fostering collaboration. This includes hosting its own events, producing research papers and presenting at conferences.
GlocalFlex project has created beyond state of the art marketplace for electricity flexibility trading. It gives an opportunity for private households or customers to monetarize their local flexibility assets to the best price given by the markets. Some of new feature are:
- no fixed contracts, customers can exit and join the market when they want to buy or sell.
- once a match is found a smart contract is created between buyer and seller
- smart contract is terminated after the delivery has verified and money transfer has taken place.
- buyers and sellers are treated equally.
- marketplace combines local and global market by using location tags.
- trading is totally automatic to minimize transaction fees.
- no fixed contracts, customers can exit and join the market when they want to buy or sell.
- once a match is found a smart contract is created between buyer and seller
- smart contract is terminated after the delivery has verified and money transfer has taken place.
- buyers and sellers are treated equally.
- marketplace combines local and global market by using location tags.
- trading is totally automatic to minimize transaction fees.