Project description
Renewable energy valleys for sustainable energy production
The EU relies heavily on imported fuels and centralised electricity generation, highlighting the need to increase green energy production, diversify energy supplies, and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Renewable energy valleys represent decentralised systems using renewable energy sources, storage technologies, and intelligent management algorithms to achieve 100 % self-sufficiency. The EU-funded REFORMERS project aims to address these challenges by creating an energy valley in the Netherlands as a testbed. This initiative aims to reduce the EU’s dependence on fossil fuels and diversify its energy supply, while providing a blueprint and toolbox for implementing multiple self-sufficient energy valleys throughout Europe. The project will focus on energy system design, environmental impact assessment, stakeholder engagement, government and policy assessment, and business modelling.
Objective
The EU energy system strongly relies on centralised electricity generation and on fuel imports, with 95% of its oil and 84% of its gas consumption sourced from outside the EU. The REPowerEU Plan proposes a set of actions to reduce the EU’s dependence on fossil fuels and diversify its energy supply ‘well before 2030’. The three pillars of the plan are to ramp up the production of green energy, diversify our energy supplies, and reduce our demand for fossil gas, coal and oil. Renewable energy valleys are understood as decentralised renewable energy systems that offer a viable and efficient solution to these challenges mentioned above. By implementing a high degree of renewable energy sources as well as storage technologies and intelligent management algorithms for synergetic use of a wide variety of technologies, they can be 100% self-sufficient on a yearly basis. For the next 5 years, the REFORMERS project aims to develop, implement an exploit such an energy valley in the Boekelermeer next to the city of Alkmaar in the Netherlands, that serves as a living lab for testing and validating technologies, business models, stakeholder ecosystems, including industrial partners, DSO, the municipality, and residents, and user acceptance in real-life circumstances, in a peri-urban and industrial environment. Furthermore, the project aims to support the deployment of multiple self-sufficient energy valleys throughout Europe beyond the flagship in the Netherlands. Therefore, it will deliver a roll-out blue print and replication toolbox that encompass: (i) Energy System Design, (ii) Environmental Impact Assessment, (iii), Stakeholder Engagement and Social impact assessment, (iv) Governance and policy assessment, and (v) Business modelling, and allow other sites and regions to develop a pathway towards a carbon neutral and self-sufficient energy valley, that can be fed into e.g. a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energy
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringpower engineeringelectric power generation
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfossil energycoal
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfossil energynatural gas
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation ActionsCoordinator
1050 Bruxelles / Brussel
Belgium
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Participants (26)
9747AG Groningen
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1210 Wien
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1851PW HEILOO
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57001 Thermi Thessaloniki
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50018 Zaragoza
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62-500 KONIN
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9200 Dendermonde
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1050 Bruxelles / Brussel
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00 002 Warszawa
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
501 15 Boras
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2595 DA Den Haag
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00185 Roma
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
44500 ANDORRA
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2628 CN Delft
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50131 Kozani
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8850 Murau
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6812 AH Arnhem
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1815 AG Alkmaar
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1812RD Alkmaar
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3011 WH Rotterdam
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
1812 SE Alkmaar
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1475JD BEETS
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9726 AH Groningen
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
1412CK NAARDEN
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
1852 PT HEILOO
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13405 BERLIN
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Partners (1)
8600 Dubendorf
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