In the first reporting period, the SmILES project focused on developing method for combining the modelling and simulation approaches. Achieving this was not straightforward. The partners’ approaches cover different types of local systems, including urban quarter, a rural village, office buildings, and a small industrial production site. Each of the partners has a different research focus, simulation approach or choice of toolchain. Furthermore, each of the partners introduces a different system configuration, each with a particular set of possibilities and limitations. Our idea is that there is much to learn from an exchange of experiences, and from a better coordination of these approaches, because local energy systems do not and will not operate in isolation from society or the larger energy network.
Within this context, we developed the PreCISE approach, which is a systematic way of sharing information related to simulation experiments and defining joint workflows for collaboration. This enabled the joint assessment and optimisation of energy systems, providing a hitherto unavailable generic handle to systematically unlock synergies between different simulation approaches. With the help of the PreCISE approach, so-called cross-simulations have been established in order to provide complementary results. The identification of a reliable method for cross-simulation enables us to disseminate reference simulation models to a wider research audience outside of the consortium.
The PreCISE approach, including all preparing forms for collaborative modeling, has been documented and illustrated on the Shared Data and Information Platform (SDIP). That is a web-based application and framework for providing information about methodological workflows, e.g. streamlining the collaborate modelling and analysis of complex energy systems performed by distributed modelling teams. Beside task descriptions, it contains downloadable templates, guidelines and online forms helping to perform the task, and for collecting results and accompanying metadata into structured or semi-structured information objects of different types.
Dependent on the type of data, interactive tools, as part of the user interface, will allow exploring data interactively. An integrated search area will provide easy access to all the data stored within the platform.
Both the PreCISE approach and the SDIP are seen as the SmILES` key exploitation results, have been presented on EERA workshops. Webinars were created for disseminating and explaining the PreCISE approach in detail. The SDIP will be maintained in the frame of the German Program Energy System Design
