Multi Utilities Smart Energy GRIDS

Project Information

MUSE GRIDS

Grant agreement ID: 824441

DOI

10.3030/824441

Project closed

EC signature date 18 October 2018

Start date 1 November 2018

End date 31 October 2022

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy

Total cost

€ 7 375 483,01

EU contribution

€ 5 877 577,26

Coordinated by

RINA CONSULTING SPA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - MUSE GRIDS (Multi Utilities Smart Energy GRIDS)

Reporting period: 2021-07-01 to 2022-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The energy paradigm is currently changing from large, centralized power plants to distributed generation facilities that inject power into a grid with a bidirectional power flow. Due to this, a new idea known as SMART ENERGY SYSTEM is emerging, where physical (electricity, natural gas) and non-physical (mobility and citizens/communities) networks must interact in order to achieve the goals of reducing energy's carbon footprint and ensuring that everyone has access to an affordable source of power. In order to maximize local energy independence through optimized management of the production via end users' centering control strategies, smart grid functionalities, storage, and energy system integration, the MUSE GRIDS project aims to demonstrate, in real-life operational conditions, technological and non-technological solutions adapted to local urban energy grids (electricity, heating&cooling, water, gas, e-mobility).
RINA-C-coordinated MUSE GRIDS consortium with 19 partners from 7 EU nations. The goal is to put solutions to the test while building collaborative learning processes and offering best practice recommendations for replication in other areas. The main goal is to show in two real democases how to connect local energy grids, to use system synergies to maximize efficiency, reduce cost, CO2 emissions, and energy losses, and how to achieve an affordable energy independence while maximizing local self-consumption based on RES. This is because real-life results are crucial for learning and development as well as for persuading decision makers and other relevant actors. Actual aviators come from two distinct energy communities:
- municipal microgrid in a town on a top of a hill (OSIMO, Italy) with a District heating network, a smart water pumping system equipped with PVs aiming to optimize supply management making it more reliable also thanks to EVs;
- rural area (OUD HEVERLEE, Belgium) with houses often equipped with RES generators where to further promote flexibility assets and the engagement of local energy communities (LEC) moving to an enlarged local energy community.
The flexible technologies integration (EVs, electro-thermal storage, massive thermal storage, batteries) and their management via appropriate multi-energy Demand Side Management (DSM) driven by end-user behaviours enable the linkage of the current networks. The controller fundamental goal is to maximize the coordination/integration of demand response techniques, storage system management, and predictions of RES output and demand. For more stable grid management, smart control incorporates techniques for proactive maintenance and issue finding. EV management system was also created using three operational modes. In order to balance the load after the DSO, the EV battery is used in the following ways: (i) load optimization using cost of charging the batteries, (ii) V2H/V2B load balancing, (iii) V2G load balancing using the EV battery in order to balance the DSO load.
A multi-energy planning tool for EU-cities is also being developed, which is being tested to provide an evaluation framework that can help energy service companies and cities make planning decisions integrated local energy on their future energy mix and investments, in correlation with national strategies and RES potential/local energy demand. Technical, organisational, legal, regulatory and market problems are solved through transversal actions within the demo and solutions are evaluated from an economic/business point of view. MUSE GRIDS aims to be a large-scale, high-impact demonstration project that becomes muse for the replication of the intelligent energy system concept and engages local green and autonomous energy communities starting from MUSE GRIDS virtual demonstration sites in India, Israel and Spain.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During RP3, the activities focused on the demonstration campaign in both real demos, testing the MUSE GRIDS Smart Controller in the Spanish and Indian virtual demos, the MUSE GRIDS Planning Tool in the Israeli demo and in the 5 cities of replication and on all other transversal activities. In both real demos, all activities related to control strategies were completed to start the demonstration campaign in October 2021. The demonstration campaign in Oud-Heverlee and Osimo were completed involving all the flexibility assets, respectively power-to-heat, charging stations for electric vehicles, neighbourhood, and Power-to-heat, smart meter, EV charging station, thermal storage connected to the CHP. In in Oud-Heverlee, all models and algorithms have been tested with DSM strategies. In Osimo, tests and latest analyses were completed in Sept. 2022 and for the EV in Oct. 2022. In both real demos, attention was paid to the results’ collection to define the economic, environmental and social impacts, compiling all the lessons learnt to draft the E-Handbook.
During RP3, all activities in the virtual demos and in the 5 Replication Cities were carried out. DSM strategies were tested in the Spanish and Indian virtual demos, while the Planning Tool was tested in the Israeli virtual demo and replication cities. Activities were completed on time, except for the Israeli virtual demo which concluded its testing phase in Nov 2022.
Other activities included the legislative framework analysis and the lessons learnt evaluation, and KERs definition with their characterization and development of an exploitation strategy. Each partner involved evaluated the possible actions they will take once the project is finished to bring the KERs to market as soon as possible.
The activities also focused on dissemination and communication, even in non-EU countries, to increase knowledge of design solutions. The project won the innovation award at the EUSEW 2022 event organized by the EC in Brussels in Sept 2022. The project's final event was held in Brussels in Oct 2022 welcoming aprox. 60 participants.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project concludes with 11 Key Exploitable Results (KERs) which underline the degree of innovation and technological maturity that the project has achieved, emerging as a muse project. These are as follows and are categorized as Software/Tool or Hardware or Business:

DSM Energy Services through P2H Technologies
Large insulated thermal energy storage
Bi-directional charging station for V2G
Electric vehicle (V2G)
Smart water pumping station as flexible assets
CHP Optimal scheduling
Neighbourhood battery services for quality power improvement
Advanced EV management system (V2G)
Multi-energy DSM
Multi-energy planning tool
LEC business and social models

The project have a relevant impact in terms of replicability: on EU economy mobilizing investment in new H&C installation, creating jobs and new markets and on EU Policy identifying techno-economically viable scenarios to be promoted by EU policyfor the energy systems decarbonization through the energy production from RES and an optimal combination of all energy vectors and for the creation of LEC.

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