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.
