Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LIGHTNESS (market uptake of citizen energy communities enabLing a hIGH peneTratioN of renewable Energy SourceS)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-12-01 al 2022-05-31
EU member states agreed to set an overall EU RES target of 32% by 2030. To achieve these levels, it is widely recognized that increasing flexibility is the key to ensuring the reliable operation of the grid with very high penetration levels of Variable Renewable Energy Sources. DR provides an opportunity for consumers to play a significant role in the operation of the electric grid by reducing or shifting their electricity usage in response to time-based rates or other forms of financial incentives. To tap into this DR potential, the incorporation of the smaller local consumers gathered around Energy Communities has been identified by the EC as key for the functioning of the future distributed energy market. LIGHTNESS will increase the penetration of Renewable Energy Sources by supporting the market uptake of Citizen Energy Communities through a low-cost turnkey social engagement, regulatory roadmap and technological package to unlock their full flexibility potential, reduce the final energy consumption and CO2 emissions and bring economic, social and environmental benefits to the communities and across the energy value chain.
During the first 18 months. the LIGHTNESS project has performed the following activities towards the achievement of its objective in the following pillars:
1. Social engagement
-Prepare and perform workshops with pilot leads and other relevant partners
-Develop a framework for an engagement strategy based on environmental justice principles.
-Develop and refine tools for just engagement and recruitment readily available to stakeholders engaged in the initiation of energy communities.
-Develop tools for performing inquiries into the local community. and tailoring tools to the local context.
-Training project partners to apply these tools.
-Collaboratively prepare. perform and evaluate engagement activities aimed at end-users.
2. Regulatory Framework
-Analysis of ECs operating context in Lightness participating countries through PESTLE analysis.
-Analysis of the main characteristics of ECs in Lightness participating countries.
-Assessment of the legislative and regulatory context of ECsand flexibility services in 10 EU Member States.
-Map of ECs relevant stakeholders and assessment of respective drivers. barriers and needs.
-Analysis of relevant smart energy services across Lightness participating countries.
-Analysis of financial schemes to support ECs uptake.
-Organisation of 1 regulatory Workshop in Cagliari (IT) with local and national policy makers and regulators.
3. Technical Tools and Pilot validation:
-Analysis of the pilots requirements with the context of CEC platform functionalities and the potential;
-Creation of a module to forecast day-ahead demand and solar PV generation with a 15-minute resolution;
-Development of a complete implementation of the capacity bidding market, as well as optimization in terms of the control algorithms and data quality;
-Standardisation and generalization of the setup process of the community platform, Users’ authentication, Languages support, Introduction of different time zones, Tariff microservice, IoT hub (for the devices’ interoperability), Android and iOS mobile support
-Software development in the following areas: theming engine, dashboards customization, creation of new widgets, language customization support, gaming engine, 3rd API UI integration, and LIGHTNESS skin
-Deployment of pilot in Woerden
4. Innovative Energy Services for CECs
-Analyses the existing and new and innovative revenue models and new financing schemes suitable for CEC
-For every country, both incentives and typical financing methods in the energy environment were analyzed
-Identification of energy services that are relevant and potentially applicable to energy communities
-Deepen the knowledge of existing traditional and innovative energy services and their potential to match services that can be provided to the CECs or by the CECs to the grid and customized to the different end-user types and social and legislative frameworks.
-Assessment was carried out on possible energy services applicable to communities of different sizes.
1. Social engagement
-Prepare and perform workshops with pilot leads and other relevant partners
-Develop a framework for an engagement strategy based on environmental justice principles.
-Develop and refine tools for just engagement and recruitment readily available to stakeholders engaged in the initiation of energy communities.
-Develop tools for performing inquiries into the local community. and tailoring tools to the local context.
-Training project partners to apply these tools.
-Collaboratively prepare. perform and evaluate engagement activities aimed at end-users.
2. Regulatory Framework
-Analysis of ECs operating context in Lightness participating countries through PESTLE analysis.
-Analysis of the main characteristics of ECs in Lightness participating countries.
-Assessment of the legislative and regulatory context of ECsand flexibility services in 10 EU Member States.
-Map of ECs relevant stakeholders and assessment of respective drivers. barriers and needs.
-Analysis of relevant smart energy services across Lightness participating countries.
-Analysis of financial schemes to support ECs uptake.
-Organisation of 1 regulatory Workshop in Cagliari (IT) with local and national policy makers and regulators.
3. Technical Tools and Pilot validation:
-Analysis of the pilots requirements with the context of CEC platform functionalities and the potential;
-Creation of a module to forecast day-ahead demand and solar PV generation with a 15-minute resolution;
-Development of a complete implementation of the capacity bidding market, as well as optimization in terms of the control algorithms and data quality;
-Standardisation and generalization of the setup process of the community platform, Users’ authentication, Languages support, Introduction of different time zones, Tariff microservice, IoT hub (for the devices’ interoperability), Android and iOS mobile support
-Software development in the following areas: theming engine, dashboards customization, creation of new widgets, language customization support, gaming engine, 3rd API UI integration, and LIGHTNESS skin
-Deployment of pilot in Woerden
4. Innovative Energy Services for CECs
-Analyses the existing and new and innovative revenue models and new financing schemes suitable for CEC
-For every country, both incentives and typical financing methods in the energy environment were analyzed
-Identification of energy services that are relevant and potentially applicable to energy communities
-Deepen the knowledge of existing traditional and innovative energy services and their potential to match services that can be provided to the CECs or by the CECs to the grid and customized to the different end-user types and social and legislative frameworks.
-Assessment was carried out on possible energy services applicable to communities of different sizes.
Progress beyond the state of the art was achieved in the four LIGHTNESS pillars. Below is a brief summary of the progress, expected results and potential impact per pillar:
1. Social engagement
1.1. Progress Beyond the state of the art
- Engagement strategy based on environmental justice principles paired with innovative engagement tools
1.2. Expected Result
- It is expected result is the engagement framework that will be highly replicable to overcome the current user engagement challenge to join and actively participate in CECs (demonstrated in the 5 pilots)
1.3. Potential Impact
- A continuous increase in the number of citizens joining LIGHTNESS during the project and the application of the framework in the commercial activities of the partners that are deploying CECs across the EU (ILECO, R2M, CIVIESCO, ALBEDO, AXPO)
2. Regulatory Framework
2.1. Progress Beyond the state of the art
- Assessment of the legislative and regulatory context of ECsand flexibility services in 10 EU Member States and a Map of ECs relevant stakeholders and assessment of respective drivers, barriers, and needs.
2.2. Expected Result
- Regulatory and Policy roadmap for CECs and Flexibility uptake
2.3. Potential Impact
- Smooth the overall process of the national CEC and local flexibility regulation transposition based on the EU normative
3. Technical tools
3.1. Progress Beyond the state of the art
- The main progress in this area is related to the bundling of technicals solution for the design and implementation of CECs to facilitate the decision-making progress from the stakeholders across the value chain (Technical and no-technical)
3.2. Expected Result
- LIGHTNESS holistic CEC simulation tool and LIGHTNESS user-friendly and customizable CEC platform
3.3. Potential Impact
-Boost the market uptake of RES through the deployment of CECs based on the LIGHTNESS holistic CEC simulation tool and LIGHTNESS user-friendly and customizable CEC platform
4. CEC Energy Services
4.1. Progress Beyond the state of the art
- Ad-hoc analysis of financial mechanisms and energy services applicable for CECs
4.2. Expected Result
- Unlock economical value to the different actors in the CECs value chain
4.3. Potential Impact
-Creation of favorable environment for making business in the deployment of CECs
1. Social engagement
1.1. Progress Beyond the state of the art
- Engagement strategy based on environmental justice principles paired with innovative engagement tools
1.2. Expected Result
- It is expected result is the engagement framework that will be highly replicable to overcome the current user engagement challenge to join and actively participate in CECs (demonstrated in the 5 pilots)
1.3. Potential Impact
- A continuous increase in the number of citizens joining LIGHTNESS during the project and the application of the framework in the commercial activities of the partners that are deploying CECs across the EU (ILECO, R2M, CIVIESCO, ALBEDO, AXPO)
2. Regulatory Framework
2.1. Progress Beyond the state of the art
- Assessment of the legislative and regulatory context of ECsand flexibility services in 10 EU Member States and a Map of ECs relevant stakeholders and assessment of respective drivers, barriers, and needs.
2.2. Expected Result
- Regulatory and Policy roadmap for CECs and Flexibility uptake
2.3. Potential Impact
- Smooth the overall process of the national CEC and local flexibility regulation transposition based on the EU normative
3. Technical tools
3.1. Progress Beyond the state of the art
- The main progress in this area is related to the bundling of technicals solution for the design and implementation of CECs to facilitate the decision-making progress from the stakeholders across the value chain (Technical and no-technical)
3.2. Expected Result
- LIGHTNESS holistic CEC simulation tool and LIGHTNESS user-friendly and customizable CEC platform
3.3. Potential Impact
-Boost the market uptake of RES through the deployment of CECs based on the LIGHTNESS holistic CEC simulation tool and LIGHTNESS user-friendly and customizable CEC platform
4. CEC Energy Services
4.1. Progress Beyond the state of the art
- Ad-hoc analysis of financial mechanisms and energy services applicable for CECs
4.2. Expected Result
- Unlock economical value to the different actors in the CECs value chain
4.3. Potential Impact
-Creation of favorable environment for making business in the deployment of CECs