Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NOBEL GRID (New Cost Efficient Business Models for Flexible Smart Grids)

Teaser

\"H2020 NOBEL GRID project, with a budget of € 14M, 21 institutions from 11 countries and led by the company ETRA, is developing new tools and business models to allow all European citizens to benefit from a more secure and stable distribution network, promoting the...

Summary

\"H2020 NOBEL GRID project, with a budget of € 14M, 21 institutions from 11 countries and led by the company ETRA, is developing new tools and business models to allow all European citizens to benefit from a more secure and stable distribution network, promoting the integration of distributed, renewable energy sources and greater participation of consumer and final \"\"prosumer\"\" in the energy market. During this second period, the consortium of NOBEL GRID has finalized with the design and development of the second prototype of the project results and started with the deployment and demonstration activities.

NOBEL GRID provides solutions for all the actors in order to share the benefits of the Smart Grid in a fair, sustainable and efficient way. NOBEL GRID promotes collective schemes and community initiatives, giving power and protection to the final consumer, contributing to a more competitive and well-functioning internal energy market, and help address serious social problems of vulnerable consumers.

Specifically, the project has three main objectives:
1. Development and demonstration of innovative solutions and tools to improve medium and low voltage electricity distribution networks, providing secure, stable and robust smart grids allowing DSOs to mitigate costs of management, replacement and maintenance of the grid in presence of very large share of renewable energy.
2. Development, integration and real demonstration of new services for next generation distributed renewable energy integration and active demand response. Three different applications are being developed for the different actors: G3M Framework, EMA App, DRFM cockpit.
3. Deployment and demonstration of innovative solutions to lower the cost of the development and deployment of smart metering systems.

All these three actions are being deployed and tested at large scale in five different sites in five EU members’ states in Belgium, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Greece.
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Work performed

The main results that have been achieved during the 2nd period of the NOBEL GRID project are summarised below:

a. Architecture
The NOBEL GRID architecture has been specified using the Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM) Framework by CEN-CENELEC-ETSI. In order to manage the scale and complexity of the architecture we have used the SGAM toolbox, an extension for the Enterprise Architect software for UML modelling. A complete architecture has been modelled including the business context associated, the use cases that support the project\'s business goals, and the ICT architecture that underpins the implementation of these use cases.

b. The Unbundled Smart Meter (SLAM)
In the second project period project partners have been focused on the development of SLAM final version through different tasks. Moreover, the work considered also the compatibility of SLAM’s SMX with the general Unbundled Smart Meter concept and with the implementation of SMX as stand-alone product. During this period, the precertification activities of the SLAM has started, which are the previous stage before the the final certification, that will take place during the final period.

c. G3M (Grid Management and Maintenance Master framework)
The G3M Framework embraces different applications and services for the DSO in order to better manage and maintain the MV/LV grid –especially in the low-voltage region–, ensuring secure and sustainable electricity supply throughout Europe, taking advantage of new technologies, and complying with new policy imperatives and changing business frameworks. During this period the project partners have provided the final version of the G3M in order to be deployed and tested during the final period for the DSOs of the project.

d. Demand Response Flexibility Market (DRFM) cockpit
The DRFM cockpit is a proven platform that allows Aggregators, Retailers, energy cooperatives and ESCOs to manage all aspects of their demand response (DR) programs to support, prosumers monitoring and demand response strategies optimization through the effective utilization of aggregated demand flexibility. During this period the final version of the DRFM has been submitted, in order to be installed and tested by the project partners.

e. Energy Monitoring and Analytics Application (EMA App)
EMA App provides domestic and industrial prosumers with real time data visualization and recommendations to improve energy efficiency, maximize use of renewables and minimize energy bills according to user’s profile, giving them more power and protection.
The project consortium has submitted during the period the final version of the EMA App.

During the final period of the project, the project partners will installed and demonstrated these project solutions in real conditions in the five pilot sites (Alginet (Spain), Flanders (Belgium), Manchester (UK), Terni (Italy) and Meltemi (Greece)) to evaluate the technical, economical and social impact of the project.

Final results

European leaders committed themselves to reduce 20% EU greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels, raising the share of EU energy consumption produced from renewable resources to 20 % and achieving 20% improvement in energy efficiency.
NOBEL GRID will address the above mentioned challenges by means of diverse tools, ICT services and business models, as described in the previous sections of this document.
In summary, the expected impact of NOBEL GRID, it is summarised below:
a. Environmental impact
NOBEL GRID main challenge is to contribute to the EU’s goal of CO2 reduction of minimally 80% by 2050, towards an optimal smart energy system with flexibility in demand and generation by 2035. NOBEL GRID will contribute to the smoothly integration of the DER in the distributions grid by means of technologies and services that will make possible more stable and secure grids. This will contribute in the enhancement of the European energy mix, with the reduction of the emissions, resulting in a notable improvement on quality of life for EU citizens.
b. Social impact
NOBEL GRID demonstration will be focused mainly in electric cooperatives, and other non-profit organization actors. As companies focused on the community, cooperatives allow the democratic control by the people of the area. One of the main elements that define the way the majority of electric cooperatives is its support for renewables. Good part of the resources obtained with the activity of the cooperative has invested in facilities to obtain a clean and renewable production, this is the clean and sustainable electricity that is physically produced by co-operators in the same population and distributed to their partners.
c. Economic impact
The distribution grid technologies and energy services constitute a profitable market, also for exports. This market has a 26% average annual growth. That global market forecast volume increases from 17.295 M€ in 2010 to 90.471 M€ in 2017.
Related to the SLAM designed and developed in NOBEL GRID, European Union’s directive pushes smart meters deployment to most of its member countries’ residents by 2020. Adding commitments made by other EU member nations, smart metering investments will reach at least 30€ billion by 2020, with 170 million to 180 million smart meters installed. Moreover, it is estimated that over the next 18 years, with an investment of 15.000 M€ install 53 million smart meter of gas and electricity, would be obtained profits of 23.000 M€, which would mean a net profit of 8.000 M€.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.nobelgrid.eu.