Engineering Innovation in
Smart Energy & Utilities
Two Lighthouse islands and three Fellow islands across the world with the common goal of decarbonizing their energy systems and becoming energy independent by 2050.
Approach & Solution
Approach
Many challenges and trends pertain to the majority of EU islands:
All of this makes it more onerous and expensive to ensure energy security and resilience compared to the mainland. The IANOS project contributes to solving these challenges by developing an intelligent Virtual Power Plant (VPP) based on AI and Blockchain.
- high dependence on fossil fuels or energy import from mainland
- seasonality of demand (tourist arrivals in small islands have increased by >30% during the last decade)
- continuously increasing uncontrollable Renewable Energy Sources (RES) penetration that displaces conventional generation, dramatically reducing grid inertia (especially in smaller islands - isolated networks).
All of this makes it more onerous and expensive to ensure energy security and resilience compared to the mainland. The IANOS project contributes to solving these challenges by developing an intelligent Virtual Power Plant (VPP) based on AI and Blockchain.
Solution
The Virtual Power Plant focuses on maximum provision and utilisation of flexibility and self-sufficiency through the use of distributed renewable energy and storage technologies. IANOS selected the islands of Ameland and Terceira to serve as “pilot islands” since they both represent common EU challenges, and 3 Fellow islands - Lampedusa, Bora Bora and Nisyros - to validate the potential replicability of the results obtained in the pilot islands.
Engineering realizes the Distributed Energy Transactive Framework within the VPP Energy Coalitions. The framework implements a marketplace which manages the exchange of energy within a community of prosumers by leveraging blockchain technology and smart contracts. The project has received co-funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme - Contract No. 957810
Engineering realizes the Distributed Energy Transactive Framework within the VPP Energy Coalitions. The framework implements a marketplace which manages the exchange of energy within a community of prosumers by leveraging blockchain technology and smart contracts. The project has received co-funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme - Contract No. 957810
Results
Reduction of fossil fuel consumption by 379.7 GWh/y
Increase in RES utilization by 83.6 GWh/y
Increase accuracy of vRES forecasts by >10%
Reduction of energy bills of end-users by >15%
Project value
Innovation
Enabling Technologies
Blockchain
AI Advanced Analytics
Project Team
Research & Innovation