LocalRES is beginning with its kick-off meeting on-line on the 5th and 6th of May. This EU-funded project, chaired by CARTIF, will be running for the next four years and aims at deploying innovative local energy systems, driven by renewable energy communities for a socially fair energy transformation that puts renewable energy into the hands of communities and people.
The main objective of LocalRES is to engage citizens and communities to participate in the energy transition. The focus is on the Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) as main actors for leading the structural change towards the decarbonisation of the local energy systems through the involvement and awareness-raising of citizens and communities. LocalRES will develop a planning tool oriented to enable citizen participation in the REC planning decision-making processes and will allow to maximize the replicability and upscale the potential of the decentralized solutions developed in the project. LocalRES will also develop and demonstrate a Multi-Energy Virtual Power Plant (MEVPP) approach for optimizing in real-time different energy vectors and different energy and flexibility services by the REC, according to their community preferences. The MEVPP will maximize the RES contribution, enhance the energy system flexibility and supply security. The LocalRES solutions promote a secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy supply for everyone.
LocalRES will deliver new digital tools that will boost the expected structural change in the current energy system at different levels:
1) Generation: increasing the number of small power producers of renewable energy
2) Market: creating local energy markets that enable prosumers to trade energy volumes of their choice within local communities
3) Distribution: establishing a multidirectional energy flow and promoting REC driven energy services
4) Consumers: empowering consumers to be active and participating in the energy system and the design of their own Renewable Energy Communities (REC).
LocalRES is an EU-funded project which has received 6.095.862 euros form the European Commission’s programme Horizon 2020. The consortium is made up of the following partners: Fundacion CARTIF (ES), AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH (AT), Artelys (FR), Centrica Business Solutions Belgium (BE), Flexens Oy Ab (FI), RINA Consulting S.p.A (IT), Dowel Innovation (FR), Energy cities/Energie-cites association (FR), Accademia Europea di Bolzano (IT), Munster Technological University (IE), Teknologian tutkimuskeskus VTT Oy (FI), Kökar kommun (FI), R2m Energy S.r.l (IT), Comune di Berchidda (IT), EZE Barrizar Koop Elk Txikia (ES), Ayuntamiento de Ispaster (ES), Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation (ES), Sistemes Avancats D Energia Solar Termica S.c.c.l (ES), Universitat Passau (DE), lab10 collective eG (AT), Marktgemeinde Ollersdorf im Burgenland (AT).