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edgeFLEX

edgeFLEX aims at further developing the concept of Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) to manage a wider range of generation and storage assets in a new way. By offering a set of fast and dynamic service-to-grid operations, the emergence of a new market for ancillary services will be enabled.

An EU funded H2020 project centred on providing flexibility to the grid by enabling VPPs to offer both fast and slow dynamics control services

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    Funding

    H2020 Grant Agreement No. 883710

    Duration

    36 months

    Vertical alignment / Department

    Smart Energy / Programmable Autonomous Systems Unit (PAS)

    Project Website

    Overview

    With the dramatic growth of renewables, now is the time to revise the VPP concept. VPPs need to support not only the promotion of intermittent renewables (RES) but also the integration of all Distributed Energy Resources (DER) into the full scope of grid operations. Such a leap raises challenges: optimal combination of DER and RES in a new generation of VPPs is needed to jointly provide grid supportive flexibility with slow reaction time known from day-head and intra-day markets, as well as real-time reaction to provide fast frequency and inertial response and dynamic-phasor driven voltage control ancillary services. In a nutshell, in a DER-based power electronics-driven network VPPs need to play all the roles that synchronous machines play in a traditional system. Flexibility can be provided by going beyond electrochemical storage and exploring opportunities offered by Power2X or inverters. Demand Side Management or low-cost solutions such as Power2Heat could be deployed in a neighbourhood expanding the concept of VPPs to the concept of a Local Energy Communities. edgeFLEX links technical solutions to societal expectations. Short reaction times can be addressed by 5G-powered edge clouds linking dispersed devices in near real-time. In this respect, a new concept of VPPs, with communications corresponding to multiple layers of dynamics, becomes possible. edgeFLEX proposes a new architecture for VPPs deploying such a multi-layer solution, paving the way for a fully renewable energy system. VPPs are brought to a new level, enabling them to interact on markets offering various ancillary services to System Operators. edgeFLEX will develop this next generation VPP concept and demonstrate it in the context of 3 field trials and lab tests. It will explore innovative optimisations, financial tools and business scenarios for VPPs and assess the economic and societal impact. It will actively work to remove barriers by contributing to standards and European level regulation.

    Implementation

    • WP1 – Dynamic-phasor Driven Voltage Control Concepts for Dynamically Controlled VPP Solutions
    • WP2 – Frequency and Inertial Response Control Concepts for Dynamically Controlled VPP Solutions
    • WP3 – Optimisation of 5G Dynamically Controlled VPP Solutions
    • WP4 – Platform and Services for Dynamically Controlled VPP Solutions (Work Package Leader)
    • WP5 – Field Trials of Dynamically Controlled VPP Solutions
    • WP6 – Fostering Adoption of and Support for EdgeFLEX Results
    • WP7 – Dissemination and Communication
    • WP8 – Project Management

    Key Objectives

    Research objectives

    • To research frequency control concepts for Dynamically Controlled VPPs for the TSO and DSO domains,
    • To research inertial response control algorithms for Dynamically Controlled VPPs for a DSO/TSO interaction,
    • To research dynamic-phasor driven voltage control concepts for Dynamically Controlled VPPs for the DSO domain
    • To optimise the combination of variable and dispatchable RES, incorporating all types of distributed flexibility.

    Innovation objectives

    • To develop a system to dynamically control the assets of VPPs through weather forecasting and real-time measurements,
    • To define local flexibility markets for Energy Communities,
    • To improve resilience of VPPs through automated flexibility trading and through distributed approach enabled by 5G communications
    • To define innovative financial schemata that go beyond traditional solutions creating clearer incentives for investing in renewable assets
    • To implement our results in the edgeFLEX Platform, validating all results in our field trials and lab tests
    • To develop the recommendations on new expanded role of VPPs, Optimisation of volatile RES portfolios and on sustainable investment policies for RES

    Project Social Media

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