Community energy initiatives, such as energy communities (CEE) and collective self-consumption (ACC), have emerged as a promising and cutting-edge paradigm for electricity production and management, blending sustainability and innovation with economic and social benefits. The democratization of energy, with open participation from all members of society, can bring very positive outcomes in terms of efficiency, flexibility, and the security of the national electricity system.
However, the lack of awareness, maturity, and understanding of the concept, along with the general public's energy illiteracy, pose significant challenges and are key factors for the success of CEE/ACC. Thus, this project aims to stimulate the involvement of citizens, businesses, and public or private entities in community energy initiatives, which is crucial to build credibility, increase trust, and foster acceptance of these types of initiatives.
The project proposes the development of an innovative, disruptive technology platform for real-time monitoring, control, and dynamic management of renewable community initiatives (CEE/ACC), named Energy Management & Monitoring of Energy Communities (EM2ECO). Through dynamic coefficients, the EM2ECO platform enables the optimization of energy flows between participants, offering various environmental, economic, and social benefits, while promoting inclusive, fair, and equitable participation.
It is an innovative platform capable of effectively managing various production technologies while integrating a wide range of participants, ensuring fair and equitable benefits. Additionally, it incorporates a Collaborative Management Model (CMM) that supports energy sharing and storage, creating a resilient, flexible, and efficient "microgrid" that maximizes the use of local resources and other critical aspects. The flexible CMM, tailored to the concept, allows members to interact through energy sharing and share their storage capacity from stationary batteries or electric vehicles (storage sharing).
To achieve optimal energy planning for ACC or CEE, the new collaborative multi-agent management model will be based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), using a hierarchical control structure to support decision-making based on technical and economic aspects, and forecasting (load, renewable production, and electricity prices). Furthermore, depending on the adopted management model, it may also serve as a tool to support disadvantaged consumers, thus contributing to mitigating energy poverty.
The development of the EM2ECO Project includes several tasks, carried out by thirteen highly qualified professionals organized into two teams: one from Enforce – Engenharia de Energia S.A., and the other from the Instituto de Telecomunicações.
The project EM2ECO, led by our senior researcher Maria do Rosário Calado, has been approved for financing by CENTRO2030.
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