Energy: Energy communities, ENEA to coordinate European project eNeuron

Developing innovative tools for an optimal management of energy communities [1] and encouraging the transition to a low-carbon system. This is the priority objective of eNeuron [2], the European Innovation Action (AI) project coordinated by ENEA which stood first in the ranking list of proposals [3].

The project eNeuron, which comprises 17 public and private partners from 8 countries [4] will be granted a 6 million euro funding under Horizon 2020; in addition to ENEA, the Polytechnic University of Marche and the Foundation ICONS participate for Italy. In a first stage, a platform will be set up for users of the community to actively participate in a shared energy management, in order to sustainably and efficiently meet their energy needs. In a second one, the initiative will focus on an optimal and sustainable use of multiple energy carriers, considering both short and long-term priorities.

"The project views the energy community as an integrated infrastructure for all energy carriers, and the electrical system as its backbone, characterized by coupling electricity networks with gas, heating and cooling networks, supported by energy storage in different forms and types, including electric vehicles and conversion processes ”, Marialaura Di Somma, researcher at the Smart Grid and Energy Networks Laboratory of the Portici ENEA Center and project coordinator, said.

At an operational level, eNeuron aims at developing innovative approaches and methodologies to design and manage energy communities through the optimal use of multiple energy vectors characterized by high complementarity to be tested and validated in four pilot sites in Europe: in Italy in the Montedago district in Ancona, in Poland in Bydgoszcz (through the Polish distributor of electricity "ENEA Operator"); in Norway in the laboratory provided by the Skagerak electricity distributor; in Portugal in the Lisbon naval base provided by the EDP Labelec and the Portuguese Navy.

“This project is part of the European and national policies for the development of energy communities, a topic which is increasingly of concern and strategic. In particular, eNeuron will contribute to the creation of tools for planning integrated energy systems in the presence of distributed poly-generation and with high levels of renewable energy penetration ", Giorgio Graditi, deputy director of the ENEA Energy Technologies Department pointed out.

“On the other hand, this project will enable ENEA to strengthen its role at European level in the field of energy research, relying on the expertise of the Smart Grid and Energy Networks Laboratory, specialized in the study, analysis, research and development of technologies , methodologies and devices for applications in the field of smart grids, energy networks and engaged - Graditi concluded- in research activities for the development of multi-vector energy hubs and local energy communities ''.

For more information please contact:

Marialaura Di Somma, ENEA – Energy Technologies Department –  Smart Grid and Energy Networks Laboratory, marialaura.disomma@enea.it

[1] Energy communities are generally entities formed by members who, within a well-defined geographical area can generate, consume and exchange energy, with a local governance capable of promoting self-consumption and self-sufficiency among users, in line with the regulatory framework which is being defined in Europe and Italy.

[2] GreeN Energy Hubs for Local Integrated Energy Communities Optimisation

[3] Call LC-SC3-2018-2019-2020

[4] IEn, IREC, SINTEF, TECNALIA and EPRI, FOSS of the University of Cyprus, the Polytechnic University of the Marche, the Polytechnic University of Madrid, the Portuguese EDP, the energy distributors Skagerak (Norway) and ENEA OPERATOR (Poland) , the Portuguese SME ENEIDA, the Italian ICONS Foundation, the Portuguese Navy and the municipality of Bydgoszcz in Poland.