PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The European (EU) daily energy flexibility needs will increase by 133% between 2021 and 2030 and up to 250% between 2030 and 2050. Given the current climate and energy crisis, the need for alternative flexibility resources with low marginal costs such as Demand-Side Flexibility (DSF) is placed in the spotlight more than ever before. Despite being the EU's third-largest energy consumer, the industrial sector remains a largely untapped flexibility resource. Through the strategic implementation of industrial DSF (iDSF), the EU energy systems could achieve substantial reductions in-between 4.7% and 7.1% in peak load. This not only can contribute to grid stability and security of supply, but can as well position industries as active participants in shaping a sustainable energy future. However, current progress on EU-wide iDSF deployment range from low-to non-existent due to several economic, regulatory, technological, organizational, behavioural, informational, and competence barriers. LEONARDO aspires to support the aggregation of diverse Energy Management Systems (EMSs) with the aim of optimizing collaborative demand flexibility from industries in physical proximity. LEONARDO aims to overcome interoperability challenges, enhance EMS functionalities, and analyse the value of its flexibility solutions in real-life environments. LEONARDO solutions will be analysed and supported in three (3) Pilot Sites (Italy, Austria, Bulgaria/Greece), setting a cornerstone for future utilization of aggregated industrial EMSs for grid flexibility services. Finally, the Industrial Flexibility Knowledge Hub will serve as a one stop shop for a wide range of information and resources, including the FlexifyMyIndustry-Assistant, an industry-first approach for assessing industries’ flexibility potential and performing an initial validation of their accessibility within various flexibility markets, through a standardized metric.