CRETE VALLEY aims to create a Renewable Energy Valley 'Living Lab' (REV-Lab) in Crete. It is envisioned as a decentralised renewable energy system that combines leading-edge ICT technologies, interoperable and open digital solutions (including data sovereignty), social innovation processes, and sound business models that are easy to adopt. CRETE VALLEY will demonstrate a digitalised, distributed, renewable, low carbon landscape that is affordable for all and fully covers the local energy needs on an annual basis, utilizing multiple renewable energy carriers and leveraging energy storage technologies. The REV-Lab will integrate four Community Energy Labs (CELs) located in distinct sites across CRETE VALLEY, conceived as Innovation Hubs. An integrated social, technological & business approach will be deployed, providing: A Social Science Framework for REV-Labs & CELs, innovative multi-level governance models & social-driven mechanisms for involving citizens in the co-design, implementation and exploitation of RES; AI-based market segmentation algorithms, MCDA methods and consensus analysis for REV configuration; Interactive tools for REV planning (REV Readiness Assessment & computation, Augmented Reality applications, decision support tool); Energy Data Space compliant digital backbone for consumer and REV-level data-driven ‘activation’; P2P DLT/Blockchain digital marketplace for tokenised energy and non-energy assets valuation and reciprocal compensation; Data-driven operational analysis, advanced AI/ML tools and flexibility modelling services for optimal operation & resilience of the local energy grid; System-of-system Dig. Twin for multiple carrier grid management & operation; Data-driven services and apps for energy efficiency and activation performance management towards energy autonomy; Enabling RES technologies to increase the power production; REV Business Sandbox and blueprints for REV-Lab setup, upscaling and replication (including 4 Follower Communities).

The current international situation makes the process of energy transition more critical for Europe than ever before. It is a key requirement to increase the penetration of renewables while aiming at making the infrastructure more resilient and cost-effective. In this context, digital twins (DT) build a key asset to facilitate all aspects of business and operational coordination for system operators and market parties. It is of fundamental importance to now start a process of agreement at European level so not to develop isolated instances but a federated ecosystem of DT solutions. Each operator should be able to make its own implementation decisions while preserving and supporting interoperability and exchange with the remaining ecosystem. Exactly this is the vision of the TwinEU consortium: enabling new technologies to foster an advanced concept of DT while determining the conditions for interoperability, data and model exchanges through standard interfaces and open APIs to external actors. The envisioned DT will build the kernel of European data exchange supported by interfaces to the Energy Data Space under development. Advanced modeling supported by AI tools and able to exploit High Performance Computing infrastructure will deliver an unprecedented capability to observe, test and activate a pan-European digital replica of the European energy infrastructure. In this process, reaching consensus is crucial: the consortium therefore gathers an unprecedented number of actors committed to achieving this common goal. The concepts developed by TwinEU span over 15 different European countries with a continuous coverage of the continental map. Demos will encompass key players at every level from transmission to distribution and market operators, while also testing the coordinated cross-area data exchange. The consortium also includes relevant industry players, research institutions and associations with a clear record in developing innovative solutions for Europe.

HEDGE-IoT proposes a novel Digital Framework which aims to deploy IoT assets at different levels of the energy system (from behind-the-meter, up to the TSO level), to add intelligence to the edge and cloud layers through advanced AI/ML tools and to bridge the cloud/edge continuum introducing federated applications governed by advanced computational orchestration solutions. The HEDGE-IoT Framework will upgrade the RES-hosting capacity of the energy systems and will unleash a previously untapped flexibility potential. It will increase the resilience of the grid, create new market opportunities and promote advances in IoT standardization, by introducing and managing a plethora of diversified, interoperable energy services over scalable and highly distributed data platforms and infrastructure. The multi-dimensional framework of HEDGE-IoT comprises the following pillars: (a) the Technology Facilitator Pillar will exploit the computational sharing by offloading applications on the grid edge, towards providing a set AI/ML federated learning and swarm computing applications; (b) the Interoperability Pillar, which leverages on leading-edge interoperable architectures, such as the Data Space architectures; (c) the Standardisation Pillar will enable all involved platforms, systems, tools and actors to seamlessly communicate and exchange data in standardized formats using widely used standards, such as SAREF, etc.; (d) the Digital Energy Ecosystem Enabling Pillar will ensure the creation of an ecosystem facilitating the increased integration of RES and characterised by resilience. Liaisons with EU initiatives for IoT and digitalisation will be established (e.g., the AIOTI) and the engagement of stakeholders will be ensured by addressing IoT ethics and cultivating trust among end-users, thus promoting inclusivity. Scalability and replicability studies will be performed and connections with innovators and SMEs will be established through the Open Call mechanism of the project.

FEVER will implement and demonstrate solutions and services that leverage flexibility towards offering electricity grid services that address problems of the distribution grid, thus enabling it to function in a secure and resilient manner. The project encompasses technologies and techniques for extraction of energy flexibilities from virtual and explicit energy storage (batteries, V2G) and demand response. FEVER will leverage the potential for flexibility due to the electrification of sectors such as heating (heat pumps, district heating) and cooling (e.g. industrial refrigeration). In FEVER we will implement a comprehensive flexibility aggregation, management and trading solution that incorporates intelligence around the optimal flexibility orchestration and is capable to offer flexibility services in different markets (local, wholesale). In addition, a peer-to-peer flexibility trading toolbox will be implemented with a distributed ledger technology enabling autonomous peer-to-peer trading. FEVER will implement a set of goal-oriented applications and tools that empower DSOs with optimal grid observability and controllability. The DSO toolbox will include advanced monitoring and automated control functions (critical event prevention, self-healing, island-mode power management, etc.). FEVER will carry out extensive demonstration and testing activities in multiple settings. For scalability assessment the project includes large scale simulations of novel market mechanisms for day-ahead and continuous trading of flexibility services, and simulations of wholesale-retail market coupling.These simulations will contribute to the quantification of the impact of flexibility services at the distribution grid level and beyond (transmission level). FEVER’s holistic approach to flexibility will facilitate establishing and operating appropriate business models for all players in the market, thereby providing the EU with a secure, efficient and resilient electric grid.

Although decentralized and utility-scale renewable energy sources have grown, the EU must speed up their deployment to meet decarbonisation targets. Outdated grid infrastructure, limited system flexibility, complex regulatory frameworks, and rising NIMBY attitudes hinder the full market integration of these plants, affecting their business models and service monetization. Addressing these issues is essential for both facilitating the deploying of new utility-scale RES plants and maintaining previously existing ones and its viability. To achieve this, LUMENS will implement a comprehensive strategy built on three key pillars: (1) Establishing a multi-actor engagement framework to ensure a strong stakeholder dialogue and capacity building, providing the project with valuable feedback from the sector. (2) Creating a dynamic repository of knowledge transfer materials (KTM), including success stories and recommendations based on a portfolio of cases that will be studied throughout the development of LUMENS, as well as an open-source toolkit composed by analytical and decision-support tools that will aid in a variety of aspects, such as location, sizing, hybridization or market performance prediction of a RES plant. (3) Executing a continuous knowledge transfer strategy that promotes direct interaction with key international market players. With a consortium of nine partners from seven EU countries, including market operators, power system operators, RES promoters, and multidisciplinary research experts, LUMENS is well backed up to develop actionable insights for optimizing key factors including the planning, location, operation, and monetization of utility-scale RES plants among others. Ultimately, LUMENS seeks to enhance the competitiveness of RES plants in the EU energy market, particularly utility-scale infrastructures, by promoting secure, cost-effective energy solutions and advancing the path toward net-zero emissions.