- First phase of meter installation completed as part of the Horizon 2020 VPP4ISLANDS project for smart energy communities (CERs) in islands
- • The project, which includes the introduction of virtual energy storage technology, digital twin and distributed ledger, contributes to the adoption of clean and green energy on the islands, reducing emissions and costs and creating new opportunities for businesses and job growth
- At the end of the research project, algoWatt will be able to deploy these new skills in projects aimed at the energy self-sufficiency of islands in Italy as well
algoWatt, a GreenTech Solutions Company listed on the Euronext Milan market of Borsa Italiana, has successfully completed the installation procedure of 20 single-phase and 2 three-phase meters on the island of Formentera (SPA), related to one of the pilot projects of the VPP4ISLANDS projectwhich will enable the operation and testing of Virtual Renewable Energy Communities (CERs) and Virtual Power Plants (VPPs). Single-phase meters were installed in private homes, thanks to the campaign conducted to involve volunteers in proactive participation in project activities. Three-phase meters were installed in public institutions on the island of Formentera (such as schools and municipalities). All energy data from these installations were collected recorded thanks to the development of an appropriate metering concept that collects hourly data. Furthermore, in collaboration with project partners Schneider Electric and the Municipality of Formentera, algoWatt contributed to the installation process of dedicated VPP4IBoxes for the proactive control of energy assets in VPP management scenarios. In particular, algoWatt developed the Modbus TCP/IP integration module to interact with the VPP4IBox, as integrator of the VPP4IPlatform and as main actor in the configuration of the technical infrastructure for collecting data from the pilot field and sending control signals. The project envisages the introduction of virtual energy storage, digital twin and distributed ledger technologies, contributing to the adoption of clean and green energy on the islands, reducing emissions and electricity costs and creating new opportunities for local businesses and job growth. At the end of the research project, algoWatt will be able to deploy these new skills in projects aimed at the energy self-sufficiency of the islands also in Italy A similar technical campaign will soon be implemented on the island of Gokceada in Turkey, the other main VPP4Islands pilot project. In Formentera, algoWatt spent more than two months on an intensive campaign to enable this important achievement, sending highly specialised and Spanish-speaking staff to the island, who worked with the island population, explaining the principles and ethics of the project. In parallel with the technical activities, and as a demonstration of the multifunctional support algoWatt has always provided in research contexts, the R&I division also conducted a social communication campaign on the local radio station to raise interest in the project’s activities among potential volunteers. The word-of-mouth dissemination of the VPP4Island project on the island made it possible to quickly reach the number of volunteers envisaged in this first phase and the completion of the integration activities. algoWatt considers the result an important milestone, not only for the progress of the project itself, but also for the significant benefit given to the population in terms of energy-saving education, thanks to the message conveyed to the population during the communication campaign and the installation of the meters on a house-by-house basis. The developments of the VPP4ISLANDS project and the integration with the
Formentera pilot will allow algoWatt to further refine the advanced CER management functionalities included in the LIBRA CE suite, which is currently already integrated with the metering architecture prepared by the project and is the backbone of the VPP4INode field interfacing component (VPP4IBox) and the advanced VPP management functionalities (VPP4IPlatform). The VPP4ISLANDS project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 957852
