The ER4SMUS project The ER4SMUS project intends to develop an ICT platform for the optimized management of industrial production that combines: real-time energy analysis of flexible production processes based on wireless sensors; the control of industrial energy eco-systems based on Artificial Intelligence; the development of advanced demand response contracts; the integration of energy flows and production processes (and last mile electric mobility) for the use of “embodied energy” as an accumulation of electricity generated from renewable sources; the development of a Smart Energy Box (called ER4SMuS-box) and a cloud based ICT platform(called ER4SMuS-platform).

THE PROJECT

The ER4SMuS project will allow manufacturing companies and energy service providers to:

– Quickly adopt new requirements (e.g. energy flexibility)

– Regulate and harmonize the design of energy systems in the factory environment based on the process demand

– Improve the benchmarking of energy services (e.g. price per cubic meter of compressed air, price per cubic meter cooled and cooling lubricant etc.)

– Raise awareness of energy costs at the management level

– Making energy efficiency and energy flexibility of production processes enabling resources for Smart Grids

– Improve the eco-profile of products by incorporating greater amounts of energy produced from renewable sources and keeping it in mind throughout the production process.

Implementing this concept on a larger scale requires the standardization of interfaces between service providers and service users to create new business models.
Therefore, the proposed concept needs a factory design that contains specific characteristics:

– Standardized units (ER4SMUSbox) for easy transport and installation

– Modular design of the base units (ER4SMUSbox) for a flexible extension of the concept, their easy combination and a high up- and down-grade capacity

– Standardized interconnections between units connected to each other

– Standardized connections to the central control system (ER4SMUSplatform)

The project is therefore aimed at developing:

– a tool for the collection and analysis of data relating to energy production and flexibility through the implementation of new data analytics functions that make it possible to analyze in real time the possibility of using the industrial production system as an accumulation system in the form of ” incorporated energy “, also taking into consideration production times and costs (this will be possible by integrating the current production analysis and planning tools with the new functionality developed within the project);

– a system of supervision, analysis, control and management of energy flows from / to the production system using the resources available on site (production line, air conditioning systems, compressed air, UPS, CHP, etc.) and integrating them into a single eco -system that is interfaced with the Smart Grid (enabling a series of services such as participation in electricity markets).

The main result of the project can be defined as an “industrial flexibility management system”, a system that identifies and manages the flexibility of a production process in order to maximize the incorporated energy generated from renewable sources and maximize the potential in terms of Demand Response.

ERASMuS Box and ER4SMuS platform, suitably integrated, manage the flexibility of the process on the basis of the production model defined in the assessment phase and of the configured management rules. The prototype thus composed allows the provision of new services to entities such as energy providers, ESCo, etc., with manufacturing SMEs identified as the main market target.

CONSORTIUM

• ENERWAWE
• algoWatt
• CNR-IATE