Energy system resilience through ‘energy modi’

We are pleased to recommend you the following article, which has been just published via SUSTENANCE profile on the Enlit Europe’s EU project zone:
You can read the whole article under the link below 👇

Energy system resilience through ‘energy modi’

SUSTENANCE in the Innovation News Network

It gives us pleasure to invite you to read the article about SUSTENANCE, which has been just published on the Innovation News Network’s website as a news story!
The whole text in the link below:

Please also note, that this article will also appear in the 20th edition of Innovation Platform in December 2024!

SUSTENANCE & LOCALISED co-organize a workshop dedicated to the inhabitants of the Mickiewicza Housing Association in Sopot

SUSTENANCE joined forces with LOCALISED project and organized the “Climate Meeting – Public Consultation for a Green Future” dedicated for the inhabitants of the Mickiewicza Housing Association in Sopot on September 19, 2024 (Fig. 1)

Fig. 1 Workshop co-organized by the two H2020 projects: SUSTENANCE and LOCALISED (Photo: J. Verstreate, IMP PAN|KEZO Research Centre, 2024).

The purpose of the meeting was:

• To present the status quo regarding the realization of SUSTENANCE towards a wider group of citizens of the Housing Association (and not only the inhabitants of the selected demo building) and to discuss potential scenarios regarding the introduction of more renewable energy sources at the premises of the Mickiewicza Housing Association in Sopot in the future.
Finally, presenting possible business cases that might fund the green transition locally!

• To initiate the development of a long-term plan for modernization of Mickiewicza Housing Association in Sopot and to include its citizens in a co-creation process!

• To discuss climate change issues and its possible mitigation activities, which are not easy and region-specific. The goal of this consultation was thus to find a way of establishing the best methods to deal with the local problems and ensuring the acceptance of local community.

SUSTENANCE at #CE4EUI workshop in Lesvos, Greece

We are excited to inform that SUSTENANCE project continues its cooperation with Clean energy for EU islands secretariat, which was recently exemplified by the participation of Hans Bjerregaards from Bjerregaards Consulting, a partner of SUSTENANCE, in the #CE4EUislands – Workshop: “Financing mechanisms for islands’ decarbonisation projects with a focus on shared ownership schemes”.

This exceptional event was held on the beautiful Lesvos island in Greece between 18-19 September 2024 during the Lesvos Clean and Just Energy Transition Week.

Fig. 1 Hans Bjerregaards, Bjerregaards Consulting, presenting at the CE4EUI workshop on 18.09.2024 (Photo: CE4EUIsland 2024).

Hans Bjerregaards gave there a presentation entitled “Community Energy Management System (CEMS) for CE4EUI-Samsoe Island Energy Community”, based on the CEMS developed for Danish demonstrator in SUSTENANCE (Fig. 1).

We are pleased to witness how the replication of the developed solutions is actually already taking place!

EU Energy Projects Podcast: Empowering energy consumers with Project Sustenance

It gives us immense pleasure to invite you to listen to prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen, the project coordinator of SUSTENANCE, being interviewed by Areti Ntaradimou, for the EU Energy Project Podcast by ENLIT:

EU Energy Projects Podcast: Empowering energy consumers with Project Sustenance

Project SUSTENANCE: Optimised flexibility for private households

We are excited to recommend you the following article, which has been just published via SUSTENANCE profile on the Enlit Europe’s EU project zone:

You can read the whole article under the link below 👇

Project SUSTENANCE: Optimised flexibility for private households

SUSTENANCE project update: Pioneering carbon-neutral energy communities

Project Partners are pleased to invite you read the latest SUSTENANCE project update as available from Innovation News Network website:

SUSTENANCE project update: Pioneering carbon-neutral energy communities

Works towards setting up of the “collective prosumer” at the Polish demo in Sopot are progressing

The Polish Team of SUSTENANCE, led by the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN), is pleased to inform that the latest meeting with the active citizens of the selected block of flats in the Mickiewicza Housing Association took place on August 26, 2024.
It was a very productive, working meeting (a follow-up to the previous one, as of July 15), where future prosumers focused on the actual preparation of an agreement to become a “collective prosumer” (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1 Working meeting with citizens at the premises of the Mickiewicza Housing Association as of 26.08.2024 (Photo: K. Bogucka-Bykuć, IMP PAN)

Citizen meeting at the Mickiewicza Housing Association in Sopot

We are pleased to inform that Sebastian Bykuć from the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN) met (on Jul 15, 2024) with a group of active inhabitants from the Polish demo building in SUSTENANCE and the President of the Mickiewicza Housing Association to discuss the possibility of applying together to become the “collective prosumer”.

We are witnessing truly pioneering steps regarding creation of the local energy community!

Fig. 1 Citizens meeting at the premises of the Mickiewicza Housing Association (Katarzyna Bogucka-Bykuć, IMP PAN).

SUSTENANCE at the Grid Service Market Symposium in Switzerland

We are pleased to inform that prof. Hessam Golmohamadi from Aalborg University has participated in the Grid Service Market Symposium held on 1-2 July 2024 in Lucerne, Switzerland. He presented there a paper entitled “Flexibility provision from Local Energy Communities exemplified by the SUSTENANCE H2020 project and SERENE H2020 project s” (Fig. 1).

“The integration of a large amount of new renewable energy sources poses great challenges for the European electricity grids & markets. Network reinforcement, market harmonisation and integration are both solutions and challenges for the various players in the electricity industry. The integration of new technologies and methods to provide grid services and optimise the use of existing infrastructure is changing the face of the electricity industry in the long term [1]”.

[1] https://www.gridservicemarket.com/2024/symposium/intro/scope-of-the-symposium

Fig. 1 Prof. Hessam Golmohamadi, AAU at the GSM Symposium, 2024.

Interview about SUSTENANCE at the 2. Congress “Science for citizens” in Poland

It gives us immense pleasure to invite you to watch the interview with dr Weronika Radziszewska from Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN)/KEZO Research Centre PAS who discussed the realization of both SUSTENANCE and SERENE H2020 projects in the Polish perspective of the project demonstrators located accordingly at the Mickiewicza Housing Association in the City of Sopot and in the Municipality of Przywidz.

Link to the interview (in Polish language!):

This interview was recorded during the 2. Congress “ Science for citizens”, which was held in Warsaw on June 9-10, 2024.

SUSTENANCE announces its presence at the Enlit Europe 2024 in Milan!

Enlit is a constantly growing, inclusive and end-to-end forum that addresses every aspect of the energy agenda. It aims to constitute a community that for 365 days a year collaborates and innovate to solve the most pressing energy-related issues.

At the European edition, the Enlit community will come together in Milan from 22 – 24 October 2024, to meet and inspire each other and to develop their discussions and actions to take steps forward in the energy transition.

Join SUSTENANCE in Milan this October!

SUSTENANCE at the 2. “Science for Society” Congress, Warsaw, June 2024

Fig. 1 IMP PAN stand at the the 2. “Science for Society” Congress, Warsaw, June 2024.

Promotion of the effects of scientists’ work is a key issue today – said Dariusz Wieczorek, Minister of Science in Poland during the 2. “Science for Society” Congress, which took place on June 9-10 2024 in Warsaw, Poland.
[1] https://nauka-dla-spoleczenstwa.pl/kategoria/podsumowanie-kongresu

The Minister of Science further emphasized that the key issue today – apart from increasing expenditure on research and development – is to promote the achievements of scientists and research institutions.

The Congress, which took place under the Honorary Patronage of the Minister of Science, Mr Dariusz Wieczorek and the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland, attracted a wide range of participants, both on-site and online, which is confirmed by over 15 hours of live broadcast and over 2,000 views on the YouTube channel and this number continues its growth. This is an expression of society’s growing interest in the latest scientific achievements and their impact on everyday life.

Scientists from IMP PAN and its KEZO Research Center took this splendid opportunity to communicate SUSTENANCE towards the society!

SUSTENANCE at #CE4EUislands Workshop, Pantelleria 2024

It gives us pleasure to inform you that Hans Bjerregaards from Bjerregaards Consulting participated in the Clean Energy for EU islands workshop, held just after the latest #CE4EUislands Forum 2024, on the beautiful Pantelleria island (Italy), where he presented SUSTENANCE project (Fig. 1, 2).

Fig. 1 Hans Bjerregaards communicating SUSTENANCE towards participants of the #CE4EUislands Workshop, May 2024.

SUSTENANCE is networking with Clean Energy for EU Islands secretariat to share experiences in terms of energy transition done locally for both geographical, as well as inland “energy islands”.  Hans Bjerregaards presentation was entitled: “Smart electricity systems for facilitating the decarbonization of islands: Demand-side management and flexibility”. Could heat pump technology become parts of the sustainable and cost efficient local energy systems at the EU islands? This and other aspects of the sustainable, smart and integrated means for green and local energy transition have been discussed at the workshop.

We are looking forward towards further share of experiences and potential collaboration!

Fig. 2 Hans Bjerregaards communicating SUSTENANCE towards participants of the #CE4EUislands Workshop, May 2024.

SUSTENANCE at the #BridgeEU General Assembly 2024

Fig. 1 The group photo of the participants to the #BridgeEU General Assembly 2024 (CINEA – European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency).

We are pleased to inform that SUSTENANCE was represented by Ewa Domke from the Institute of Fluid-Flow Macinery Polish Academy of Sciences at the #BridgeEU General Assembly held on April 9th and 10th 2024 in Brussels.

This was an outstanding opportunity to discuss the results achieved by SUSTENANCE within the initiative and to explore what other projects are working on, contributing to the European smart #EnergyTransition together!

SUSTENANCE at ISUW2024

Prof. Zakir Hussain Rather from Grid Integration Laboratory, IIT Bombay, participated in the Indian Smart Utility Week 2024 organized by the Indian Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) for the session on Emerging Technologies for Future to disseminate the ongoing work under the SUSTENANCE project at the Indian demonstration sites (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1 Prof. Zakir Hussain Rather disseminating SUSTENANCE at ISUW2024 (Source: ISUW2024).

The session focussed on the efficient interfacing of distributed energy resources and microgrids and the resulting electrification of areas previously deprived of its benefits, which has been one of the primary objectives of the SUSTENANCE project.

The session was chaired by Mr. SK Soonee, Former CEO, Grid Controller of India, and moderated by Mr. Pradyot Koley, Department of Science and Technology, and was attended by several distinguished speakers in the power and energy sector.

More about event: https://www.isuw.in/

SUSTENANCE PROJECT MEETING IN INDIA, February 2024

The H2020 “SUSTENANCE & RE-EMPOWERED Joint Project Workshop on carbon neutral sustainable energy systems” (Fig. 1) kicked-off the latest project gathering for SUSTENANCE on 6-8 February 2024 in India.

Fig. 1 SUSTENANCE and RE-EMPOWERED delegates from EU and India at the networking workshop in the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay (IITB), 6.02.2024.

The EU partners of SUSTENANCE travelled from Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland to India to  visit two of the three Indian project demonstration sites. First, partners were given a guided tour around the campus of IITB. This included a visit to the SHUNYA SMART building where researchers explained how they were testing the inter-operability of the smart electrical building and India’s first vehicle to grid car (Fig 2).

Fig. 2 The V2G car being tested at the Shunya building at IITB, India (Joanna Ptak, 2024).

There were also demonstrations of the prototypes that have been developed in the project. Partners could examine the EV chargers, e-rickshaw (Fig. 3) and the multi-utility heat pump and wind turbine that have been specifically designed for the Sustenance project.

Fig. 3 Prototype of an e-rickshaw at IITB in Bombay (Birgitte-Bak Jensen, 2024).

The last day of the SUSTENANCE meeting in India was devoted to visiting another of the Indian demonstration sites, Barubeda village (Fig.4 a,b). Barubeda is located in the state of Jharkhan and is a rural tribal village with limited connection to the electrical grid. The core income source of the villagers is agriculture. There is limited access to water in general, and clean water in particular. The village does not have access to any public transportation, and the inhabitants generally walk over 3 kms to reach the nearest road. Therefore Barubeda village is in dire need of a stable energy supply and thus the inhabitants are keen to establish a local sustainable energy system.

Fig. 4 a.b The remote village of Barubeda, Ranchi in the state of Jharkhand (Joanna Ptak, 2024)

Therefore the objectives of SUSTENANCE for Barubeda village are to deliver a sustainable clean local energy system for the remote off-grid village to improve the living standards of the villagers by providing reliable electricity access, e-rickshaw based green transportation and a reliable water supply. The Partners were thrilled to see first-hand evidence that the energy transition is already taking place in this remote location (Fig. 5)

Fig. 5 PV installation at Barubeda Village (Rakesh Sinha, 2024).

Last but not least, a big ‘thank you’ is given to prof. Zakir Rather from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and his wonderful team from the Grid Integration Lab for an outstanding organization of this 3-day long visit of SUSTENANCE partners in India.

SUSTENANCE at ENEX EXPO Energy Fair in Poland

Fig. 1 ENEX EXPO Energy Fair in Poland (Source: https://www.targikielce.pl/en/enex)

Over 25-years of development has made Kielce City the most essential points on the map of Poland’s renewable energy sector, a household name for all energy efficiency and technology aficionados. The ENEX EXPO attracts companies strongly focused on the development of the power engineering sector. ENEX EXPO offers the opportunity to meet leading manufacturers and distributors as well as see the industry’s latest solutions. ENEX is the place to establish valuable relationships that will pay off in the future. On 7th and 8th of February 2024, Kielce exhibition and congress centre became the stage for world premieres and strategic agreements.

(Fig. 2 a.b)

Therefore, Patryk Chaja (from Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN) and its KEZO Research Centre PAS) took this networking opportunity and participated in the 26th International Power Industry and Renewable Sources of Energy Fair ENEX (Fig. 1), interlinked with ENERGIA PL Conference, to present and discuss SUSTENANCE (Fig. 2 a,b)

SERENE and SUSTENANCE – Interview with BRIDGE projects

As you might know, SUSTENANCE participates in #BridgeEU.  This initiative of the CINEA – European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency is bringing together many European projects involved in a swift and smart energy transition.

When participating in the ENLIT Conference 2023, prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen took this opportunity to talk with the secretariat of #BridgeEU. As a result you can now watch the interview, in which prof. Bak-Jensen explains how both SUSTENANCE and SERENE projects (that she coordinates), aim to facilitate smart energy transition in Europe and beyond and how BRIDGE initiative is helping to achieve those goals.

SUSTENANCE REVIEW MEETING, January 2024

Since the two thirds of the duration of SUSTENANCE has already come to the end, Partners have recently participated  11-12.01.2024) in the online Review Meeting with a Representative of CINEA.

Partners presented their current work in the light of all the challenges and risks. A number of questions was raised and answered. Importantly, we are pleased to confirm that project is “so far” on track, and is gradually reaching its milestones, although the economical and political circumstances are rather volatile.

Still, there are loads of work (!) to be done in our 6 demonstrators (3 in EU and 3 in India), especially now when we have entered the “the last straight stretch of a race”!

Thank you all for the constructive meeting and let’s keep up the good work!

SUSTENANCE in Bridge Newsletter as of 13 December 2023

We are pleased to inform that “NEWS FROM SUSTENANCE” has been just published in the latest BRIDGE Newsletter | #EUbridge | #CINEA_EU |

Read the online version here →

SUSTENANCE at the European Hydrogen Week in Brussels

It gives us a pleasure to inform that SUSTENANCE was introduced by Sebastian Bykuć from Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN) and its KEZO Research Centre PAS during the fourth edition of the European Hydrogen Week, which took place on 20-24 November 2023 in Brussels.

Fig. 1 Sebastian Bykuć, MP PAN|KEZO Research Centre, at the #EUH2week’ EXPO area (Ewa Domke, IMP PAN).

Sebastian gave his presentation (see below) as a part of the session on R&I projects at the Polish booth (Hall 11-B43) of the Polish National Contact Point for EU Research Programmes at the #EUH2week’ EXPO area. He presented several research projects in the field of smart energy systems, in which IMP and its KEZO Research Centre are currently involved (being, next to SUSTENANCE, also SERENE, GREENHEAT, HYPERGRYD and LOCALISED).

Fig. 2 Sebastian Bykuć presenting SUSTENANCE at the European Hydrogen Week 2023 (Ewa Domke, IMP PAN).

SUSTENANCE in THE INNOVATION NEWS NETWORK

We are excited to point your attention to the latest appereance of SUSTENANCE in the Innovation News Network:

The SUSTENANCE project: Establishing sustainable energy systems in local communities

SUSTENANCE joins Enlit World Platform

We are thrilled to announce that SUSTENANCE become a part of ENLIT world. You can visit its profile in the projects directory here: SUSTENANCE on Enlit World
Further, we invite you to watch the introduction to the SUSTENANCE project, including the objectves of its 6 demonstrators, presented in a one, combo video:

SUSTENANCE at the #EURegionsWeek in Brussels

It gives us pleasure to report that prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen, a project coordinator of SUSTENANCE and SERENE, was among the speakers at the workshop held on 11th of October 2023, organised as a part of the 21st European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels.

The workshop entitled “Energy transition – making local and regional solutions replicable for Europe” gathered many participants and turned out to be an excellent platform for discussions about energy transition to be done locally, and its challenges (Fig. 1).

Fig.1 Prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen presenting SERENE and SUSTENANCE (Urszula Sokołowska, Pomorskie Region in EU)

How can we best stimulate user engagement? How can we successfully replicate the findings? What should be the means to involve also rental citizens? These were some of the major social issues addressed during the workshop, and it was a great advantage to listen to three presentations, which treated social, technical and economical challenges from different angles.

Prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen from AAU Energy gave her presentation about local paths towards energy transition based on experiences from two international projects covering altogether 9 demos located in EU and India, whereas other speakers were mr Iñigo Ansola Kareaga, Director General from Basque Energy Agency and mrs Janina Wilkos-Gad, a representative from the Municipality of Pruszcz Gdański from Poland. Ewa Domke, from the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN) was the moderator at the workshop.

SUSTENANCE at #EURegionsWeek 2023: WORKSHOP INVITATION

It gives us immense pleasure to invite you to participate in the „Energy transition – making local and regional solutions replicable for Europe” workshop, which will be held on 11th of October between 9:30-10:30 in Room 206, SQUARE Center in Brussels as part of the 21st European Week of Regions and Cities.

Energy transition is all about commitment to clean energy, but it is also about decentralising energy production. This workshop will cover initiatives that are contributing to decarbonisation efforts at local/regional level and showcase projects (including: SUSTENANCE), that are establishing integrated local energy systems (energy islands). The debate will offer local, regional and academic perspectives on the energy shift and its prerequisites, for example in terms of cooperation and sustainability.

Prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen, from Aalborg University, the project coordinator of SUSTENANCE and SERENE projects, will be among the speakers, next to , next to Iñigo Ansola Kareaga, Director General, Basque Energy Agency as well as Janina Wilkos-Gad, Representative, Municipality of Pruszcz Gdański. Ewa Domke from the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery Polish Academy of Sciences will moderate this workshop.

To learn more about the details of the event, and to register (latest before end of September!), please visit the following website:

www.europa.eu/regions-and-cities/programme/2023/sessions/3364

Looking forward to meeting you at the workshop!

SUSTENANCE at IEEE PES PowerTech Conference 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia

„(…) PowerTech is the anchor conference of the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) in Europe. It provides a forum for researchers and engineering professionals active in numerous segments of the electrical power engineering industry and academia to network, exchange ideas and share results of their scientific work. The IEEE PowerTech 2023 conference theme was “Leading innovations for resilient and carbon-neutral power systems” and both industry and academia were warmly welcomed to strengthen their collaboration and lead the innovation in the energy world. The conference is organized and co-sponsored by IEEE, PES and School of Electrical Engineering Belgrade – University of Belgrade, and was held in Belgrade, Serbia, on June 25-29, 2023” [1].

It was an honor to participate in a panel session for India-related projects at IEEE PES PowerTech Conference 2023 – says Rakesh Sinha from Aalborg University, Denmark. The presentation on “Integrated Community Energy System” was given in the special session on “International collaborative projects for the energy transition and rural electrification in India” on Thursday, 29th June, from 15:30-17:00 (Fig. 1). ”During this session, an overview of the SUSTENANCE H2020 project was given, with a focus on scope, objectives, technical developments, tools/demos, etc. along with best practices and lessons learned to foster the exchange of knowledge and best practices” – summarizes Rakesh Sinha.

”PES provides the world’s largest forum for sharing the latest in technological developments in the electric power industry, for developing standards that guide the development and construction of equipment and systems, and for educating members of the industry and the general public. With more than 409,000 members in more than 160 countries, IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity” [1].

[1] www.powertech2023.com

Fig. 1 Rakesh Sinha introducing SUSTENANCE during the special session on “International collaborative projects for the energy transition and rural electrification in India” at PowerTech Conference 2023.

SUSTENANCE at the SUSTAINABLE ENERGY DAYS under #EUSEW2023

Fig. 1 Banner introducing “Energy transition and its financing” conference.

It gives us pleasure to inform that Krzysztof Rafał has introduced SUSTENANCE project during a conference entitled “Energy transition and its financing” (Fig. 1, Fig. 2), which took place in Toruń Technology Park on 22 June 2023 in Poland, as a local event held under the Sustainable Energy Days of the EU Sustainable Energy Week (#EUSEW2023).

Sustainable Energy Days are activities and events organised by local public and private organisations around the world to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. They are a key component of the European Sustainable Energy Week.

More details about this particular event, which was organized by the Enterprise Europe Network at the Toruńska Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego – TARR S.A. can be found under those links:

⦁ Find a Sustainable Energy Day near you: https://sustainable-energy-week.ec.europa.eu/
⦁ Event website: https://een.tarr.org.pl/

Fig. 2 Dr Krzysztof Rafał introducing SUSTENANCE project at the “Energy transition and its financing” conference, 22.06.2023.

SUSTENANCE at CIRED 2023 in Rome, Italy

We are delighted to inform that prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen, a project coordinator of SUSTENANCE, was among the panelists of the debate on „Power distribution systems fostering Sustainability”, which panel was held as a part of the Opening Forum of CIRED (International Conference & Exhibition on Electricity Distribution) on 12th of June 2023.

Fig. 1 Birgitte Bak-Jensen among the panelists of the Opening Forum of CIRED 2023 [Source].

CIRED, the Leading Forum where the Electricity Distribution Community meets, holds the major International Electricity Conference & Exhibition every two years in different venues in Europe with a worldwide perspective and participation.
CIRED is always evolving and the 2023 event is the conference 27th edition, which this year takes place in Rome, located in the heart of Italy on 12-15 June 2023.
„It was a great honor to be a member of the opening panel at the CIRED 2023. We had very good discussion on how the distribution grids have to participate in the green transition by providing capacity for flexibility provision from costumers for the overall balancing of the electricity system as well as for enhancing the hosting capacity of the grid. Some future focus areas seen from academia point of view is concerning local energy communities where private costumers can go together and use local produced energy as well as help in provision of flexibility for the local grid. This is for instance explored in the SUSTENANCE H2020 project, SERENE H2020 project and RE-EMPOWERED EU-India Project, where both technical solutions as well a more social aspects such as business cases, regulation as well as user engagement are considered” – concludes Birgitte Bak-Jensen.
Further, ”Another future aspect is about considering multi-energy systems and how industry can contribute to the green transition and at the same time get benefits for their own companies. New very electricity consuming industries like P2X and data centers will be important new players, and the distribution infrastructure has to accommodate these together with the general electrification of other industries in port and industrial areas as well” – adds prof. Bak-Jensen.

Additionally, results from SUSTENANCE as well as SERENE H2020 projects were presented by prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen during the last sesssion of the CIRED Conference. Prof. Bak-Jensen discussed „how latent heat storage systems, together with heat pump applications, can be used for provision of flexibility in the distribution grid, still ensuring the costumer comfort and economy, by enabling charging at low price period or under self-production and utilization of stored energy during high price periods. The thermal dynamics of the systems have to be considered, to get the best utilization of the systems, which was modelled in the presented paper” (Fig.2).

Fig. 2 Slide from presentation by Birgitte Bak-Jensen at the CIRED 2023 Conference.

Participation in CIRED 2023 offers an opportunity to meet with up to 2500 experts and benefits from face-to-face interaction with key decision leaders in the field of Electricity Distribution.
An exhibition gathering over 140 companies will be running throughout the conference.

More information about the event: https://www.cired2023.org/

SUSTENANCE at The MIX Conference in Aalborg, Denmark

It gives us a pleasure to inform that prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen, a project coordinator of SUSTENANCE, participated in the The MIX Conference: „Displacement, migration and integration – out of the silo”, which was held on June 6-7 in Nordkraft, Aalborg.
The MIX Center – i.e. the organizers of this exceptional event – has asked a question: „What happens when we include technical sciences, design studies, health science and architecture in the discussions around migration? Can we produce new questions and new insights? Can we ‘see’ something that we did not understand before?” [1]
As a result, the recent MIX Conference consisted of four panels, and Birgitte Bak -Jensen was among the panelists of the debate focusing on ”Environmental changes, resilience and integration”.

Fig. 1 Birgitte Bak-Jensen introducing SUSTENANCE at the MIX Conference, 7 June 2023.

„(…) The decision to migrate is not only rooted in wars or differences in economic possibilities. Both historically and in contemporary societies it is also rooted in environmental changes in the country of origin. The present and foreseen climate changes are likely to create heat waves and droughts, which especially deteriorate living conditions in the countries closest to the equator. From a European perspective, this potentially increases the inflow of migration, especially from Africa. At the same time, it is widely acknowledged that countries might be more or less able to cope with environmental changes. The panel provide an interdisciplinary discussion of the major challenges and uncertainties connected to these processes” [1]

In this light, SUSTENANCE project and its ideas were brought into the discussion. SUSTENANCE can surely contribute to prevention of climate migration, and hence Birgitte Bak-Jensen introduced ideas from the project, mainly with respect to the Indian demonstration sites, regarding the following issues: how local energy communities can be formed to enhance the living in remote rural areas? Can setting up energy systems ensure, for instance, water pumping? What is the potential of electric rickshaw mobility as well as cleaner cooking possibilities in isolated areas? Importantly, these aspects could be additionally used for refugee camps to ensure the energy supply.

Fig. 2 Discussion during the MIX Conference [ Source ] 

The Center for Displacement, Migration and Integration (MIX) is a forum for all social science and humanities reserachers at Aalborg University. The Center covers a wide varietu of reserach interests, methods and theorethical approaches related to displacement, migration and integration. The aim is to share knowledge and facilitate inter-disciplinary reserach that increases our understanding of how and why people move and re-settle, the integration of ethnic minorities and societal responses to immigration [2].

References & more info:
[1] The MIX Conference: „Displacement, migration and integration – out of the silo” https://www.politics-society.aau.dk/research/mix/events/event/mix-conference–displacement–migration-and-integration—out-of-the-silo.cid542884
[2] The MIX Center https://www.politics-society.aau.dk/research/mix/

Gathering of SUSTENANCE project partners at the Polish demonstrator in the City of Sopot in Poland

Fig. 1 SUSTENANCE Consortium at the Polish demonstration site of the Mickiewicza Housing Association in the City of Sopot, the 1st of June 2023 [Jarosław Kizło, Energa-Operator 2023].

It gives us pleasure to inform that the Consortium and General Assembly meetings of SUSTENANCE were held in the City of Sopot, located in the north of Poland between 1-2 June 2023.
This time, next to the regular project meetings, partners have additionally visitied a Polish demonstrator in SUSTENANCE, which is located in the picturesque City of Sopot. It is the Mickiewicza Housing Association, that takes its first steps towards a sustainable energy system and investigates possibilities of setting-up a local energy community. We invite you to watch a project video to find out about goals set for this project demo and also ask you to stay tuned for the upcoming SUSTENANCE newsletter that will sum up the progresss made during last 6 months in all of the SUSTENANCE demonstrators.
Thank you all the participants (online and onsite) for presentations on progress done in all of the project demos located in the 3 participating EU countries (in Denmark, the Netherlands and in Poland) as well as in the 3 demos located in India. Meetings included fruitful discussions and planning of the upcoming tasks. As a result, it can be stated that all the demo sites have shown good progress.
Having energy transition always in their hearts, some partners from Denmark as well as all of the Dutch partners of SUSTENANCE have reached Sopot City by trains, which made their journeys certainly longer and more challenging, though so much more environmentally friendly!
Last but not least – thank you very much Polish partners for organisation of this project’s meeting.

Pictures from the project meetings and a field visit:

Invitation to participate in the project survey

Title of Research Study: Building a Low Carbon, Climate Resilient Future: Secure, clean and efficient energy by University of Twente

WHAT AM I BEING ASKED TO DO?
You are being asked to participate in a research project that will survey you about your economic and political attitudes towards local, clean, and secure energy. The goal of this project is to understand people’s energy use and their attitude towards sustainable and green energy transitions. The results of the survey will be used for internal and external reports as well as a scholarly publications. All survey respondents will remain anonymous and will not be personally identifiable. This project is funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020. You will first report on your demographic information, then the questions will focus on your energy use and related concerns.

The survey has 65 questions and takes about 20 minutes. It is available in 4 languages!
To participate in this study, you must also meet the following criteria:
1. You are 18 years old or older.
2. You have not taken this survey before.
3. You have agreed to participate in this survey by clicking to the beginning.

What are the potential risks and benefits of participation?
There are no risks associated with participation in this study. There are no direct benefits associated with participation in this study. What about privacy and confidentiality? Because we do not ask for your name or other information that might uniquely identify you, the responses you provide can never be traced specifically to you. You will be identifiable using an anonymous ID number, not your personally identifiable information such as names and addresses.

Voluntary participation and withdrawal
Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. If you agree to be in the study, you may stop at any time. You may stop by exiting this web page or by simply closing your web browser. You may also skip any questions you do not want to answer.

Who should I contact if I have questions?
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the researchers: Frans Coenen (f.h.j.m.coenen@utwente.nl). If you have any questions about your rights as a human subject in this research, you may also contact Frans Coenen. By clicking to the beginning of the survey you are agreeing to participate in this survey.

SURVEY →

FLEXIBLE AND EFFICIENT ENERGY CONSUMPTION IS A GREEN TRANSITION KEY

Source: Aalborg Univeristy, April 2023.

We would like to invite you to watch below video prepared by Aalborg University (AAU), where prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen, coordinator of SUSTENANCE H2020 project, together with Henrik L. Stærmose, CEO in Neogrid Technologies ApS and prof. Pavani Ponnaganti from AAU talk about the research in collaboration with industry in the field of flexible and efficient energy consumption.
The AAU researchers test new control technology and simulation models that interact with the power grid at the demonstration sites in the Municipality of Skanderborg in collaboration with Neogrid Technologies ApS.

SUSTENANCE participated in the #bridgeEU General Assembly, in March 2023

Photo: CINEA, 2023.

The Bridge initiative stimulates cooperation between H2020 project’s working on smart grids, energy storage, islands and digitalisation. The idea is to identify synergies between these different projects by fostering continuous knowledge sharing to make conclusions and recommendations about the future exploitation of project results. A high focus is placed on enabling the future energy system to gain flexibility in sector coupled systems and the future digitalization and application of energy storage in different forms – i.e. power to X, thermal storage and electrical storage.

SUSTENANCE representatives have already participated two times in the Bridge General Assembly meetings, while the latter one, held in March 2023, was for the first time held both online and onsite.

Ewa Domke from Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery Polish Academy of Sciences, who is SUSTENANCE represenatative with respect to Consumer and Citizen Engagement Work Group, together with Hans Bjerregaards from Bjerregaards Consulting, who coordinates the whole SUSTANANCE Bridge Team with respect to the participation in the overall Bridge initiative, participated in the onsite meetings in Brussels in 2023. Other Partners joined thematic sessions online.

SUSTENANCE at the 1st Polish-Ukrainian Local Administration Forum

It gives us pleasure to inform that the representatives of 21 local self-governors from Ukraine visited Poland to participate in the 1st Polish-Ukrainian Local Administration Forum held on 21-24 of March 2023. On Friday, 24th of March, the Ukrainian representatives visited the KEZO Research Centre PAS of the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN), which is located in Jabłonna.

The 1st Polish-Ukrainian Local Administration Forum was organised by the city and municipality of Serock, the Association of the Social Committee for Assistance to the City and Municipality of Serock, the organisation “Serockie Inwestycje Samorządowe”, the Center for Development of local administration and the Polish-Ukrainian Agrarian Association.

Fig. 1 Site visit at the KEZO Research Centre.

During the site visit of the Ukrainian delegation at the KEZO Research Centre on 24 March 2023, Paweł Zawadzki gave guests a tour around the KEZO facilities (Fig.1), whereas Weronika Radziszewska talked about the undergoing european and international projects, in which IMP PAN and its KEZO Research Centre PAS are actively participating, including (among others) the SUSTENANCE H2020 project (Fig.2).

The Ukrainian delegation was interested in the potential to use the presented technologies and solutions in their municipalities as a part of rebuilding of the infrastructure.

Fig. 2 Weronika Radziszewska presenting SUSTENANCE project.

More about this Forum:
✔ www.serock.pl/4715,2023-rok?tresc=29370

Photos: Jorg Verstraete, KEZO Research Centre.

Meeting with citizens in Voerladegård, in the Municipality of Skanderborg in March 2023

Nearly all of the hosts from the Danish demonstration site in SUSTENANCE, located in Voerladegård village in the Skanderborg Municipality, participated in the status meeting held on 16th March’23.

The aim of this meeting was to inform involved citizens about the status quo of the implementation of heat pumps, related supervision and control unit, and importantly – to get direct inputs from this local community.

Presentations were made by representatives from Aalborg University (Fig.1), Neogrid Technologies ApS (Fig.2) as well as the Municipality of Skanderborg. A lot of questions were raised both related to the actual set up of the heat pumps and control equipment, but also with respect to the app set up for supervision of the actual status of the parameters to be measured in the houses. As a result, it was agreed that another workshop will be much needed to present the app as soon as the majority of citizens (i.e. hosts of the demo) has got the equipment.

Last but not least, the Municipality of Skanderborg also informed about new initiatives in Voerladegaard concerning working groups on district heating and Termo nets.

Such meetings are very important to keep up the good cooperation between SUSTENANCE’s partners and the hosts of the Danish demonstrator.

Thank you all for good discussions!

Fig. 1 Prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen (project leader from the Aalborg University) presents the obligations of Aalborg University within the project.

Fig. 2 Morten veis Donnerup (Neogrid Technologies Aps) presents the status of the set-up of heat-pumps and implementation of control unit.

Fig. 3 Rikke (master student in Techno Anthropology) present ideas for upcoming survey about user interaction and expectations for the app development.

CAN LOCAL COMMUNITIES BE SELF-SUFFICIENT WITH GREEN ENERGY?

AAU Energy has just released a video, where prof. Birgitte-Bak Jensen presents shortly SUSTENANCE H2020 project.

„LOCAL COMMUNITIES CAN BE SELF-SUFFICIENT WITH GREEN ENERGY if it’s possible to manage the consumption according to how much renewable energy is avaible. Birgitte Bak-Jensen from AAU Energy is a project leader of SUSTENANCE H2020 project, which will test various solutions with decentralized energy from solar and wind in villages in India, Denmark, Poland and the Netherlands. Even though energy is used very differently in Denmark and India, exchange of experiences with management of the local energy system is extremely useful, says the professor from Aalborg Universitet”.

Source: AAU LinkedIn profile 

Read more (English)
Read more (Danish)

SUSTENANCE at #SPPMeetupBrussels2023

Dr Weronika Radziszewska from KEZO Research Centre PAS|Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN) participated in the “SCIENCE: POLISH PERSPECTIVES Meetup Brussels” event, held on the 9th-10th of March 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. Dr Radziszewska took this splendid opportunity to present SUSTENANCE during this exceptional networking event. “SCIENCE: POLISH PERSPECTIVES Meetup Brussels” is a joint initiative of the Polonium Foundation, Polish Science Contact Agency “PolSCA” of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Brussels, the Office of Centre of Research and Development in Brussels – Business & Science Poland and the Embassy of Poland in Brussels.

✔ More about #SPPMeetupBrussels2023:
www.poloniumfoundation.org/meetupbrussels2023

SUSTENANCE at Enex Fair and ENERGIAPL Conference 2023 in Kielce, Poland

SUSTENANCE was present at the 25th International Power Industry and Renewable Sources of Energy Fair ENEX held on 8-9 March 2023 in Targi Kielce in Poland.
Not only was SUSTENANCE promo video displayed at STAY-ON’s Stand (E-20) at the ENEX Fair (Fig. 1)., but most interestingly it was possible to meet Pawel Grabowski, President and CEO at Grupa STAY-ON there, and discuss with him about energy management systems and energy storage solutions under development in the polish demonstrator of SUSTENANCE H2020 project.

Furthermore, the works carried out under SUSTENANCE were also disseminated during the 5th edition of the “ENERGIAPL Conference”, which is an event associated with the ENEX Fairs. Patryk Chaja from the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN)|KEZO Research Centre, gave a dedicated presentation about SUSTENANCE project and particularly its Polish demonstrator located in the Mickiewicza Housing Association in Sopot in Poland. (Topic of presentation: „A vision of an energy community on the example of an association of the multi-family buildings – SUSTENANCE project”; In Polish: Wizja wspólnoty energetycznej na przykładzie osiedla budynków wielorodzinnych – projekt SUSTENANCE”.

„The 25th Enex turned out to be record-breaking in many respects. 248 companies from 15 countries presented their offers at Targi Kielce. The Kielce exhibition and congress centre hosted 22,000 visitors. The exhibitors showcased and presented the latest energy-saving and ecological technologies for renewable energy sources’ sector. The Exhibitors brought together for the power industry meeting offered a plethora of modern heating and ventilation systems, the latest photovoltaic and energy storage solutions, schemes designed to improve energy efficiency, and even hydrogen technologies.”

Source and more about event: www.targikielce.pl/en/enex

Fig. 1 SUSTENANCE project video display at the STAY-ON’s Stand (E-20) at the ENEX Fair.

Fig. 2 Patryk Chaja from IMP PAN/KEZO Research Centre presenting SUSTENANCE during the 5th edition of the “ENERGIAPL Conference”.

SUSTENANCE at #ISUW2023 in New Delhi

This year’s 9th edition of „International Conference and Exhibition on Smart Energy and Smart Mobility” (on the contrary to the last year’s online-only edition) was held entirely onsite in New Delhi, India between 28th of Feb and 4th of March 2023.

It is with pleasure we can inform that Prof. Zakir Hussain Rather, from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, participated in this excellent event with a presentation focused on SUSTENANCE, which he gave during the “12th EU-India Smart Grid Workshop”, at the session entitled: “EU – India Smart Grid Demonstration Projects” at #ISUW2023. In his speech he briefed works carried out by SUSTENANCE partners from Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland as well as India with respect to actions taken at local demo sites, which are aimed at development of integrated, sustainable energy systems dedicated for local communities.

Fig.1 Prof. Zakir Hussain Rather (first from the right side) at the “12th EU-India Smart Grid Workshop” at #ISUW2023, 2nd of March 2023 [Source: @India Smart Utility Week (ISUW) at Linkedin]

SUSTENANCE is already now looking forward to the next year’s edition of this exceptional networking opportunity!
More information about this year’s conference and exhibition, including pictures as well as videos from thematic sessions, will be available soon at the event website: www.isuw.in

ABOUT INDIA SMART UTILITY WEEK (ISUW): „India is spearheading an ambitious mission on energy transition and is the only major economies that exceeded the targets under the Paris Agreement by end of 2020. India has now set a new target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030; and working on innovative policies and programs for holistic transformation to decarbonize the energy, transport, manufacturing and other sectors.
Since inception in 2011, India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) has been spearheading the movement towards digitalization of utilities in India. Highly disruptive black swan events like Covid-19 presented never before opportunities for innovation and transformation with profound implications in the long term. In the aftermath of Covid-19, digital platforms have become the coveted assets for utilities in their business continuity and resiliency. Government of India has launched a new program that mandates smart meters for all the 250 million+ electricity customers in the country. This is going to create data driven smart utilities which will open up new business opportunities for organizations providing tools and services to host and manage the humungous amounts of data utilities are expected to generate in the near future. Utilities in India have embarked on the digitalization drive and embracing emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Robotics, Blockchain etc.
ISGF has been organising its flagship annual event, India Smart Utility Week (ISUW) since 2015 and it is considered as one of the top five international events on Smart Grids, Electric Mobility and Smart Cities. All the previous editions of ISUW (initially known as India Smart Grid Week – ISGW) were huge success that attracted the attention and participation of the whose-who amongst top-notch thinkers and utility leaders from around the globe. Technology Companies, Regulators, Policy Makers, Government Officials and Senior Officials from Electricity, Water and Gas Utilities from 50+ countries participated every year in the past editions of ISUW. Due to COVID-19, ISUW 2021 and ISUW 2022 were conducted on a 3D virtual platform. ISUW 2021 was attended by over 2700 delegates and addressed by 457 Speakers from 49 Countries. ISUW 2022 was attended by over 2744 delegates and addressed by 396 Speakers from 61 Countries.”

Source: https://www.isuw.in/introduction

Polish and Dutch partners met in KEZO Research Centre in Poland on the 26th of January 2023

It gives us pleasure to report that researchers from University of Twente has just visited KEZO Research Centre to meet with teams from IMP PAN and STAY-ON to discuss the common research tasks and the publication plan.
The main discussion was focussed around the electromobility, which is a key element in the Polish demonstrator. The research group of Gerwin Hoogsteen from UT has recently developed a working charging scheduler on the campus of University of Twente, and this experience could be partly implemented in other places. The discussion was mainly focussed on works in WP6 and WP7.

Keep up the good work!

Fig. UT’s, STAY-ON’s and IMP PAN’s teams meeting in KEZO Research Centre in January 2023.

SUSTENANCE at the TechConnect event at IITB, Bombay campus in India in December 2022

We are happy to inform that one of ca. 90 exhibition booths at the TechConnect event, held between 16th and 18th of December at the campus of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB, Bombay), was devoted to communication and dissemination of SUSTENANCE.
Visitors could get familiar with all of the 6 project demonstrators in SUSTENANCE project (invluding 3 from India) by means of promotional materials such as project posters or leaflets, as well as could watch project videos, informing about the project demonstrators from Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland. Last but not least, it was a splendid possibiity to discuss onsite with partners directly involved in realization of SUSTENANCE from Indian side.

„TechConnect is IIT Bombay’s largest research outreach activity inspiring, influencing, and kindling the scientific temperament of children, students and adults of all ages alike. Conducted as a part of Techfest, this exhibition showcases the Institute’s R&D achievements in reaching out to critical societal needs and industry requirements, as well as contributions to basic research”.

Source:  https://www.iitb.ac.in/en/breaking-news/dr-v-narayanan-inaugurates-techconnect-2022

The SUSTENANCE project booth at the TechConnect [Photos by IITB]:

SUSTENANCE Joint Project Review & Consortium/General Assembly Meeting was held in the Netherlands in November’22

SUSTENANCE project partners met to present and discuss progress and/or the challenges related to the realisation of the work packages on 23rd & 24th of November 2022 in Enschede. The majority participated in person, while some were online – especially our project partners from India. These were two intensive days packed with the Consortium Meeting, a Lab Tour, the General Assembly, and importantly the Review Meeting. This covered the first 14 months of the project and partners provided their reports to the representative from CINEA – European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency.
The presentations on the four demonstration sites were initiated by the recently finalised videos. These provide informative overviews of the particular goals behind each of the demonstrator countries in the EU, and were finalised with constructive discussions on how to best move forward.

Thank you SUSTENANCE Dutch Partners for such a splendid organisation of this important project gathering!

Article introducing SUSTENANCE in the latest Innovation Platform

It gives us pleasure to inform that SUSTENANCE project has been just introduced in latest “The Innovation Platform”, Issue 11, September 2022 by Innovation News Network, within an article entitled “Future local communities will supply their own green, renewable energy”, where prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen from AAU Energy, DK – project coordinator of SUSTENANCE as well as SERENE (H2020 projects) “(…) outlines how EU projects help to establish local energy communities, ensuring carbon neutrality by intelligently controlling the local production and usage of green energy (…)”

Upload article here

Enjoy reading!

SUSTENANCE at #GSESRE2022

As we can read on the conference website, „GSESRE2022 aims to bring together the renowned researchers, scientists and scholars to exchange ideas, to present sophisticated research works and to discuss hot topics in the field and share their experiences on all aspects of Sustainable and Renewable Energy”.
Hense, it gives us pleasure to report that prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen, SUSTENANCE project coordinator, who was also among the Key Note Speakers during this excellent event, took this opportunity to introduce SUSTENANCE, next to the other international project, which is also coordinated by AAU, DK, namely SERENE.

SUSTENANCE at the 2022 BRIDGE General Assembly

It gives us pleasure to inform that SUSTENANCE representatives participated in the 2022 BRIDGE General Assembly held in March 2022.

The BRIDGE Initiative has 4 working groups and each of them was followed by a rep from SUSTENANCE H2020 project during last week meetings.

The project’s representatives felt that not only will SUSTENANCE H2020 project greatly benefit from participating, but that they will also be able to make positive contributions to the different Working Groups.
Looking forward to this cooperation and also contribution with our findings!

SUSTENANCE at ISUW22

ISGF (India Smart Grid Forum) has been organising its flagship annual event, India Smart Utility Week (ISUW) since 2015 and it is considered as one of the top five international events on Smart Grids, Electric Mobility and Smart Cities.
The 8th edition of ISGF’s flagship annual event, the India Smart Utility Week (further SUW 2022) , an International Conference and Exhibition on Smart Energy and Smart Mobility was held from 02 – 04 March 2022 on a 3D Virtual Platform. ISUW 2022 has witnessed participation of Visionary Leaders, Utility CEOs, Regulators, Policy Makers and Subject Matter Experts from 61 Countries. From the overwhelming feedbacks received by the organizers, we learned that ISUW 2022 was an outstanding success attended by 2744 Delegates including 740 Utility Officials from India and Overseas and 396 eminent Speakers shared their knowledge and ideas.
Therefore, it gives us immense pleasure to inform you that prof. Birgitte Bak-Jensen, project coordinator, was among the speakers and introduced the SUSTENANCE project during the “11th EU – INDIA SMART GRID WORKSHOP” (Fig. 1). SUSTENANCE was additionally presented in the so-called EU Zone Booth with the dedicated project stand (Fig. 2) To see the posters presented at the stand please click here.

Fig. 1 Birgitte Bak Jensen introducing SUSTENANCE during ISUW 2022.

Fig. 2 SUSTENANCE stand in the EU Zone Booth at ISUW 2022.To find out more about this exceptional event, we highly recommend you visit http://www.isuw.in/ and you will find plenty of post-event materials there.
SUSTENANCE is already now looking forward to the 9th edition planned for March 2023!