ISGAN Awards- Runner-Up: FutureFlow, a 4-year EU-project for the integration of renewable energy sources with CyberGrid's participation was named second best. On July 28, 2020, the International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) bestowed the annual Awards of Excellence in the field of innovation, integration and smart grid system transformations. Among the nominations from all over the world, the H2020 EU-project FutureFlow is Runner-Up.
The International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) represents a strategic platform of 25 countries in five continents to support the accelerated development and deployment of greener, more efficient and smarter electricity grids around the world. Since 2014, the organization has been distributing awards to outstanding projects demonstrating excellence in applying digitalized smart grid technologies to enable consumers to take more energy control.
This year’s award focused on digitalisation at a global level, facilitating the empowerment of the consumer (“Digitalization Enabling Consumer Empowerment”). In this competition, project FutureFlow, a €13 million EU-funded led by the Slovenian Transmission System Operator (TSO) ELES, was named Runner-up of the 6th ISGAN Award of Excellence. Being a consortium member, CyberGrid is happy about the award and congratulates ELES for developing this innovative project with the objective of integrating new energy sources into the electricity system for additional sustainability of the energy system that is also economically viable.
Prosumers as guardians of the power system
In FutureFlow, industry leaders joined forces to define operating models for future electricity markets in Europe. In this pilot project, Transmission system operators (TSO) in four countries partnered with developers and consultants to develop a cross-border trading place for consumers, prosumers, renewable energy producers as a flexibility providers. Because of its overarching low-carbon focus it became the largest research project financed by the EU program Horizon 2020, conceptualized and led by a Slovenian company (ELES). Running from January 2016 through December 2019, the project addressed the need to make it easier for energy assets including renewables-RES (generators: wind, hydro, PV, C&I loads and prosumers) to offer their flexibilities and to participate in energy markets.
The results were positive: pilot tests proved in real time that these smaller units can indeed be a reliable source of flexibility, which could help system operators maintain balance in the electricity system and remain reliable providers of electricity. It was also demonstrated that renewable energy is helping society to walk a more sustainable way of life.
Video: our Flexibility Management Software applied in FutureFlow.
Project Manager Andraz Andolsek presenting the results of FutureFlow.
CyberNoc flexibility management software applied to FutureFlow
The role of CyberGrid in this project was fundamental. The Project Manager Andraž Andolšek headed the development and deployed an innovative aFRR flexibility aggregation platform within the control zones of four participating TSOs. CyberGrid’s award-winning technology 'CyberNoc' interfaced with about 100 energy assets acquired by the aggregator GEN-I. Real-life pilot runs, with more than 50 MW of flexibility, proved 60% cost reduction for automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve among these four countries. Such practical experiences are very valuable. With it, TSOs can now achieve better results in managing imbalances in the grid.
