Innovative, Community-Integrated PV systems

PV is growing fast, from domestic and commercial, up to utility scale systems. In the years ahead PV systems and solutions will be an integral contributor of distributed generation, pivotal in building functional energy communities, aggregated and operated through advance distributed controls in hierarchical set up with the integrated grid. Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Increase the profitability and penetration of PV systems in renewable energy communities.
• Engage actively citizens and communities in the clean energy transition in particular through the uptake of energy cooperatives and the development of decentralized platforms.

Proposals are expected to demonstrate a community-aggregated system with a portfolio of producers and users to facilitate the energy transition to a low carbon economy. Through this approach solutions can effectively address the need for overcoming energy poverty, support energy democracy, and expand cooperative solutions for the collective benefit of providers and users. Peer to peer trading and use can be made feasible and emerging solutions highly attractive and implementable.

• Planning, plant optimisation tools, advanced installation criteria, construction issues to increase yield and thus economic performance of PV systems in the built environment.
• Implementation of collective self-consumption schemes, design, simulation, integration with storage, interaction with electric mobility and interaction with the electrical grid to provide power flexibility.
• Effective protocols and robust communication and cooperation between the various required levels of control that is cyber secure, offering the benefits of advanced smart power electronics, sensors and intelligent systems.

This topic requires the effective contribution of Social Science and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. Social innovations should also be considered, notably as new tools, ideas and methods leading to active citizen engagement and as drivers of social change, social ownership, and new social practices.

International cooperation with the Mediterranean Region is encouraged.

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.