STORY wants to demonstrate and evaluate innovative approaches for energy storage systems. The challenge is to find solutions, which are affordable, secure and ensure an increased percentage of self-supply. The project consists of eight different demonstration cases each with different local / small-scale storage concepts and technologies, covering industrial and residential environments. These demonstrations feed into a large-scale impact assessment, with the central question being: “What could be the added value of storage in the distribution grid?”

The project explores whether the existing telecommunication infrastructure is sufficient to support in mass scale the emerging business models and Smart Grid services. Also, the project supports standardization activities by proposing adaptation to data models of market-oriented and field-level standards. SmarterEMC2 the project includes 3 real-world pilots and 3 large-scale lab simulations.

The overall objective of Project Sensible is to develop, demonstrate and evaluate a storage-enabled sustainable energy supply for buildings and communities. The project will work towards achieving the 2030 target set by the European Union, namely to reduce green house gas emissions by 40% and create a sustainable energy supply. A wide range of partners will work together to demonstrate that EU 2030 targets can be met on a local level, through intelligent integration of existing small-scale technologies with local power system grids.

RealValue project commenced in June 2015 and is a €15.5m European energy storage project funded by Horizon 2020, the largest Research and Innovation Programme in Europe (€12M funding from the EC). The duration of the Project is 36 months. RealValue aims to demonstrate how local small-scale energy storage, optimised with advanced ICT, could bring benefits to market participants throughout EU. Smart Electric Thermal Storage (SETS) will be deployed in physical demonstration trials in 1250 homes in Germany, Latvia and Ireland but the analysis will also consider other storage technologies and energy vectors, including integration with district heating and micro-generation.

P2P-SmartTest project investigates and demonstrates a smarter electricity distribution system integrated with advanced ICT, regional markets and innovative business models. It will employ Peer-to-Peer (P2P) approaches to ensure the integration of demand side flexibility and the optimum operation of DER and other resources within the network while maintaining second-to-second power balance and the quality and security of the supply.

The project offered innovative solutions for all the actors of the Smart grid, to create more secure and stable Smart Grids and cleaner and affordable energy. In addition, to make possible an efficient implementation of these solutions, the project will work on the analysis of new business models, as well as improvements in legislation and regulation in the field of Smart Grids.

MIGRATE stands for Massive InteGRATion of power Electronic devices. The aim of MIGRATE is to find solutions for the technological challenges the grid is currently and especially in future faced with, in particular with the increasing share of renewable energy which is integrated into the grid. The project will try to develop new approaches, paving the way for the implementation of power electronic devices in large scale. European TSOs, manufactures and universities/research centers have joined the consortium in order to investigate such challenges. MIGRATE’s aim is to provide requirements for future measures, methods and tools for a secure operation of the upcoming converter dominated power system in order to avoid potential coming blackouts.

The project aims at improving on the performances of electricity networks since they have a central role to address the increasing complexity of the electricity system, while remaining the starting point for progressing towards an energy system approach because of its potential connections with heat, transport, gas, etc.

The project aims to integrate cutting-edge technologies, solutions and mechanisms in a scalable Cross-Functional Platform (CMP) of replicable solutions to connect existing energy networks with diverse stakeholders with enhanced observability of both generation and consumption profiles which will facilitate the optimal and dynamic operation of the Distribution Grid, fostering the stability of the electricity grid and coordination of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and innovative collaborative Storage schemes within a continuously increased share of Renewable Energy (RES).

The project aims at demonstrating how DSOs enable the different stakeholders to actively participate in the energy market and to develop and implement new business models, making use of new data management and consumer involvement approaches. This project looks for demonstrating scalable and replicable solutions in an integrated environment that enable DSOs to plan and operate the network with a high share of DRES in a stable, secure and economic way, using flexibility inherently offered by specific technologies and by interaction with different stakeholders.