Ghent University

The academic partners of Ghent University, consisting of the Electrical Energy Lab (EELAB), the Building Physics Group (BFG) and the Centre for Environmental Economics and Environmental Management (CEEM) of Ghent University, determine the possible contribution of distributed assets to Security of Supply (SoS). This starts by modelling the potential of assets such as PhotoVoltaic (PV) solar panel systems, HPs, EVs and BESS, considering only technical constraints. This is corrected to practical potential using behavioral economics, taking the preferences and attitude of end-users into account. Finally, the interaction with the Belgian interconnected electricity system is simulated with time horizons of 2025, 2030 and beyond. The impact on running hours of existing and reduced need for new (fossil-fired) power plants is evaluated.

70GigaWatt Consulting

70GigaWatt Consulting bv provides advice and support on a broad range of energy and energy market related topics. Core focus is on pricing/tariffing, energy sales/purchase, risk management and business case calculations for projects with a large exposure to energy related markets.

In FlexSys, 70GigaWatt Consulting will mainly focus on correct valuation of potential flexibility measures.

70GigaWatt Consulting will also provide hands on support to the theoretical part of the study.

Next Kraftwerke Belgium

Next Kraftwerke is a company of German origin positioning itself as a one-stop-shop for the valorization of electrical flexibility. We use our market expertise and technical knowhow to optimally run decentralized production, flexible demand, and energy storage system on the short-term electricity markets and the reserve power markets of grid operators. Across Europe, we valorize a portfolio of over 11 000 units with a combined power of more than 9 GW. Our Virtual Power Plant optimizes these assets based on real-time data, accounting for local constraints, close-to-real-time forecasts, prices etc.  The Belgian branch was founded in 2014 and quickly grew to one of the main providers of reserve power to Elia and a leading balancing responsible party (BRP) for several green suppliers.

In the FlexSys project, Next Kraftwerke will apply its broad expertise in the electricity and ancillary services markets to evaluate different business cases and asses their sensitivity to regulatory changes. We will investigate which data streams need to be set up between the energy community and other market actors, and if technical and regulatory requirements can be changed to easier accommodate energy communities. In the proof of concept, flexible assets will be connected to Next’s Virtual Power Plant to test their potential in real-world conditions.

Energent

Energent cv is a citizens energy cooperative initiated in the city of Ghent, currently active in the province of East Flanders. As a cooperative Energent invests in renewable energy production projects such as solar power plants, windturbines and heat networks. Energent offers several services to its cooperative members and the citizens of our region, such as groups purchase of residential solar installations, organisation of residential energy scans and coaches residents to improve the energy efficiency of their dwellings.

In Flexsys Energent will take the lead in the organisation of the stakeholder analysis and the bussines analysis.

Ecopower

Ecopower cv is a cooperative supplier and producer of green energy with more than 60.000 cooperative members (citizens). To 50.000 of its cooperative members, Ecopower supplies green electricity from its own renewable energy production assets (e.g. wind turbines and PV installations). Ecopower was founded in 1991 and has three main goals: invest in renewable energy, supply 100% green electricity to its cooperative members and promoting rational use of energy, renewable energy and the cooperative business model in general.

Within the FlexSys project, Ecopower will take the lead in defining the value propositions to end-users and investigate best practices for end-users interaction with flexibility. Ecopower is also responsible for the project dissemination of the FlexSys project. As one of the market partners within the project, Ecopower will contribute to the stakeholder analysis as well.

EnergieID

EnergieID cvso was founded in 2014 as a cooperative with social finality under Belgian law. It has one main goal: contribute to the transition to an environmentally sustainable, socially just and economically stable society by setting up services in the field of information technology. EnergieID builds and maintains a SaaS-platform to help families and organisations to manage their energy and water consumption as well as their transport kilometres, waste and renewable energy production. EnergieID is involved in several projects to raise citizen’s awareness around climate impact and texperience with native IOS/Android app development (UIA Circular South), VPP-technology development (RescoopVPP) and co-development of blockchain-based wallets (UIA Circular South). 

Together with Next Kraftwerke, EnergieID tackles the challenges of controlling and managing an exceptionally large fleet of distributed assets, required to provide the necessary scale and impact on the Belgian energy system. A minimal viable solution is developed and tested as a Proof of Concept (PoC) on a limited number of real-world installations (households and businesses) under controlled circumstances. The feedback from these tests is used, both for behavioral analysis and the development of viable value-propositions.