Wrapping up the first year: what we have done and what’s coming in TwinERGY
2021 has been an intensive year for TwinERGY. To end it as it deserves, during our 12th Consortium meeting we reviewed the advances, the completed and started activities carried out and what’s coming for the next year. Keep reading:
The nine modules are taking shape
Twinergy partners are working in concert to ensure that the objectives set by the project are met, and this year has been especially intense for developers of the digital framework. The development of Demand Response solutions involves implementing modules that provide information in real time about the conditions and particularities of users, and allow, through Digital Twin technology, interoperate and optimise the conditions in which these users consume, generate or they store energy, as well as their individual and aggregated ability to operate in the market.
TwinERGY’s digital framework
Throughout this last year, the project’s team has been testing the technology in nine use cases by developing nine modules that foster global savings through a new pioneer energy system. From a wearable device to capture environmental data and comfort levels of participants, to a co-created social network platform that helps consumers comprehend their energy management while enhancing engagement and end-users awareness. Or as the implementation of a real-time energy monitoring module using smart plugs combined with environment data and optimal RES selection. Or the module that allows the optimisation for demand-side management by implementing a building’s digital twin and an optimisation of the Demand Response framework that minimise the end-user-costs and enables the use of renewables, have been some of the actions that stand out across the year.
Testing the modules in real-life
Pilots play a central role in testing how the actions performed in real scenarios. In Benetutti participants attended a face-to-face event where STAM, the demo-site manager, presented TwinERGY and the main plans to create a sustainable energy grid that solves power fluctuations and promotes citizen participation.
TH OWL organised some months ago a series of workshops to engage Steinheim residents into the project and they are currently undertaking pilots’ activities such as the renting of e-vehicles to boost renewable energy. Moreover, IES is working on the digital twin for the Greek pilot in Athens via an ICL platform. KWMC with the help of Ideas for Change are on the phase of defining, together with the citizens involved in the Bristol pilot, the way users want to be involved and the data governance project, via a participative workshop where they are informed of benefits and risks of sharing data.
Engagement framework advances
Starting a project in the middle of a pandemic is not an easy task, especially if we want to engage people in it. KWMC and Ideas for Change, have been working together to include guidelines, metrics and strategies in the TwinERGY’s engagement framework to address citizens’ concerns for a successful outcome of the project.
The collaboration with participants, the representation of multiple voices to address inclusion and diversity, providing an egalitarian space and committing an experimental ethos to collective learning and doing, are the core values for citizen engagement. Given all these considerations, both partners held a series of Miro sessions with pilot leaders and coordinators to explore the strengths and pitfalls of their strategies to involve consumers in their actions and improvements to achieve a better commitment.
Examples of the Miro boards used by each pilot during the workshop
In parallel, KWMC has been performing different activities to spread the word about TwinERGY across communities interested in energy and sustainability using Moths To a Flame initiatives as the ideal connector.
Ending the year in style
It has been a tough year for all, but the unique experience of advancing the implementation of TwinERGY’s project hasn’t stopped.. Last month the projects’ coordinators from the University of Patras and Mytilineos represented TwinERGY at the Enlit Event organised in Milano. The three-days exhibition enabled us to show our goals to the whole energy community.
For the upcoming months, we are going to organise two workshops: the first one dedicated to exchanging consumer engagement approaches with other similar sister projects SENDER & iFlex and the second about interoperability frameworks, focusing on data management and open architectures.
To wrap up the year, we celebrated our one-year anniversary grateful for contributing to the energy of the future with Digital Twins, citizen engagement and Demand Response’s pioneering developments. Let’s hope we can meet all together in Patras soon.
Stay tuned, we have TwinERGY for a while!
