Deadline: 05-Jan-22
The European Commission (EC) is offering Energy Sector Integration: Integrating and combining energy systems to a cost-optimised and flexible energy system of systems.
Projects should demonstrate the benefits of the integration of different elements. This includes in particular electricity and gas networks, district heating and cooling, and long term energy storage systems (for example Hydrogen, power-to-X, thermal storage, hydro-storage).
It can also include mobility systems (e.g. e-mobility infrastructure) and energy-intensive industry and/or industrial clusters or sites. Projects should demonstrate the integration at local (i.e. distribution networks) and at national level (i.e. transmission networks), and the interactions between them.
- Develop 2 or 3 pilots in different Member States/Associated Countries that demonstrate of solutions for energy system integration based on integrated management of various networks and infrastructures. The pilots could include for example:
- Electricity and gas networks;
- Implementation of solutions for district heating and cooling as sector integration for energy storage and flexible operation at different energy carriers;
- E-mobility infrastructure;
- Solutions for industry and industrial clusters for integrated flexible generation, consumption and energy storage;
- Flexible stand-alone systems and tools for living quarters and small and medium sized businesses and industries based on renewable generation, sector-coupling and storage technologies;
- Integrated systems to allow for long term (weekly, seasonal) energy storage.
- Demonstrations can be build up based on a combination and integration of various locally optimised grids into overall system management.
Funding Information
The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
- public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
- cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).
Expected Outcomes
Project results are expected to contribute to most of the following expected outcomes:
- Demonstrated benefits of sector integration in different geographic, climate and economic conditions.
- Improved planning of integration of power, heat, gas, industry with a production site(s) of renewable energy.
- Optimised operations of coupled networks (e.g. electricity vs. heating).
- Validated tools and platforms enabling effective sector coupling as tested in large demonstration projects.
- Consolidated methodology to evaluate the impacts on OPEX, CAPEX and overall value creation connected to the integration of flexibility from storage and other energy flexibility solutions.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
- eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe;
- low- and middle-income countries.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2V6rmut