Project SENDER: Turning energy consumers into collaborators

The EU-funded SENDER project strives to pioneer the next generation of energy service applications for demand response and home automation - tailored to customer preferences.

As the EU moves towards sustainable energy, co-creation is the future of the energy service market. Recognising consumers/prosumers as pivotal in the energy market, SENDER engages them directly in a co-creation process alongside other energy domain stakeholders.

This collaborative effort spans design, development, and utilisation of proactive demand response mechanisms, home automation convenience and security mechanisms.

Project SENDER heralds a shift in demand-response paradigms, transitioning from reactive to proactive approaches.

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Unlocking grid flexibility and efficiency

The project aims to enhance the efficiency and hosting capacity of distribution networks managed by grid operators. By improving load forecasts and unlocking load flexibility, SENDER seeks to enhance frequency stability, manage congestion, and facilitate increased integration of renewable energy sources. Additionally, it intends to enable monetization of flexibility potential through participation in balancing/regulatory power markets.

SENDER's multifaceted objectives: From co-creation to legal frameworks

Its objectives encompass innovative strategies for co-creating demand response mechanisms, identifying consumer patterns and forecasting consumption, deploying digital twins to enhance household flexibility potential, fostering innovative business models that share profits between consumers and grid operators, crafting new legal and regulatory frameworks to expedite consumer-based DR technology implementation, demonstrating SENDER solutions across three sites, and ensuring sustainability through robust dissemination activities and replication plans.

Consumer data is collected and processed to identify typical consumption patterns, mirror them by digital twins (DTs) based on artificial intelligence technologies and aggregate the DTs' supply/demand characteristics.

Overcoming challenges: Political, economic, social, technological, environmental & legal considerations

To achieve its objectives however, the project aims to overcome multifaceted challenges.

Successful project implementation in the realm of political and institutional factors depends on robust coordination and collaboration among government entities and public organizations, both nationally and at sub-national levels. Additionally, it is vital to harmonise standards within the energy sector, both domestically and internationally, to facilitate the execution of large-scale projects.

Regarding economic considerations, on-bill financing is a strategy for funding projects. It distributes costs over time and across numerous customers' monthly energy bills. To mitigate investment risks and shorten payback periods, it is advisable to focus energy efficiency investments on households with proven saving capabilities. This renders proposals more enticing. Additionally, government incentives at both national and regional levels can make energy-efficient solutions more affordable and attractive to households.

Effective communication and promotion of projects are necessary to address social aspects and alleviate barriers such as lack of awareness and concerns regarding privacy and risk. To assuage privacy concerns and foster trust, it is important to offer clear benefits to consumers and ensure transparency in data usage. Enhancing acceptance of smart meters over time can be achieved by granting users control over their data storage and adapting to evolving social norms.

From a technological perspective, it is imperative to rectify software inaccuracies and establish a comprehensive database of households' energy consumption for successful project execution. Continuous improvement and upgrades, informed by real-world data, are essential for the sustained efficacy of technological solutions.

Environmental considerations are important. Aligning projects with renewable energy objectives and promoting energy efficiency can help to alleviate opposition from environmental groups. Effective communication that emphasizes the environmental benefits of projects can help to address concerns related to land use requirements.

Simplifying administrative procedures and regulations in the legal domain can reduce obstacles to project implementation, especially in regions burdened with complex bureaucracy. Clear regulations and incentives for energy efficiency can encourage participation from energy retailers and households. Tailoring regulations to accommodate smaller consumers and streamlining processes for demand response can foster increased participation and efficiency in the energy market.

The Multifaceted approach to project success: Collaboration is key

In conclusion, the successful implementation of energy projects necessitates a multifaceted approach that addresses a range of factors, including political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal considerations. Effective coordination among stakeholders, harmonisation of standards, innovative financing strategies, targeted investments, clear communication, technological rectifications, environmental alignment, and regulatory simplification are all essential elements for achieving project success.

By prioritising these aspects and fostering collaboration across various domains, energy initiatives can overcome challenges and realise their full potential for societal and environmental benefit.

About the authors:

Dr. Michael Schmidthaler is a professor at the Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences. After completing his doctorate with distinction in 2013 at the JKU Linz, Schmidthaler worked in industry and research institutions. He currently leads the energy research projects Serve-U and Vehicle-to-grid-to-market and is task leader in the EU-Horzion2020 project SENDER.

Martin Eder, BA is a master's student and research assistant at the Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences. He is research assisting in various energy research projects focussing on demand response, consumer interaction and platform development.