One of the main tools that will enable the improvement of the electricity system within the energy transition is active demand management. However, despite the fact that residential and small commercial and office users are responsible for 44% of the final energy consumed in Europe, the electricity market does not currently have the possibility to involve them in Demand Response programs.
The DRIMPAC project (Unified Demand Response Interoperability Framework Enabling Market Participation of Active Energy Consumers), funded by the European Commission's H2020 program, seeks to provide small users with a platform that allows them to participate in Demand Response in a simple way, thus reducing costs for all players in the electricity market.
The main barriers for these users start with the non-existence of a specific market for Demand Response, the lack of standardization in protocols for energy management systems in buildings and the scarcity of sensors and intelligent devices. Some of these pitfalls are the ones that the DRIMPAC project seeks to solve.
DRIMPAC and Demand Response
The innovative solution sought by DRIMPAC is to create a platform, based on ICT tools, capable of establishing a bidirectional communication between the distributor, trader or aggregator, and the end user, and that allows the implementation of explicit and implicit Demand Response programs for multiple users including Distributed Energy Resources.
Distribution companies will be able to know the flexibility in demand and the number of loads they can control for better network management. In addition, the user has a solution that provides information on the most economical time slots, as well as the possibility of automating the disconnection or regulation of loads while maintaining optimal comfort levels.
The project will be demonstrated in four areas of Europe in homes, offices and commercial premises where intelligent devices will be installed to provide instantaneous information on consumption and allow the control of certain loads and distributed renewable production sources. The DRIMPAC solution will make it possible to know the flexibility available to users and the optimum demand profile, facilitating their active participation in the electricity market, placing the consumer at the center of the electricity system.
More information at: https://miwenergia.com/proyectos-idi/ and https://www.drimpac-h2020.eu/
