FLEXGRID newsletter - Summary of first six months

D2.1: Use case scenarios, requirements’ analysis and correlation with innovative models

The first official deliverable of the FLEXGRID project deals with the detailed description of FLEXGRID use cases, system operation scenarios, and user/system requirements’ analysis. The deliverable includes details about FLEXGRID’s research and business positioning in the current smart grid architecture landscape, which try to define in depth the interaction between the operation of the energy networks and the energy markets in Europe. This advanced interaction is expected to lead to more efficient operation of both electricity grid management systems and energy markets.

• Read the entire D2.1 document here: https://flexgrid-project.eu/deliverables.html#D2.1

FLEXGRID is a Research and Innovation (R&I) project and its implementation will be based on evolving previous efforts integrating a set of existing platforms as well as doing high-quality research on advanced mathematical models and algorithms. FLEXGRID will develop a future smart grid architecture that will automate and optimize the composition and management of advanced Energy Services. FLEXGRID will target the development of (and the efficient interaction between):

1. a business-to-business (B2B) Automated Trading Platform (ATP),
2. an electricity grid management platform for DSOs/TSOs,
3. an automatic Business Model (BM) composer and operator for Energy Service Providers (ESPs), and
4. a business-to-consumer (B2C) automated flexibility aggregation and advanced retail pricing tool for energy aggregators and retailers respectively.

Deliverable D2.1 describes the main FLEXGRID idea, research motivation, scope and purpose. It provides a list of the major stakeholders/users that will interact with FLEXGRID Automated Trading Platform (ATP), and presents their current role and their usual business models as well as the new roles and business models that they can develop within FLEXGRID framework. In addition, the research methodology of FLEXGRID’s framework is presented. It follows the standardized Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM) methodology in order to facilitate the architecture design, software development and lab experimentation work at later stages of the project’s lifetime.

Moreover, four High-Level Use Cases (HLUCs) are described in detail. Each one of the HLUCs refers to a set of FLEXGRID ATP services offered to the Flexibility market Operator, the Energy Service Provider, the System Operators and the energy aggregators. The deliverable further elaborates on each HLUC in order to define more research-oriented Use Case Scenarios (UCS), which will be the basis of the high-quality research work to be conducted.

Finally, the user and system requirements are analyzed. A total number of nine different user categories are envisaged. Moreover, five main subsystems have been identified:

1. the core FLEXGRID ATP,
2. the central FLEXGRID database,
3. the Automated Flexibility Aggregation Toolkit (AFAT),
4. the FlexSupplier’s Toolkit (FST), and
5. the Distribution Flexibility Market Clearing Toolkit (DFMCT).

The requirements for all the technical Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for the interaction among the various subsystems have also been specified as well as residual legal, regulatory and security requirements.

D2.2: The overall architecture design, high-level model and system specifications

This second official deliverable of the FLEXGRID project deals with the initial description of FLEXGRID’s software architecture. It includes several novel smart grid architecture models that incorporate the operation of Distribution Level Flexibility Markets (DLFMs) as R&I motivation for FLEXGRID.

• Read the entire D2.2 document here: https://flexgrid-project.eu/deliverables.html#D2.2

The technical specifications, design decisions and implementation directives for API development in the FLEXGRID software platform for Work Package (WP) 6 are stated and a brief description of the internal architecture for the different modules conforming the platform are included. Finally, the deliverable presents the first three layers of SGAM diagrams for the relevant Use Case Scenarios to be considered on the FLEXGRID software platform.

The completion of deliverable 2.2 marks the end of WP2, which means that Milestone 3 has been achieved.

D8.1. Data management, dissemination and exploitation plans

This report is the third official deliverable of the FLEXGRID project and deals with the market analysis and initial business modelling as well as with the assessment of the required data management, dissemination, communication and exploitation plans of the project. Based on results from the first six months of the project’s duration, Deliverable 8.1 elaborates on the architecture design, business-related use cases’ analysis and technical specifications work that has already been done.

• Read the entire D8.1 document here: https://flexgrid-project.eu/deliverables.html#D8.1

FLEXGRID is a pure research project and its implementation is based on integrating targeted intelligence in already existing software toolkits and applications, which have been developed in other successful Horizon 2020 projects. The main FLEXGRID objective is to provide proof-of-concept results that proposed advanced mathematical models and algorithms can considerably enhance the smart grid’s operation and the business of several market stakeholders. 

D8.1 aims at providing a clear roadmap towards achieving the ultimate goal of the project, which is the best possible commercialization of FLEXGRID products and services after the end of project’s lifetime as well as the publication of its proof-of-concept scientific results in top-tier publications. There are clear inter-relations between the market analysis/business modelling activities with the respective planning of data management, dissemination, communication and exploitation activities. These inter-relations are extensively described throughout the deliverable. It presents:

1. an analysis of today’s markets, to which FLEXGRID aims at offering its innovative products and services,
2. an initial business modelling and a long list of value propositions,
3. the Data Management Plan of the project (dealing with all the concerns about the treatment of the data involved in the whole project lifecycle),
4. the FLEXGRID dissemination and communication activities’ plan,
5. the FLEXGRID exploitation activities’ plan from “system as a whole” and “per partner” perspectives,
6. the major action points of the consortium for the upcoming months, and
7. Protection of Personal Data (POPD) declarations from involved key partners.

Conclusively, the consortium has reached Milestones 2 and 3, meaning that the consortium has agreed on an initial business modelling and a long list of value propositions that could potentially be offered to targeted customer segments, such as FMOs, system operators, ESPs, energy aggregators and retailers. The consortium also has clear plans for data management, dissemination/communication and exploitation of project’s results. Moreover, at the end of Month 6, all the architecture design and technical specifications work has been successfully finished and all the technical APIs for the interactions among the various subsystems/modules have been agreed among the involved partners.

During the next months, the FLEXGRID consortium will elaborate on the work presented in these deliverables, towards implementing the final FLEXGRID software platform and starting the respective research for each module functionality on the Flexibility Markets proposed.