EU releases integrated energy system R&D roadmap to 2030

China Energy Storage Network News: The European Energy Transformation Smart Network Technology and Innovation Platform (ETIP SNET) recently released the 2020-2030 R&D Roadmap, proposing to invest 4 billion euros in the next ten years to carry out integrated energy system research and innovation priority activities to promote the realization of Europe's vision of building a circular economy with deep electrification, extensive digitalization, and complete carbon neutrality by 2050. The roadmap proposes the R&D priorities, R&D progress, and budget allocation in six research areas, including: consumers, prosumers, and energy communities; system economics; digitalization; system design and planning; flexibility technology and system flexibility; system operation. The specific contents are as follows:

1. Roadmap Goals

Through the implementation of the roadmap, the European integrated energy system will have 12 functions by 2030, namely: ① Cooperation between system operators; ② Integration of terminal energy-using sectors; ③ Energy systems operate in a locally optimized manner, balancing local energy demand through intelligent, distributed optimization control (with consumers at the core); ④ Pan-European wholesale market; ⑤ Integration of local markets (involving residents); ⑥ Integrated digital services (including data privacy, network security); ⑦ Upgrading the power grid, integrating components and systems; ⑧ Energy system business (including business models and supervision); ⑨ Simulation tools for electricity and energy systems; ⑩ Integration of flexibility in power generation, demand, energy conversion and storage technologies; 11 Provide efficient heating and cooling for buildings and industrial sectors through integrated flexibility; 12 Provide efficient carbon-neutral liquid fuels and electricity for transportation through integrated flexibility.

II. Key Research Areas

1. Consumers, prosumers and energy communities

This area aims to address the complex relationship between energy consumers and prosumers (individuals, communities, commercial users, industries) and energy systems. The sub-technical areas of focus include: ① social acceptance and environmental sustainability of energy infrastructure; ② consumer behavior (including energy communities); ③ consumer and prosumer device control.

Approximately 40 million euros will be invested in technological research and 280 million euros in demonstration in this area, hoping to achieve the following technological breakthroughs: peer-to-peer trading; bottom-up aggregation; an operational market platform for flexible power generation and load management that can optimize loads such as electric vehicles; and organizational changes (such as energy mutual assistance, peer-to-peer exchanges, and new functions of cooperatives).

2. System economy

This research area involves business models, market design, management and operation related to energy systems, energy market design at different geographical scales, business models for different products and services in the energy value chain, and market management consisting of EU and national laws, policies and regulations, grid rules, and end-use industry rules. The sub-technical areas of focus include: ① business models; ② market design; ③ market regulation and taxation.

Approximately 120 million euros will be invested in technical research and 600 million euros in demonstration in this area, hoping to achieve the following technological breakthroughs: ancillary service market; utilization of flexibility technologies; development of (local) markets combining various energy carriers; demonstration of demonstration projects/regional flexibility; conversion of capital expenditure (CAPEX) into operating expenditure (OPEX) to reduce overall costs; and new compensation schemes for distributed energy resources.

3. Digitalization

This area aims to address the integration of digital technologies in energy systems. It will address issues related to the operation of energy systems, namely the digital infrastructure for the operation and control of energy systems, and develop tools and networks for data communication, exchange and analysis. In addition, this area will also consider digital applications that can promote market and user participation. The sub-technical areas of focus include: ① Protocols, standardization and interoperability; ② Data communication; ③ Data and information management; ④ Cybersecurity and privacy; ⑤ End-to-end architecture.

Around 120 million euros will be invested in technological research and 480 million euros in demonstration in this area, hoping to achieve breakthroughs in the following technologies: end-to-end architecture; cybersecurity and the Internet of Things (IoT); peer-to-peer concepts for cybersecurity (such as blockchain); and interoperable, privacy-respecting connections between field device sensors, data, services, energy consumers and prosumers to gradually expand distributed multi-party control systems.

4. System design and planning

This field aims to solve the design and planning problems of integrated energy systems to better integrate multiple energy flows. The necessary methods and tools for planning and analyzing integrated energy systems will be considered from multiple perspectives, scenarios based on reliable and transparent assumptions, parameters and relationships will be set up, and comprehensive and comprehensive planning tools will be used to plan and design energy systems in which all energy flows interact and promote each other. This overall energy system architecture helps to establish all processes necessary for the reliable, economical and environmentally friendly operation of smart power systems, including innovative asset and life cycle management, related technologies and asset maintenance. The key sub-technical areas of focus include: ① Integrated energy system architecture; ② Long-term planning (system development); ③ Asset management and maintenance; ④ System stability analysis.

Approximately 160 million euros will be invested in technological research and 720 million euros will be invested in demonstration in this area, hoping to achieve breakthroughs in the following technologies: energy storage; regional integrated energy systems; large-scale deployment of connection, monitoring and control technologies for distributed energy systems; integrated smart grid systems; new topologies and equipment that integrate all energy carriers; new system planning procedures that include distributed energy systems and grid flexibility technologies; large-scale deployment of distributed energy system forecasts; modern control centers; data management; human-computer interaction; training; modeling; drones; augmented reality/virtual reality; wearable devices; and Web of Cells architecture.

5. Flexibility technology and system flexibility

This area aims to develop solutions and tools to ensure that there is enough flexibility to cope with all the uncertainties and variability of an increasingly integrated energy system. The flexibility issues addressed in this research area cover the entire energy system and span different energy flows. The sub-technical areas of focus include: ① demand flexibility; ② generation flexibility; ③ storage flexibility and energy conversion flexibility; ④ network flexibility; ⑤ transportation flexibility.

Approximately 160 million euros will be invested in technical research and 480 million euros in demonstration in this area, hoping to achieve breakthroughs in the following technologies: flexibility resources; energy storage resources, including electric vehicles; the establishment of a transmission network operator-distribution network operator-consumer market; flexibility standards; improving the flexibility of variable renewable energy resources through a combination of technology and forecasting tools; residential response; enabling smart charging of electric vehicles and "vehicle-to-grid" (V2G); island energy system flexibility; flexibility of thermal power plants based on carbon-free and carbon-neutral fuels; flexibility of renewable energy and decarbonized gas integration; flexible operation of cogeneration; and system flexibility through sector integration.

6. System operation

This area involves tools and systems for developing overall control architectures, such as from hierarchical system control to coordinated collaboration concepts, and developing direct or indirect control solutions for transmission and distribution systems to ensure optimal operation of integrated energy systems under increasing volatility, constraints and uncertainties. This area will use advanced monitoring, control and protection technologies, as well as advanced prediction technologies, to achieve system observability using all tools and equipment. The sub-technical areas of focus include: ① State assessment and monitoring; ② Short-term control; ③ Medium- and long-term control; ④ Preventive control/recovery; ⑤ Control center technology.

Approximately 120 million euros will be invested in technological research and 720 million euros in demonstration in this area, hoping to achieve the following technological breakthroughs: higher levels of automation; more complex functions; operating tools for integrated systems; new operation planning procedures; large-scale renewable energy resource forecasting; modern control centers; data management; artificial intelligence; large-scale DC-AC power grids; and Web of Cells.