To achieve its energy goals EU needs to establish a geographically large market by initially improving its cross-border electricity interconnections. A geographically large market, based on imports and exports of electricity, could increase the level of competition, boost the EU’s security of electricity supply and integrate more renewables into energy markets. Electricity should, as far as possible, flow between Member States as easily as it currently flows within Member States, so as to increase sustainability potential and real competition as well as to drive economic efficiency of the energy system. To this end, FARCROSS aims to address this challenge by connecting major stakeholders of the energy value chain and demonstrating integrated hardware and software solutions that will facilitate the “unlocking” of the resources for the cross-border electricity flows and regional cooperation. The project will promote state-of-the-art technologies to enhance the exploitation/capacity/efficiency of transmission grid assets, either on the generation or the transmission level. The hardware and software solutions will increase grid observability to facilitate system operations at a regional level, exploit the full potential of transmission corridors for increased electricity flows that will facilitate transition to flow-based regional market coupling, consider cross-border connections and their specific ICT and grid infrastructure, planning to use a wide-area protection approach to ensure the safe integration of renewable energy sources into the grid, mitigate disturbances, increase power system stability. An innovative regional forecasting platform will be demonstrated for improved prognosis of renewable generation and demand response and a capacity reserves optimization tool will be tested to maximize cross-border flows. The non-harmonization of national regulation will be studied and measures will be recommended to avoid distortion of the technology benefits.

PRIM-ROCK addresses process efficiency through a multifaceted strategy addressing industrial processes from input to output, supported by an ambitious digital framework and transversal supporting activities. In particular, advanced techniques for the pre-processing of the raw material will be deployed to enhance its efficiency according to the requirements of the process, supplemented by simulations and decision support systems to increase the operational limits of flexibility in the feedstock domain. Additionally, the process intensification component of the project will design, develop, and validate innovative and efficient processes, as well as optimizing the existing ones. The aim is to develop a portfolio of technologies to a higher resource efficiency and lower level of GHG emissions of extractive industries. The project will focus on improving the resource efficiency of the calcination and roasting processes, that are commonly used in the mineral and cement industries. To this end, process simulations in collaboration with AI data-driven models will be utilized and a digital twin for each process will be developed. Finally, waste reduction and re-utilization strategies will be investigated targeting to the real-time processes’ adjustment capabilities to feedstock changes and tighter processing control solutions. All these components will be supplemented by transversal supporting activities, such as technoeconomic assessment, LCA, standardization etc. The PRIM-ROCK solutions will be demonstrated in 3 different ASPIRE sectors, namely Minerals (magnesite, laterite), Cement (limestone) and Non-ferrous metals (sphalerite, chalcopyrite). The consortium is composed of 7 SMEs along with 6 RTDs, 3 universities and 5 large enterprises, working together to achieve over 30% resource efficiency enhancement in each use-case, 770ktCO2 averted, productivity increase in the range 9-16% and more that 1,360 new jobs by 2033.

REEFLEX aims to generate niches of opportunities for new cross-sector energy services provided by SMEs and start-ups in demand side flexibility markets and to increase participation of energy consumers in demand side flexibility markets. The project develops a central interoperability platform and a catalogue of services with the capability of maximising distributed energy resources' flexibility while respecting the different end user profiles and needs along with the physical limitations of existing infrastructures. Additionally, the generation of a common operation market model together with AI-driven intelligence services and automation systems, enabled through the utilization of distributed ledger technologies for enhancing transparency and trust, will reduce market entry barriers and costs and achieve a higher participation from energy consumers. They will benefit from new revenues obtained through data and flexibility transactions, while enjoying innovative, personalized, data (intelligence)-driven services for smart, human-centric control of their assets in the frame of demand response or self-consumption. REEFLEX solutions, they will be demonstrated and cross-tested in 4 main demonstrators (Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Bulgaria) with different characteristics, allowing evaluation of their impact under alternative scenarios and integrating a variety of sectors, such as residential buildings, mobility, commercial establishments, industrial sites or data centres, among others. In addition, the services catalogue will be further replicated in three additional replicators across Europe to achieve wider coverage (Turkey, Portugal, Denmark) and adaptation, ending-up in a total of 7 countries for the whole project execution. These cross-tested demonstrators and additional replication campaigns are structured around 8 different use cases that cover a comprehensive set of consumer groups to participate in up to 12 demand side flexibility services.

The transition to the smart grid era is associated with the creation of a meshed network of data contributors that necessitates for the transformation of the traditional top-down business model, where power system optimization relied on centralized decisions based on data silos preserved by stakeholders, to a more horizontal one in which optimization decisions are based on interconnected data assets and collective intelligence. Consequently, the need for “end-to-end” coordination between the electricity stakeholders, not only in business terms but also in exchanging information is becoming a necessity to enable the enhancement of electricity networks’ stability and resilience, while satisfying individual business process optimization targets of all stakeholders involved in the value chain. SYNERGY introduces a novel reference big data architecture and platform that leverages data, primary or secondarily related to the electricity domain, coming from diverse sources (APIs, historical data, statistics, sensors/ IoT, weather, energy markets and various other open data sources) to help electricity stakeholders to simultaneously enhance their data reach, improve their internal intelligence on electricity-related optimization functions, while getting involved in novel data (intelligence) sharing/trading models, in order to shift individual decision-making at a collective intelligence level. To this end SYNERGY will develop a highly effective a Big Energy Data Platform and AI Analytics Marketplace, accompanied by big data-enabled applications for the totality of electricity value chain stakeholders (altogether integrated in the SYNERGY Big Data-driven EaaS Framework). SYNERGY will be validated in 5 large-scale demonstrators, in Greece, Spain, Austria, Finland and Croatia involving diverse actors and data sources, heterogeneous energy assets, varied voltage levels and network conditions and spanning different climatic, demographic and cultural characteristics.

The building and construction sector is a key area that has significant impacts on the economy and environment. This sector contributes to the economy (about 9% of the EUs Gross Domestic Product (GDP)), provides direct and indirect job opportunities (18 million direct jobs at the EU) and satisfies the peoples needs for buildings and facilities. Therefore, any effort concerning global climate change and cleaner production should include this industry as a major player. ATRIUM exploits the potential of combining natural fibres (leftovers of European crops, mainly hemp), second and third generation of bioplastics (bio-PE/PA/PU) and mycelium-based biotechnology to produce bio-composites intermediates that can be integrated in construction products (outdoor and indoor floorings, acoustic panels, green wall systems, and building block) to be easily used by professionals and amateurs in building and renovation actuations. In this way, ATRIUM will not only provide more safety and non-toxic construction solutions but also boost the creation of sustainable bio-based value chains and the integration of efficient biotechnology to develop the circular economy and bioeconomy sectors. To do this, ATRIUM will develop production pilot lines that integrate efficient and flexible technologies (co-extrusion, foaming, injection moulding, additive manufacturing and biofabrications) and engage the key actors for the design acceptance and certification of the new products. ATRIUM will also promote the public engagement dialogue to bring the EU closer to citizens and local urban and rural areas through appropriate communications, local initiatives and actions.