Beyond building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), slowly but steadily gaining adoption and settling as a more mature, recognized and reliable technology, the increasing interest of IPV solutions has recently started to expand towards other market segments. A curious gaze at our nearest environment allows identifying endless opportunities in which the implementation of IPV solutions could be addressed, bringing synergies, innovation and added value to important market segments such as infrastructures, transport, agriculture, urban environment, low-power electronic devices, etc. This idyllic approach brings, nevertheless, important challenges in the manufacturing, product development and effective integration of these multifunctional PV devices over final applications due to the fundamentally different specifications coming from each sector, which hinders the offer of a one-fits-all technological approach. In addition, customization and flexibility in design is still constrained by existing manufacturing capacity and sophistication degree, which is, as of today, very much oriented towards more standardized manufacturing processes based on traditional PV equipment and processes. In this context, SEAMLESS-PV is conceived to answer this challenge by addressing (1) the development of advanced flexible automated PV equipment manufacturing based on high efficiency c-Si technologies, (2) the upscale of new manufacturing processes presenting key features (e.g. lightness, enhanced integrability) and cost reductions that enable the seamless integration of PV over final applications and (3) the development of a set of IPV products demonstrating cost-competitiveness and compliance with market requirements and expectations. The project will demonstrate this new manufacturing capacity at pilot level and showcase the opportunity for European IPV manufacturers and end-users to unleash the potential of this sector.

DC grids attractiveness has been increased in the last years due to the high proliferation of renewable energy sources together with the increase in DC loads (electronics, LED lighting, electric vehicles, energy storage…). The main drivers behind this paradigm shift are related to the improved efficiency, flexibility, security and reliability DC grids may provide, thus increasing the sustainability of the energy distribution system. However, there is a need for demonstration of DC technologies and grid topologies so that these solutions are able to evolve from a promising solution for the future smart grids to a commercially available technological option. Under this context, TIGON aims to achieve a smooth deployment and integration of intelligent DC-based grid architectures within the current energy system while providing ancillary services to the main network. To do so, TIGON proposes a four-level approach aiming at improving 1) Reliability, 2) Resilience 3) Performance, and 4) Cost Efficiency of hybrid grids through the development of an innovative portfolio of power electronic solutions and software systems and tools focused on the efficient monitoring, control and management of DC grids. These solutions will be demonstrated in two main Demo-Sites located in France and Spain, while additional use cases in the residential and urban railway sectors will act as niche markets for analysing and further solidifying the replication of TIGON developments after the project’s end. TIGON has involved for this purpose a multidisciplinary team of 15 partners from 8 different European Member States with a well-balanced consortium integrated by 7 non-profit entities and 7 companies. This partnership provides the required expertise from fields such as power electronics, cybersecurity, standardisation, etc. to design the solutions proposed within TIGON as well as the industrial capabilities required for the manufacturing, integration and validation of the whole TIGON concept.

IANOS brings together two Lighthouse (LH) islands (Terceira-PT, Ameland-NL), and three Fellow islands (FI) (Lambedusa-IT, Bora-Bora-FR, Nisyros-GR), all sharing a common vision of decarbonizing their energy systems and be energy independent until 2050. Thirty-four (34) strongly experienced partners from nine (9) European countries, join forces to deliver smart technological, economic and social innovations, providing systemic optimization starting from an Energy Community-centric approach. IANOS adopts an Island Energy Transition Strategy built around three (3) Island Energy Transition Tracks that focus on: a) Energy efficiency and grid support for extremely high RES penetration, b) Decarbonization through electrification and support from non-emitting fuels, c) Empowering Local Energy Communities (LEC). Through IANOS an impressive repository of elements (technologies, tools, methods) will be demonstrated in the two LH islands and within nine (9) carefully defined Use-Cases (UCs) that will lead to: a reduction of fossil fuel consumption by 379.7 GWh/y, an increase in RES utilization by 83.6 GWh/y, increase accuracy of vRES forecasts by >10% and reduce energy bills of end-users by >15%. In total, 900 participants (prosumers/consumers) will be involved in LECs by the end of IANOS. Elements to be demonstrated include: an iVPP operative orchestration toolkit, smart energy routers, hybrid transformers, flywheel storage, biobased batteries, heat batteries, tidal kite, an auto-generative digester and the IANOS Energy Planning and Transition Suite (IEPT). The replication potential of IANOS UCs will be evaluated in the three FIs. Due to their current local energy mix, Terceira and Ameland can particularly act as LHs for geothermal and hydrogen-centered island economies, respectively. To reach all these goals, a total of 121.6M€ will be invested by the 2 LH ecosystems, while another 60.4M€ will be fuelled by the 6 FI ecosystems during IANOS (until 2025).

SERENDI-PV proposes innovations towards two main pillars: (1) increased lifetime, reliability, performance and profitability of PV generation; (2) utility-friendly high-penetration of the PV generation in the grids with improved stability, smart communication between stakeholders and increased knowledge of the PV fleet management. SERENDI-PV will develop advanced PV modelling, simulation and design tools, monitoring data analytics for fault diagnostic and improved O&M, as well as lab and field testing Quality Control (QC) equipment and procedures for better assessment of the reliability of PV components and systems. The innovations will be developed with particular attention to the new PV applications that are becoming increasingly relevant on the market, such as bifacial PV, floating PV and BIPV. SERENDI-PV will pave the way towards higher PV penetration through a better understanding of the PV installed capacity, smart digital models for energy and services communication exchange between system stakeholders, the development of mid-term, short-term forecasting, and nowcasting for PV system aggregations, new business models for PV added revenue, and the creation of a collaborative platform for modelling, data analytics, QC, databases and grid integration. The solutions will be developed on the data from nearly 500,000 PV installations monitored within the consortium, representing a wide range of system sizes and typologies, including large ground-mounted PV plants, mid-size commercial and industrial PV systems, and small-scale rooftop residential PV systems. The results will be achieved through an interdisciplinary approach combining the complementary expertise of the 19 different partners that take part in the consortium and that represent all the relevant stakeholders concerned by the topic of this project. The project will include several key demonstration activities in the operational environment corresponding to each one of the key innovations proposed