In order to foster the development and integration of PV systems in Europe and beyond, more efficient, reliable and profitable operation and maintenance (O&M) strategies need to be found. In this context, SOLARIS will gather 15 partners (6 research-oriented partners, 8 industrial partners including 2 start-ups & 3 SMEs, and a municipality) for 48 months to develop and demonstrate a complete set of physical and digital tools for improved forecasting, operational performance and maintenance, resulting in high performance index (90%) and availability (>98%) of PV plants, and decreasing the levelised cost of energy by 10%. SOLARIS will provide operators with reliable forecasting (short and long-term weather and power production); accurate monitoring and inspection techniques through novel wind, dust and impedance sensing, as well as automated multi-spectral PV inspection using drones; early fault detection (incl. preventive maintenance); improved lifetime of strategic components through adapted responses (self-protection, power electronics’ reconfiguration, storage strategies); and energy trading via an AI-based tool. Demonstration data will be gathered in an IoT platform, feeding one of the main tools proposed to PV operators, i.e. the PV asset management software. All developments will be demonstrated and assessed in 8 use-cases (utility- and small-scale ground-mounted, rooftop, floating, agriPV) across Europe. Demonstration datasets and labelled data on the different use-cases, as well as long-term PV potentials for regions of demonstration will be shared publicly to foster developments of other initiatives. The uptake of SOLARIS developments will be enhanced by the wide dissemination of demonstration and assessment results to relevant stakeholders, i.e. PV systems owners and O&M firms, as well as technology providers. It will be further facilitated by the creation of a Stakeholder Forum, accompanying all developments towards commercialisation.

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.

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

An increasing role is foreseen in Europe for local energy communities (LECs) to speed up the grid integration of RES. To-day, the enabling role of DSOs in support of LECs is hampered by a lack of flexibility when planning cost-efficient LEC connections to their network at MV level, and by a lack of digitalization of the LV networks to make LEC’s smart prosumers benefit economically when serving the DSO flexibility needs. Four European DSOs (E.ON, ENEDIS, E.DIS, Güssing Stadtwerke) and an Indian DSO (TATA) have joined with IT-based, innovative product and solution providers, and technology and research centers, to demonstrate the combined roles of innovative functionalities serving the MV and LV networks, when implemented in 5 different regulatory regimes (Austria, France, Hungary, Germany, India- state of Delhi-). For MV networks, a mobile storage concept at substation level is demonstrated in Hungary, Germany and Austria. It enables DSOs to reduce investment uncertainties, avoid hindering future renewables connection and foster the local use of flexibility with participating non-regulated market solutions (Demand Side Response-DR-). For LV networks, 3 functional use cases served by ATOS and Schneider are tested simultaneously in Austria and India with prosumer support: i) Forecasting/scheduling of Distributed Energy Resources for the optimized energy management of Local Energy Systems, ii) Customized, human-centric prosumer participation in explicit DR programs using context-aware flexibility profiles, iii) Grid-forming/islanding capabilities in Local Energy Communities to optimize their energy system resilience. The joint work of DSOS aims at accelerating scaling up and replication tested by HEDNO (Greece) and E.ON (Sweden). Dissemination towards players of the energy value chain recommends business models, possible regulatory adjustments and deployment roadmaps of the most promising use cases, in support of the implementation of the Clean Energy Package.

The de-centralization of electricity generation requires equally de-centralized and affordable solutions to integrate more RES, increase the security of supply and decarbonize the EU energy future. The combination and unique integration of de-centralized storage with technologies for local energy system optimization, including demand response, electric vehicle charging optimization and synergies with other energy vectors at the local level, can offer a cost-efficient pathway (in comparison to high-CAPEX grid upgrade investments) for local energy systems optimization in presence of high volumes of volatile and intermittent RES, since huge amounts of currently non-utilized flexibility can be unleashed to ensure optimal congestion management and effective tackling of local instabilities and imbalances. MERLON introduces an Integrated Modular Local Energy Management Framework for the Holistic Operational Optimization of Local Energy Systems in presence of high shares of volatile distributed RES. Optimization in MERLON applies to multiple levels spanning optimal coordination of local generation, with demand and storage flexibility, as well as flexibility offered by EVs and CHP Plants to facilitate maximum RES integration, avoidance of curtailment and satisfaction of balancing/ ancillary grid needs. MERLON will enable the realization of novel business models, allowing local energy communities to introduce themselves in local flexibility markets, while paving the way for the realization of novel Microgrid-as-a-Service models, assigning to local DSOs the role of “Aggregator of Aggregators” for the provision of added value services to the overlay distribution grid. It equips local stakeholders (DSOs, energy cooperatives, prosumers) with innovative and highly effective tools for the establishment of robust business practices to exploit their microgrids and dynamic VPPs as balancing and ancillary assets toward grid stability and alleviation of network constraints.