Research and Practice

INSIEME (Integrated Network for data Space and Interoperable Energy Management in Europe)
Call: DIGITAL-2024-CLOUD-AI-06

INSIEME (Italian for 'together') aims to deploy a Common European Energy Data Space (CEEDS) to facilitate data sharing, interoperability, and innovation in the energy sector. The project will build on previous initiatives like the Energy Data Space Cluster Projects and establish a federated architecture to connect existing data exchange platforms across Europe. Key objectives include developing standardized data formats, security protocols, governance frameworks, and business models to enable secure and trusted data exchange between utilities, market actors, energy communities, and consumers. INSIEME will implement core CEEDS components and deploy them across multiple use cases and pilots in over 15 EU countries, covering areas such as energy efficiency, flexibility management, collective self-consumption, grid services, electromobility, renewable integration, and sector coupling. The versatile consortium comprises of partners, including technology providers, data space operators, distribution and transmission system operators, energy community platforms, artificial intelligence experts, and EU associations. Through field tests, standards development, and stakeholder engagement, INSIEME aims to provide a secure, interoperable, and financially sustainable data space that accelerates the clean energy transition by enabling innovative energy services and empowering consumers across borders.

CELINE (Cross-sectorial integrated digital services Enabling energy Localized InnovatioN and community Empowerment)
Call: HORIZON-CL5-2023-D3-03

The digital transformation of the energy system brings numerous benefits, such as improved connectivity of the energy components, direct market access for end-users, and seamless integration of renewable energy sources. However, realizing these benefits requires addressing challenges such as ensuring end-users' adoption of digital technologies, addressing societal acceptance issues, engaging communities effectively, and ensuring decentralization and data sovereignty. Additionally, an integrated framework allowing effective data integration across the energy value chain also including data from other sectors is required. To address these challenges, CELINE introduces an innovative framework aimed at promoting the widespread adoption of digital technologies within the energy sector, fostering seamless interaction and collaboration among energy stakeholders. It focuses on facilitating the adoption of localized community-based and digital-driven energy innovations, which are user-centric, community-based, and tailored to address the needs of specific geographical areas or communities. CELINE will conceptualize, co-design, develop, and demonstrate an open-source cross-sector data-driven Digital Ecosystem and Toolbox, comprising a Digital Twin of community energy systems and AI Assistant Tools, enabling the creation of tailored cross-sector data-driven services aimed to: 1) Support community-led self-consumption and production schemes; 2) Enhance end-users' capabilities in managing energy resources, optimizing energy usage, and making well-informed energy-related decisions; 3) Empower end-users by improving their digital and energy literacy, enhancing user experience, and overcoming potential resistance and barriers. CELINE tools and services will be tested in three real-world Demonstrators (Ds) across different European regions, offering diverse climate, geographical, and socio-economic conditions (Valencia/ES, Lappeenranta/FI, and Alpe Cimbra/IT).

ECLIPSE (Energy Consumption reduction based on Open-source Reference framework):
Call: DIGITAL-2023-DEPLOY-BESTUSE-TECH-04 (DIGITAL EUROPE)

Digital technology solutions for energy monitoring have enormous potential to save energy, reduce billing, and thereby lower greenhouse gas emissions. Today, a variety of end-user applications and platforms provide better control over energy consumption. They inform end-users about their actual energy use, billing, and the necessary changes in their habits and strategies to voluntarily reduce consumption and monthly costs.The goal of the ECLIPSE project is the implementation and demonstration of the Common European Reference Framework (CERF) for energy consumer applications across the EU. This will enable voluntary reductions in energy consumption and load shifting, based on recommendations, strategies, and incentives that promote sustainable energy behavior and empower end-users. The ECLIPSE project will define rules and conditions for developing new energy consumer applications and improving existing ones. These applications will provide consumers with simple, useful, and user-friendly information on energy savings and other benefits (such as CO₂ reduction and financial or social incentives), while at the same time strengthening the stability and resilience of power grids through consumer flexibility (e.g., smart EV charging, load shifting, self-consumption, etc.). The project’s solutions will be implemented and demonstrated in 15 EU countries, with the potential for replication across the European Union. Interoperability with third-party systems will be ensured, in compliance with the current regulatory framework and existing competitive application offerings.

EDDIE (European Distributed Data Infrastructure for Energy):
Call: HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-01

The Clean Energy Package grants customers the right to access their energy data and enables them to share it with selected authorized parties. This fosters the development of new data-driven services within and beyond the energy sector. However, the lack of standardized procedures across the EU poses a significant barrier to the implementation of such solutions. Currently, stakeholders follow national practices, which hinders interoperability and limits growth opportunities. These challenges have far-reaching industrial, economic, and social implications in Europe and beyond.To address these issues, EDDIE introduces a decentralized, distributed, open-source data space, aligned with the efforts of the EU Smart Grids Task Force on interoperability implementing acts and other European initiatives. The European Distributed Data Infrastructure for Energy (EDDIE) significantly reduces the costs of data integration and enables energy companies to seamlessly operate and compete in a unified European market. In addition, an Administrative Interface for Data Access (AIIDA) ensures secure and reliable access to valuable real-time data based on customer consent.

INNOnet (Interactive Grid Optimization and Tariffs):
Call: Energie.Frei.Raum 2nd Call (FFG)

Load-dependent grid tariffs are considered an essential contribution to achieving energy policy goals. The project anticipates this development, testing load-dependent tariffs to determine activatable flexibility potentials of household customers in real-life operation, examining aspects of the practical implementation of these future tariff structures by grid operators, and supporting the development of a common position of the Austrian grid sector for a feasible and efficient design of future grid tariff structures in Austria.

Research centre for hydrogen technology

Hydrogen is one of the key elements for the future of energy and mobility. With the help of fuel cells, hydrogen can power electric motors, store energy and heat homes. The molecular gas with the chemical formula H2 is bound in water and can therefore be found in almost every organic compound. The University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria has been researching the further development of green hydrogen technologies at the Wels campus for several years now. For example, students have developed a recumbent bike with a hydrogen fuel cell drive, a system with great potential for the future. Work has also been carried out on a new compressor for hydrogen, in which compression and storage take place simultaneously.

The core of the new H2 research centre is a multifunctional H2 research and test facility measuring around 600 square metres with state-of-the-art laboratory equipment. The centre will focus on greenhouse gas (GHG)-intensive industries such as paper and printing, chemical and pharmaceutical production, metal production and processing as well as the processing of mineral raw materials.

In addition, companies and institutions of all kinds are to be supported in using climate-neutral gases - such as green H2 - or developing components for them. Another focus is on analysing materials and components for storing, measuring and transporting H2 and other gases.

Plans include a systemic research facility for electricity, heat, materials and sector coupling with up to 500 kilowatts of electrical and thermal output. This consists of four different test stands, which will be used for different fields of application: CO2-intensive industrial processes, such as cement production or gas and H2 burners, H2-relevant components, such as sensors, valves or fuel cell systems, and materials, in particular metals and plastics (wear, embrittlement, tightness), energy storage with H2, H2 processes and systems.

Students at the University of Applied Sciences from a wide range of degree programs - Applied Energy Technology, Electrical Engineering, Sustainable Energy Systems (Master), Energy Informatics (Master in Hagenberg), Sustainable Solutions - will not only be able to work at the new research centre in future, but also complete internships there or write their dissertations on the subject of hydrogen. 

SENDER (Sustainable Consumer Engagement and Demand Response)

SENDER is a project funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation program that aims to develop and test the next generation of energy service applications for demand response, home automation and convenience.