FLEXGRID – A novel smart grid architecture that facilitates high-RES penetration through innovative flexibility markets towards efficient stakeholder interaction

Abstract

The FLEXGRID project develops a digital platform designed to offer Digital Energy Services (DESs) that facilitate energy sector stakeholders (i.e. Distribution System Operators - DSOs, Transmission System Operators - TSOs, market operators, Renewable Energy Sources - RES producers, retailers, flexibility aggregators) towards: i) automating and optimizing the planning and operation/management of their systems/assets, and ii) interacting in a dynamic and efficient way with their environment (electricity system) and the rest of the stakeholders. In this way, FLEXGRID envisages secure, sustainable, competitive, and affordable smart grids. A key objective is the incentivization of large-scale bottom-up investments in Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) through innovative smart grid management. Towards this goal, FLEXGRID develops innovative data models and energy market architectures (with high liquidity and efficiency) that effectively manage smart grids through an advanced TSO-DSO interaction as well as interactions between Transmission Network and Distribution Network level energy markets. Consequently, and through intelligence that exploits the innovation of the proposed market architecture, FLEXGRID develops investment tools able to examine in depth the emerging energy ecosystem and allow in this way: i) the financial sustainability of DER investors, and ii) the market liquidity/efficiency through advanced exploitation of DERs and intelligent network upgrades.