Launch of the RENergetic project

The climate protection objectives have led to a rapid development of renewable and distributed energy in recent years. Local energy consumers have a special place in this process and in the European Union strategy. Among them, an important role is played by integrated local energy systems, so-called Energy Islands, characterized by energy independence and involvement of the local community in energy saving and management. Energy islands are integrating renewable energy sources, energy consumers, and residents/users in local communities.

The RENergetic project will develop and integrate solutions to improve energy efficiency, renewable energy production levels and energy independence of diverse energy islands in the urban environment, taking advantage of local community involvement. These objectives will be achieved by integrating and optimizing the management of 3 energy vectors: electricity, heat and waste. To this end, IT technologies such as the Internet of Things will be used, as well as data analysis, prediction and control of energy consumption and production using artificial intelligence techniques.

The energy islands will be demonstrated in 3 different urban areas: the New Docs district in Ghent, the research and hospital complex in Segrate/Milan and the campus of PSNC and Poznan University of Technology in Poznan. In Poznan, the works will include the use of waste heat from the data center to heat the campus buildings, the use of renewable energy from photovoltaic installations and efficiency management of the buildings. The project will enable the installation of appropriate measurement devices, creation of a prototype of a waste heat recovery system, analysis of measurement data from the campus facilities and application of tools for control and optimization of energy management. As a result, the project will help to reduce the cost of energy consumed on the campus and the related greenhouse gas emissions.

The project started in November 2020 and will last 3.5 years. The value of the project was estimated at about 6.7 million Euro and involves 12 partners. Apart from Polish entities: PSNC, Poznan University of Technology and Veolia Energia Poznan S.A., the partners are the scientific centers, companies and institutions from Spain, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Austria.