Researchers from the University of Coimbra are participating in an international program to improve energy efficiency in Europe, it was announced this Wednesday.
In a statement, the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC) reported that the Institute of Systems and Robotics (ISR) is part of an “international consortium that aims to revolutionize the landscape of energy efficiency”, investing in models of business. who also value “demand-side flexibility.”
This research center associated with the FCTUC wants to contribute to the “development of new intelligent services that aim to optimize and reduce energy consumption globally.”
At the FCTUC, according to the note sent to the Lusa agency, the investigation continues in the field of BungEES – “Building Up Next-Generation Smart Energy Services Offer and Market Up-take Valorizing Energy Efficiency and Flexibility at Demand-Side”, a project focused on “reducing consumption, but also integrating non-energy benefits, further improving efficiency”.
“One of the initial objectives is to identify barriers, whether regulatory, technical or market, that hinder the large-scale application of energy efficiency services in an integrated manner. In this context, legal, financial and regulatory recommendations will be developed to help overcome these barriers and promote a more competitive energy services market,” said ISR researcher Nuno Quaresma.
The project will also cover “the regulatory conditions that can unlock the full potential of these services.”proposing, if necessary, reforms in the energy market.”
According to Nuno Quaresma, cited in the note, “the main objective of the project is the development of an integrated package of energy efficiency services, which combines consumption efficiency, distributed energy production, demand response, electric mobility and energy storage. energy.
BungEES is expected to integrate different energy sectors, such as electricity, heating and cooling, creating “innovative financing and reward solutions for the most efficient consumers.”
“We are creating a business model that values energy efficiency and flexibility on the demand sidepromoting the commercialization of energy services in an integrated manner. “This model is expected to make life easier for consumers and optimize the operation of energy service companies,” explained Nuno Quaresma.
Meanwhile, within the framework of BUNGEES, other pilot projects are being carried out in Portugal, Spain and France, two of them “in the data collection phase in Portuguese territory,” he highlighted.
In Coimbra, “the integrated management of energy services in the residential sector is being tested, that is, the automation of the control of heat pumps for air conditioning, maintaining the comfort of users.”
The FCTUC Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, for its part, is developing a project for “the integrated management of various services, such as heat pumps, electric vehicle charging, solar photovoltaic production and energy storage in batteries,” he stated. Nuno Lent.
Source: Observadora
