InteGrid’s vision is to bridge the gap between citizens, technology and the other players of the energy system. The project will demonstrate how DSOs may enable all stakeholders to actively participate in the energy market and distribution grid management and develop and implement new business models, making use of new data management and consumer involvement approaches. Moreover, the consortium will demonstrate scalable and replicable solutions in an integrated environment that enables DSOs to plan and operate the network with a high share of DRES in a stable, secure and economic way, using flexibility inherently offered by specific technologies and by interaction with different stakeholders. To achieve these objectives, a complementary partnership covering the distribution system value chain has been established. The consortium includes three DSOs from different countries and their retailers, innovative ICT companies and equipment manufacturers as well as customers, a start-up in the area of community engagement and excellent R&D institutions. InteGrid’s concepts and approaches are based on the these two elements: 1. the role of the DSO as system optimiser and as market facilitator and 2. the integration of existing demonstration activities in three different regions allowing to move from single solutions to an integrated management at a higher scale while focusing on the scalability and replicability considering current and evolving market (and regulatory) conditions. The three conceptual pillars – proactive operational planning with DER, business models for flexible DER, information exchange between different power system actors – offer an opportunity to maximize the economic, societal and environmental gains from the combined integration of DRES and flexible DER. A market hub platform coupled with smart grid functions and innovative business models will open opportunities for new services and an effective roll-out of emerging technologies in the short-term.

Currently, the energy sector is responsible for 72% of the EU’s GHG emissions, this situation calls for a rapid and effective decarbonisation of all sectors. Reaching the sustainability targets negotiated under the Green Deal requires facing the green transition towards clean energy by increasing the renewable share and efficient use of energy. Despite the impacts on the energy production, responsibility falls on citizens and governors. A more active role and direct participation of consumers (prosumers) in the value energy chain is needed; and this requires a collaborative and aggregated actuation. Moreover, the EU need to reduce its dependence of external energy resources (nowadays aggravated by geopolitical conflicts in UKR) implies a significant transformation to manage the flexibility required by an of increasing renewable sources. RESCHOOL aims to lever energy communities as formal way to aggregate active consumers and prosumers and empower them as relevant energy stakeholders. RESCHOOL aims to facilitate their interaction with the grid as flexibility providers and their participation in electricity markets. This will only be possible when enough citizens are engaged on these communities and enough flexibility can be aggregated. This requires efforts on training and engagement campaigns supported by effective results demonstrated in the real life. RESCHOOL will provide solutions to reinforce these engagement efforts based on co-creation/co-design participative strategies as well as tools designed to support energy and flexibility management and interaction of both based on collaborative and gamification strategies. These tools and methods will be validated in 4 different pilots across EU, including ES, NL, SE, and GR. Results from studies, developments and validations will serve to elaborate realistic guidelines and business models to support the effective creation, growing and development of energy communities in the EU, including policy recommendations.