Author: Taliah Dommerholt

D8.6: Report on commercialisation plans for different solutions and markets

Posted on October 2, 2023 by -

The deliverable D8.6: Report on commercialisation plans for different solutions and markets was submitted by R2M in September 2023 with contributions from GKinetic, IOTA, TK, 4C, ABB, ANEO, IES, and NTNU. The executive summary of the deliverable is available below and the full deliverable is at the end for download:

“This report presents the commercialisation plans for selected commercial solutions developed in the +CityxChange project. This work has been conducted as part of Work Package 8: Scaling-up, Replication and Exploitation and specifically as part of Task 8.6 “Commercialisation plans”.

Based on market readiness, maturity of the solution, and having a clear commercial pathway, five products and services have been identified that are most suitable for commercial exploitation at this time. These solutions are listed in the table below.


Commercialisation plans for each of these solutions include descriptions of the exploitation route, business model and value network, IP ownership, and the financial analysis. Not all project solutions are ready for commercialisation in the short term.

It should be highlighted that next to the commercial results, the +CityxChange project has produced some impactful public results that will be exploited or replicated/upscaled after the project ends. Examples are the Bold City Vision, Innovation Lab and ‘How to PED Cookbook’ which all have been adopted by many of the partnering cities and are now part of their daily operations.

The report shows that the methods and products developed in +CityxChange contribute to the adoption of PEDs/PEBs and are of great benefit for all stakeholders involved.”

How to PED. The +CityxChange Cookbook: Experiences and Guidelines on Positive Energy Districts

Posted on September 22, 2023 by -

The full How to PED Cookbook” is available for download at the bottom of this page.

This “How to PED” cookbook contains experiences, lessons learned, and recommendations gained throughout the 5 years of the +CityxChange EU Horizon 2020 project, specifically focused on the variety of activities necessary to design and build Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) in smart sustainable cities and communities. Over the course of the book we will draw on the experiences and joint efforts of our 2 Lighthouse Cities, 5 Follower Cities, and 26 other partners, to demonstrate what it takes to build a PED.

We show the importance of collaboration and co-creation, involving the right people, designing effective pathways for change, deploying strong partnerships and financing, adapting to existing processes or building new ones, developing impactful strategies, building new systems and services, and creating new infrastructure in PED projects.

This cookbook represents the processes and results of +CityxChange, where we all contribute with our own recipes & flavours. Just as in real life, recipes often need adjustment to taste. There is no single way to build a PED, so these recipes from our cities provide guidance through the complexities of the journey and share key information that help initiate and smoothen the processes.

From the +CityxChange project, to you.

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8372848

D4.12: Community Grid Implementation Guide

Posted on September 19, 2023 by -

The deliverable D4.12: Community Grid Implementation Guide was submitted by MPOWER in September 2023 with contributions from LCCC, GKINETIC, ESBN and IES. The executive summary of the deliverable is available below and the full deliverable is at the end for download:

“Central to the Positive City Exchange strategy is the strategic nature of demand-side flexibility in enabling high levels of renewable generation and conversion in a Positive Energy Block and a Community Grid. Digitally controlled demand response mechanisms could harness a broad range of load management measures, such as direct or indirect load control, aimed at adapting end users’ consumption to local distribution network needs. The present report describes the work performed within the +CityxChange Task T4.7 Community Grid Implementation Guide.

Deliverable D4.12 documents the results of the implementation of the Community Grid in
Limerick and includes:

  • overview of what has been made of the necessary infrastructure
  • results of the Stakeholder Engagement
  • problems related to Grid Connection and Community Grid setup
  • prosumers integration in the Community Grid and related issues.

Due to regulatory obstacles that could not be overcome, the system enabling energy sharing and Community Grid could not be implemented. The Community Grid as described in D2.6 Framework for Community Grid Implementation1 will have to await the development of rules around peer to peer trading. Such a situation prompted the +Limerick project partners to reconsider the possibilities surrounding the formation of the DPEB, in particular the need for the DPEB buildings to be connected so that the energy exchange between the buildings can be realised and controlled. Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) may provide a viable model for the creation of DPEBs, ensuring additional production of renewable energy from larger but local sources, which would achieve a positive energy balance and enable the connection of REC members by sharing of the locally produced energy. DPEB would be enabled by the use of the existing community structure (SECs) and the proposed REC structure with its ability for energy sharing and the potential to generate a positive energy balance between members. The DPEB model is elaborated more in detail in deliverable D4.11.

What was intended and is needed is a significantly large body of willing prosumers operating as a Community Grid, under a purpose-built Regulatory Sandbox regulated by contract by a viable and functional Community System Operator. With viable economic incentive parameters included it would ensure that any unintended imbalance, or imbalances arising out of Demand Side Flexibility called on by DSO Flexibility needs/urgencies (or even TSO Level flexibility needs), are resolved in real time. This ease of dialogue and collaboration is what the EU is building through the Energy Community movement set out in the Clean Energy Package and RED II Directives. Community grids can develop this under the auspices, and contractual regulation and guidance, of a licensed Community System Operator (CSO). Community Grids, managed by CSO provide an intelligent and useful means of joint planning to reach the best possible improvement.

The engagement process was focused on property owners and potential prosumers who responded to the online questionnaire. An invitation to participate and a brochure were also prepared and sent to property owners as part of the prosumer engagement activities. The initial criteria for engaging with building owners agreed with the relevant project partners were based on willingness to participate and have a Smart Link Unit (SLU) installed in their buildings, suitability for the buildings on the basis of their current energy efficiency I.e. modern recently renovated buildings and cooperation with the project partners on the use of data collected from installed SLU and agreement to work with partners in researching and demonstrating solutions that would help make their buildings more energy efficient. Engagement process that was performed gave a list of the buildings that could be suitable for the expansion and formation of new DPEBs. During the SLU scoping visit preliminary scoping for the heating system was also done.

There have been difficulties in defining the technical requirements for the formation of a Community grid. The existing grid infrastructure with import capacity availability has greatly limited the possibilities of choice. Buildings in the same block are connected to different transformers which makes the obligation to ensure the grid stability much more difficult, require additional equipment, increases the cost, complicates and prolongs the process of establishing a safe and reliable Community Grid system.

At the core of the Community Grid concept and establishment is a Community System Operator (CSO). CSO was supposed to operate the local energy market as a pilot trial for the duration of the project under DSO supervision. Unfortunately no acceptable way for the formation of the CSO was found. The main reason was the absence of a regulatory mechanism that would enable the formation of such a local energy market entity. Part of the work that was done was related to the development of the Business model for the Community Grid and CSO. A list of the necessary equipment was made, both ICT equipment for the establishment of two-way communication, the Grid Stabiliser parts which are responsible for the stability of the power grid, and enerXchangeTM trading platform. The price of individual parts and the system as a whole is used for CSO profitability analysis in the D4.15 Limerick Energy Investment Models White Paper.”

D5.6: Trondheim Flexibility Market Deployment Report

Posted on September 7, 2023 by -

The deliverable D5.6: Trondheim Flexibility Market Deployment Report was submitted by ANEO and TK in September 2023 with contributions from NTNU. The executive summary of the deliverable is available below and the full deliverable is at the end for download:

“Smart energy solutions and systems deployed and demonstrated through the +CityxChange project in the European Lighthouse City (LHC) of Trondheim have proven that even extensive Renewable Energy Source (RES) inclusion is not sufficient to a) establish Positive Energy Blocks (PEBs), b) ensure an optimal local energy resource utilisation and coordination. An optimal, even efficient, coordination of “global” and local energy supply and consumption on a neighbourhood level is highly complex to perform, applicable to many cities/areas. In addition one has – also in Trondheim – experienced a too low degree of utilisation of locally available energy. Energy flexibility (user flexibility) has proven – in Trondheim – to increase the efficiency of local energy resource utilisation and stimulate a more efficient local energy coordination. Even on a European level, energy flexibility will play an important role and constituent in shaping the future of the energy sector, as it is closely aligned with the European vision of clean, affordable, and secure energy for all Europeans (the EU Energy Union, Clean Energy for all Europeans Package – CEP, and REPowerEU).

Aneo (formerly Trønderenergi, TE) has developed, deployed, and demonstrated a solution for local energy and flexibility markets in two areas in Trondheim, Sluppen and Brattøra. The market solution demonstrated is by 2023 a one-of-a-kind innovation that includes all steps and actions as in a global power market (bids, transactions, settlements, measuring, and invoicing). The local energy and flexibility market functions as a downscaled power market, where the individual assets trade energy (local production and storage) and user flexibility with each other, plus that the market trades system services with the DSO.

The two local markets involve totally 16 buildings/installations involved in energy trade, 6 at Sluppen and 10 at Brattøra. 29 individual assets are participating in the markets, 18 at Brattøra and 11 at Sluppen, where 15 (Brattøra) and 7 (Sluppen) of the assets are involved in the flexibility trading. Assets include V2G and EV chargers, E-Bus chargers, ventilation systems, heat pumps, freezing aggregates, battery storage, and snow melting systems. The market solution and local markets comprise trade of local production (PV, heat pumps, etc.), sector coupling electric-thermal sector, and user flexibility1.

The market solution is developed to perform trades at a 15 minute time resolution, but works today for practical reasons on a 60 minute time resolution. Trading is based on a set of predefined trading rules, for instance how much capacity can be pulled from a certain flexible asset or local PV system at a certain time of the day/week/year. The trading rules are included and embedded in a large series of advanced AI trading algorithms that are able to improve themselves through machine learning. The market and trading solution is based on an advanced demand – response system, including detailed weather forecasts, and it responds to price signals (spot prices and grid tax prices) in the global power market.

The market solution includes two main trading modules, called the DSO-round and the Asset-round.

DSO-round: Exclusively for DSO services, and includes all available user flexibility. This is important since the local market user flexibility is thoroughly mapped, and is highly predictable. Local PV production and possibly other unregulated power/energy is excluded from this part of the market and trades. Availability and volumes (both for bids and bid offers) are reported into the local marketplace two hours before performing the trade.

Asset-round: Comprises and involves all energy bids and bid offers to the local marketplace from buildings/assets being part of the local market. Availability and volumes (both for bids and bid offers) during the asset-round are reported into the local marketplace at least every hour, before performing the trade. Bids and bid offers can be submitted to the market and trading solution as close as 15 minutes before each hour (trade) starts.

The Asset round of +CxC LFM Brattøra has been operated for 423 days. During this time, 292 MWh of locally produced energy has been traded through 12,934 transactions, corresponding to around 52% (561 MWh) of the locally surplus energy and accounting for 39% (753 MWh) of the total energy produced within the system. Additionally, since December 2022, +CxC LFM has been incorporating flexibility participants’ capabilities, resulting in the shifting of 0.77 MW of power, which is factored into the energy trading during the Asset round. At +CxC LFM Sluppen, the LFM Asset round has been operated for 33 days. During this time, 12 MWh of energy has been produced, but no energy trades have been executed due to insufficient surplus energy available for sale.

The LFM Brattøra DSO round has been active for a total of 73 days and will continue its operation. This round has ensured the trading of 0.357 MW through 54 transactions, with the most significant reduction offered as a DSO service, amounting to 0.1 MW. This reduction represents 3.3 % of the highest theoretical peak demand of 2.95 MWh. During the coming autumn, the plan is to offer more DSO services through the LFM DSO round, aiming to achieve a minimum reduction of 0.3 MW, equivalent to a minimum 10% reduction in the highest theoretical peak demand.

The local energy market approach and solutions demonstrated in Trondheim are highly viable, even important for succeeding with the energy transition. An upscaled +CityxChange LFM may, based on experiences and outcomes from the prevailing project, contribute to increase electricity grid utilisation, and reduce tension and bottlenecks in both the distribution grid, the regional grid, and even the transmission grid; when combined with extensive local RES, and smart and efficient local (and regional) energy coordination.

+CityxChange Final Conference in Trondheim

Posted on September 1, 2023 by - News

We are thrilled to announce the upcoming Final Event for +CityxChange!

Join us from 3rd to 5th October* in Trondheim for a series of insightful sessions on the future of Positive Energy Districts and communities. During the event we will share implementation experiences and lessons learned from our project, as well as take you on site visits to the two PEBs in Trondheim at Brattøra and Sluppen.

Central to the event will be discussions surrounding the 11 Demonstration Projects undertaken during the +CxC project. These demos fall into 3 categories:

    1. Enabling a common energy market
    2. Creating connected communities
    3. Recommendations for new policy interventions, market regulations and business models

Furthermore, the project cities – Trondheim, Limerick, Alba Iulia, Písek, Sestao, Smolyan and Võru – will showcase their experiences through an exhibition where attendees have the opportunity to explore and interact with project results, gaining valuable insights into the progress made in these cities.

As a combined event with Scalable Cities, there will also be opportunities to learn from other Smart Cities and Communities projects. Discover innovative approaches, exchange knowledge, and be part of a vibrant community committed to shaping the cities of tomorrow.

Whether you’re an industry professional or simply curious about sustainable building solutions and the future of energy neutrality, this event is not to be missed!

Check out the Final Conference Agenda (UPDATED 2 October) and if you’re attending, be sure to download Mobee, a+CityxChange app which helps you find your nearest mobility options in Trondheim. For the duration of the event it will also show all conference sites, including site visits and restaurants! Download the app on Google Play or the Apple App Store. 

*The 3rd is the Scandinavian event, and the 4th-5th are geared toward the International Community and will be held in English.

D4.14: Energy profile of Community Grid and EV users

Posted on August 31, 2023 by -

The deliverable D4.14: Energy profile of Community Grid and EV users was submitted by MPOWER in June 2023 with contributions from ESBN. The executive summary of the deliverable is available below and the full deliverable is at the end for download:

“The goal of the +CityxChange project is to establish a Positive Energy Block/District in such a way that everyone who participates can share and trade their available energy resources locally within the Community Grid. The excess available energy at the level of the energy block thus established can be stored and used later when needed or sent back to the grid. Utilisation of local flexibility would enable smart optimisation of city level energy resources and achievement of Positive Energy Block/District. This document specifically looks at the use of flexibility trading and systems to be designed for it.

The Community Grid concept, as explained in deliverable D2.6, sets the necessary prerequisites for this to be realised, starting with the ICT infrastructure that connects participants, measures consumption and production, and manages controllable flexible assets.

Despite all efforts, the necessary structure for the establishment of the first Community Grid in Limerick could not be established within the project. First five PEB buildings were connected with electricity clamp meters and a communication infrastructure has been established by bespoke Smart Link Unit (SLU) devices that provide real-time two-way Smart M2M communication with the central HUB for monitoring of consumption / production. However, the planned organisational formation of a prosumer group, which is a prerequisite for the creation of a local energy market, was not realised.

The functionality of the existing MPower enerXchange is extended with the necessary energy/flexibility trading functionality, providing prosumers with the basic tools for trading of the available flexibility. The development of the application stopped there. The trading mechanism was developed as a first iteration, but it was not possible to test and demonstrate it live. True value of trading flexibility could not be demonstrated.

This deliverable explains the DPEB energy/resource trading system at the stage it has reached during the project timeline. It also contains insights and recommendations for the national regulatory authority (CRU), the DSO (ESBN), and the TSO (Eirgrid) in Ireland with respect to the potential for Community Grids and a Local Flexibility Market that have been identified during this development and implementation effort or from the ideation stage.”

D8.3: Report on replication assessment and profiles for each +CityxChange demonstration project

Posted on August 28, 2023 by -

The deliverable D8.3: Report on replication assessment and profiles for each +CityxChange demonstration project was submitted by EAP and R2M in August 2023 with contributions from LCCC, TK,  MAI, MP, SB, SMO, VORU, NTNU, KPMG, and UL. The executive summary of the deliverable is available below and the full deliverable is at the end for download:

“The report “D8.3: Report of replication assessment and profiles for each +CityxChange demonstration project” provides an overview of the replication activities and exchanges throughout the +CityxChange project. It details the methodology for replication analysis and an individual assessment of each of 11 Demonstration projects conducted in the project as well as their specific replication actions and cases by project partners and their external collaborators. As a result, detailed as well as publishable replication profiles are produced that outline legal and regulatory, technical and technological, economic and financial, social and stakeholder, and environmental aspects that may be enablers or limitations to further replication and scaling up of smart city solutions. Shining examples and their success stories are presented and accessible online to showcase the joint efforts of partners and their collaborators in bringing demonstration projects to tangible replication results.“

D7.16: Reporting to the SCIS System 9

Posted on August 28, 2023 by -

The deliverable D7.16: Reporting to the SCIS System 9 was submitted by KPMG FA in August 2023 with contributions from LCCC, MPOWER, TK, R2M, OV and GoCar. The executive summary of the deliverable is available below and the full deliverable is at the end for download:

“This report, Deliverable 7.16: Reporting to the SCIS (9), is part of a series of bi-annual reports and is the eighth iteration in the series; being the subsequent revision of the previous version, Deliverable 7.15: Reporting to the SCIS (8) which provided an overview of KPI performance as of Month 48 of the +CityxChange project.

During this 6-month reporting period, Work Package (WP) 7 has conducted workshops with KPI owners on the basis of reporting frequency (monthly, bi-annual and annual). These workshops differ from the workshops which were held in the previous reporting period which finalised KPI calculations, KPI definitions and successfully resolved any remaining data reporting issues before the beginning of the final Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Phase from M48 to M60.

The workshops conducted in the reporting period for D7.16 were held in order to align partners’ expectations and queries in relation to visualisations of the Monitoring & Exchange Reporting Tool for all 33 KPIs. The workshops also ensured all KPI owners partners had necessary access to the MERT in order to provide the most up to date data for their KPIs.

This Deliverable therefore also can report the complete status for all KPIs as of Month 54 of the project.

Furthermore, after consultation regarding the Smart Cities Marketplace – Self Reporting Tool, WP7 have proceeded to submit data from the BEST tables provided by the Lighthouse Cities (LHCs). Baseline data for Limerick and the first four years (2018 baseline – 2022) for Trondheim have been submitted. Final data submission will occur in M59/M60 in the final year of the project. The steps taken in submitting the data via the BEST tables are expanded upon in Section 5 of the deliverable.

Updates to the MERT during the reporting period focused on the gathering and submission of KPI data. With the updates to the MERT system carried out in the previous reporting period, WP7’s focus will turn over the remaining months of the project on upkeep of the system and the migration of the system as per Task 7.5: Migration of monitoring and evaluation system, which will be described in D7.18.”

The Second Call for VISITOR CITIES is now OPEN – Deadline 18th of August,12:00 CET.

Posted on July 16, 2023 by - News

Join us in Trondheim from the 3rd to the 5th of October for an exciting three-day event. This is an extraordinary opportunity for visitor cities to acquire invaluable insights into the cutting-edge solutions offered by the +CityxChange project and to engage with members of the Scalable Cities community who will be participating in the event. Find the Terms of Reference and application form here.

To apply, visit the Scalable Cities website  and complete the Application form and upload it via the Application Platform. Travel costs for one representative from each selected city will be covered! We will communicate the Selected Visitor Cities by the beginning of September 2023.

Don’t miss out! The submission deadline is on the 18th of August 2023, at 12:00 CET.

Check out our news post for more details about the event, including the preliminary Final Conference Agenda. If you are not selected as a Visitor City but still want to attend, be sure to register by 15 September.

D7.15: Reporting to the SCIS System 8

Posted on July 11, 2023 by -

The deliverable D7.15: Reporting to the SCIS System 8 was submitted by KOMG FA in June 2023 with contributions from LCCC, MPOWER, TK, R2M, and OV. The executive summary of the deliverable is available below and the full deliverable is at the end for download:

“This report, Deliverable 7.15: Reporting to the SCIS (8), is part of a series of bi-annual reports and is the eighth iteration in the series; being the subsequent revision of the previous version, Deliverable 7.13: Reporting to the SCIS (7) which provided an overview of KPI performance as of Month 42 of the +CityxChange project.

During the reporting period, Work Package (WP) 7 has finalised KPI calculations, KPI definitions and successfully resolved any remaining data reporting issues for the final year of the project and its Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E). WP7 has also confirmed the method of reporting of KPIs to the Self-Reporting Tool (SRT) and further enhancement of Monitoring and Evaluation Reporting Tool (MERT) features and functionality.

The consolidated descriptions of all KPIs, out of discussions and refinements during the project and their learnings, are added in full to the annex of this document. They will be used for all future reporting.

With the final phase of M&E for demonstrating interventions beginning in November 2022, it was necessary for KPI descriptions, scope and calculations to be reviewed and finalised prior to this deadline. This is due to changing circumstances in data availability and adapting to challenges encountered in aligning this data to reporting standards on an ongoing basis. This process has been facilitated within WP7 prior to this deadline to ensure that all KPIs can be captured and reported to the MERT and the SRT.

The MERT has seen all KPI calculations confirmed by the KPI Owners and data being submitted. Furthermore, the MERT has undergone a number of updates and refinements to front- and back-end processes. This includes updates to visualisations for better representation of the KPI data within MERT and updates to the KPI Target Share numbers. As of writing of this deliverable, data for 29 KPIs had been submitted to the MERT.

Further, WP7 had extensive conversations with SRT developers to discuss compatible ways to bridge the gap between KPI data headers and the Smart Cities Marketplace (SCM) – SRT headers. The SRT developers recommended making use of BEST tables for reporting. This way data from other smart city projects can also be visualised and data across projects will be consistent. WP7 has agreed to shift from individual KPI forms to Positive Energy District (PED) format for each LHCs and FCs as a result of this.”