The EU H2020 project DR-BOB has developed a Demand Response (DR) IT solution that integrates ICT tools, developed at Teesside University, with Siemens commercial products and a user interface provided by GridPocket. This IT solution is a scalable cloud-based energy management system applicable to single and multiple blocks of buildings. It provides the ability to maximise revenue from demand response while minimising energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The DR-BOB solution is highly intelligent and adapts to fluctuations in energy demand, tariffs and weather conditions. The DR-BOB team aims for the system to become central to organisations energy management and environmental strategies.
To test the DR-BOB solution Nobatek developed a market emulator, which replicates real market signals. The solution is piloted at four sites, including Teesside University in the UK, the Fondazione Poliambulanza hospital in Italy, the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca in Romania and the Montaury commercial district of Anglet in south west France. The Pilots directly involve 153,650 m2 of building space and 16,625 occupants. Energy use over one year from these four sites alone will reduce by 1.53 GWh – saving enough energy to power 400 homes for one year of average energy demand.
To monitor the impact of the solution at the pilot sites the project has developed a method of providing a dynamic and versatile baseline for demand response, with a low run time. The baseline method is also adaptable to different levels of granularity and asset integration and provides a DR-baseline that meets European standards.
The project also developed ‘Demand Response Technology Readiness levels’ DR-TRLs, which participating institutions can use to assess their technology readiness to participate in energy management solutions for blocks of buildings. If the framework shows they are not ready, it gives institutions information on how to improve. The concept of DRTRLs may be expanded to offer a useful, common way to measure the maturity of buildings’ energy systems for DR. This is particularly interesting in the light of the recent European Commission's Directive (2018/844/EU) amending the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and introducing the "smart readiness indicator".
DR-BOB brings together 10 organisations from around Europe, working in 4 different domains: energy, construction, ICT, and public bodies.
Further information:
Twitter: @drbob_eu
Website: www.dr-bob.eu
Email: contact@dr-bob.eu
The DR BoB project is co-funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 framework programme for research and innovation under grant agreement No 696114.