Extreme or unexpected weather conditions can put a strain on our electricity grids. When demand for power or renewable energy resource generation dramatically increases, utility companies often turn to their reserve power stations to make up what is required to satisfy the needs of the grid. An alternative to this approach is using Demand Response strategies, whereby consumers are incentivised to reduce or shift their energy usage when the grid is under pressure to balance demand and supply. This is where DELTA comes in.
DELTA and Demand Response
DELTA is an EU-funded research and innovation project developing new technologies to roll out demand response across Europe.
The project is building a framework for the integration of small to medium prosumers in the electricity network to help them participate in demand response services.
A prosumer is someone who both consumes and produces energy – for example a household that installs a solar panel or a factory that runs a wind turbine.
Demand response is a tool used to involve consumers in balancing supply and demand on the electric grid. By reducing or shifting their electricity usage during peak periods, consumers can help strengthen grid reliability and ensure stability.
Small and medium sized prosumers
Thanks to its smart and efficient technology that relies on Virtual Power Plant principles, DELTA allows small and medium sized prosumers to be active players in the energy market.
Aggregators – companies that buy power and supply it to consumers – have traditionally worked mainly with large scale prosumers and consumers as it is difficult for them to work with smaller ones such as households. But DELTA's new blockchain-driven technology aims to make this process easier and more
secure and efficient for aggregators.
Key technologies developed by DELTA
The DELTA Virtual Node (DVN) provides aggregators with the technology needed to efficiently manage their portfolios of small and medium scale consumers and prosumers. The DVN Platform, a software suite powered by a secure permissioned blockchain, has the ability to unobtrusively and automatically group consumers and prosumers together based on their energy consumption characteristics. This involves both real-time and historical data, allowing aggregators to accurately forecast the energy flexibility they can offer to the grid when demand is high.
The Fog-enabled Intelligent Device (FEID) is the hardware placed in homes and businesses that gathers energy data and transmits it to the DVN. This piece of equipment is safe and secure, and thanks to edge computing technology being employed, it automatically processes information, forecasts consumption and receives DR signals in the form of smart contracts.
DELTA has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 773960.
Contact information:
Dr. Dimitrios Tzovaras
Project Coordinator
The Centre for Research & Technology, Hellas
Contact email: dimitrios.tzovaras@iti.gr
Find out more:
Website: www.delta-h2020.eu
Twitter: @delta_eu
LinkedIn: delta-h2020
YouTube: DELTA H2020
Project facts:
Duration: 05/2018-04/2021
Partners: 10 organisations from 8 European countries
Budget: € 3 873 625