Consumer and prosumer device control

  • Measuring Envelope products and systems contributing to next generation of healthy nearly Zero Energy Buildings

    Project dates: 01. Jan 2021 - 31. Jan 2026

    Objective

    MEZeroE is an EU distributed open innovation ecosystem for: (i) developing nZEB Enabler Envelope technology solutions ; (ii) transferring knowledge; (iii) matching testing needs with existing facilities; (iv) providing monitoring in living labs and; (v) standardizing cutting-edge solutions coming from SMEs and larger industries, to foster inclusive change in the building sector, being accessible via a single-entry point to all users. MEZeroE allows the development of ground-based solutions focused on carbon neutrality and healthy indoor environment, validated with advanced assessment methods and services, recognized protocols and long-term vision to embrace industry 4.0 trends, rapid decision making and customer-centric requirements. MEZeroE accompanies enterprises in adopting the open innovation approach comprising discovery (phase 1), empowering (phase 2), and exploiting (phase 3). MEZeroE will be accessed via a single-entry point web-based multi-side virtual marketplace, including 9 Pilot Measurement & Verification Lines (PM&VL) and 3 Open Innovation Services (OIS) covering training, business model development, systematic IP and knowledge management. MEzeroE will fast-track prototypes to the market as fully characterized products. MEZeroE virtual marketplace provides structured knowledge to different stakeholders with a pragmatic and well-grounded mid to long-term ambition of developing and consolidating a trusted expertise network, to be active and self-sustaining well beyond the project timeline. Based on synergies among partners, existing channels and a dedicated marketing strategy MEZeroE will exploit 3 revenue lines to ensure a 4x leverage factor vs. EU contribution. These revenue streams include: (I) memberships (benefit of web-based platform manager); (ii) consultancy for innovation and IPR protection (benefit of OIS developers) and (iii) incremental revenues of industrial partners (benefit of users) thanks to product transferred to market.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 25
    Site numbers:

    RIKO HISE PROIZVODNJA IN TRZENJE D.O.O

    ROTHO BLAAS SRL

    POLITECHNIKA KRAKOWSKA

    VELUX AS

    • Partner
    • VELUX AS
    • Denmark
    • Budget: 301, 175

    FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION

    INCURVO SL

    TECNOLOGIA NAVARRA DE NANOPRODUCTOS SL

    HELIATEK GMBH

    FLEXANDROBUST SYSTEMS SPOLKA Z OGRANICZONA ODPOWIEDZIALNOSCIA

    NUVAP SPA

    ARBNCO LTD

    • Partner
    • ARBNCO LTD
    • United Kingdom
    • Budget: 278, 299

    ACCADEMIA EUROPEA DI BOLZANO

    FOCCHI SPA

    DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO

    FLEXBRICK SL

    ACONDICIONAMIENTO TARRASENSE ASSOCIACION

    ZAVOD ZA GRADBENISTVO SLOVENIJE

    INDRESMAT SL

    UNIVERSITAET INNSBRUCK

    R2M SOLUTION SRL

    ASSOCIATION COMPAZ

    GREENTEG AG

    INSTITUT DE TECNOLOGIA DE LA CONSTRUCCION DE CATALUNYA

    WINDOWMASTER INTERNATIONAL A/S

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
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  • Next generation transparent solar windows based on customised integrated photovoltaics

    Project dates: 01. Oct 2019 - 31. Dec 2021

    Objective

    The main goal of Solar-Win is the industrial scale-up, validation under real-world operation conditions (TRL8) and commercialisation of next generation transparent and non-intrusive photovoltaic (PV) windows. The project will result in a unique transparent and electricity-generating window that merges the functionality of a PV module and a window in one, allowing a strong increase in the surface available in the building for generation of PV electricity. Solar-Win will revolutionize the Building Integrated PV (BIPV) and the architectural sectors, by providing a PV window solution featuring a unique set of characteristics, namely: (1) transparent and visually non-intrusive windows (with controlled visible transparency from 40% to 75%) able to generate up to 30 W/m2 of green electricity; (2) full compatibility with existing window manufacturing technologies; (3) lifespan equivalent to standard windows (20 years); and (4) cost effectiveness (cost increase of just 30% with respect to a standard window). To achieve these goals, solar-Win involves two Technology-based SMEs (PHYSEE and SUNPLUGGED from the Smart Window and PV sectors, respectively) coordinated by a flagship RTD organisation with a strong experience and background in technology transfer and optimisation of advanced PV technologies (IREC) and a leader constrution company (ACCIONA) which is the main costumer segment. The Project concept relies on the solar window patented technology developed by PHYSEE at TRL6, and on the highly flexible PV technology of SUNPLUGGED, which will be further optimised and customised for Solar-Win application. Solar-Win will overcome a major barrier that presently limits a further deployment of BIPV solutions, which relates to its intrusive character. Moreover, Solar-Win will allow achieving a disruptive advance extending drastically the possibilities for integration of PV solutions to virtually any kind of buildings, just by installing and/or replacing building windows.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 4
    Site numbers:

    PHYSEE GROUP BV

    FUNDACIO INSTITUT DE RECERCA DE L'ENERGIA DE CATALUNYA

    SUNPLUGGED - SOLARE ENERGIESYSTEME GMBH

    ACCIONA CONSTRUCCION SA

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

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  • Smart Thermostat Évolution

    Project dates: 01. Dec 2015 - 31. Mar 2016

    Objective

    One of the main European challenges, included in the 2020, 2030 and 2050 objectives and frameworks, is the increase of energy efficiency. Buildings, responsible for 40% of total energy consumption can play a major role. 60% of the energy consumed in households is for space heating. Up to 45% of the total energy spends can be saved by using wisely a thermostat. The use of these systems in households is highly profitable for its occupants, as European families spend 5-7.5% of their incomes in the home energy bill. In this context, the European market of home energy management systems will obtain revenue for 415M€ by 2018 after a CAGR of 16% since 2013. QIVIVO is an SME that commercializes and serves intelligent thermostats in France since 2012, and has obtained 31% average energy savings for its users and a 13% of market share. Now it is developing a more advanced generation: Smarthé, with enhanced capabilities both for hardware and software, which will allow for an improved performance and more energy savings. QIVIVO has also developed formulas to reach the end-users through new business models (B2B). Smarthé is a thermostat for a wide range of heating systems (electric, gas, condensation), offering maximum comfort at minimum energy cost. This is achieved by: 1) Automatic learning of the particular comfort temperature and habits of the user, 2) Precise knowledge of how weather conditions (including wind) affect on the house, as Smarthé is characterizes thermal properties of a facility through multizone sensors (thermostat and pressure), and 3) A cloud-served smart suite to automatically manage home energy and assess in retrofitting operations. Home maintenance companies will distribute Smarthé and use another QIVIVO platform to manage renovation programmes in their users’ houses. The business opportunity of Smarthé has a payback period of 4 years and will become the flagship product of the company that will permit the increase of the company in 15 people.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    QIVIVO

    • Project coordinator
    • QIVIVO
    • France
    • Budget: 50, 000

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
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  • User-driven Energy-Matching & Business prospection tool for industrial Excess heat/cold Reduction, Recovery and Redistribution

    Project dates: 02. Sep 2019 - 01. Sep 2022

    Objective

    The EMB3Rs project will implement a bottom-up, user-driven and open source modelling platform to simulate alternative supply-demand scenarios for the recovery and reuse of industrial excess heat and cold (HC). EMB3Rs’ final users will employ the platform to determine the costs and benefits related with excess HC utilization routes, and to define the required implementation conditions for the most promising solutions. The platform will allow industrial users and other relevant stakeholders to autonomously and intuitively explore and assess the feasibility of new technology and business scenarios. This will benefit each individual producer/ consumer in a given industrial community but also enable win-win solutions between industries and final HC users in other sectors.
    The main aim is to reuse and/or trade excess thermal energy in a holistic perspective within an industrial process HC/energy system environment or framed in an HC network in regulated or liberalized markets. The resource and energy intensive industries (REII) and DHC networks will be able to use and rely on the EMB3Rs platform to investigate the revenue potential of using industrial excess HC as an energy (re)source. The REII will be able to evaluate the benefits of investing in low carbon options, such as the integration of renewable HC technologies and thermal storage, in industrial processes.
    Ultimately, by translating industrial excess HC into savings, revenues and increased overall system efficiency, EMB3Rs will allow the REII community to improve its competitiveness, foster and accelerate the decarbonisation of the HC market overall and contribute to the EU climate change mitigation goals. Namely by i) contributing to overcome the barriers for developing and deploying in HC solutions, i.e. reaching a critical mass of users, iii) identifying critical framework conditions and success factors and iv) promoting transfer and replication of solutions in other industrial sectors and iv) stimulating the convergence between energy, energy efficiency goals, CO2 reduction and business interests.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 17
    Site numbers:

    TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIEN

    ADELPHI RESEARCH GEMEINNUTZIGE GMBH

    KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLAN

    LUNDS UNIVERSITET

    WARMTEBEDRIJF EXPLOITATIE NV

    INESC TEC - INSTITUTO DE ENGENHARIADE SISTEMAS E COMPUTADORES, TECNOLOGIA E CIENCIA

    CENTRE FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES AND SAVING FONDATION

    ADENE - AGENCIA PARA A ENERGIA

    CLIMAESPACO - SOCIEDADE DE PRODUCAOE DISTRIBUICAO URBANA DE ENERGIA TERMICA S.A.

    CIMPOR-INDUSTRIA DE CIMENTOS SA

    ZENTRUM FUR ENERGIEWIRTSCHAFT UND UMWELT (E-THINK)

    PDM E FC PROJECTO DESENVOLVIMENTO MANUTENCAO FORMACAO E CONSULTADORIALDA

    DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET

    THE UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

    EMERSON PROCESS MANAGEMENT LIMITED

    EUROPEAN SCIENCE COMMUNICATION INSTITUTE (ESCI) GGMBH

    INEGI - INSTITUTO DE CIENCIA E INOVACAO EM ENGENHARIA MECANICA E ENGENHARIA INDUSTRIAL

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

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  • SMART MODULAR UNDERFLOOR HEATING SYSTEM FOR ENERGY AND THERMAL COMFORT OPTIMIZATION

    Project dates: 01. May 2016 - 31. Oct 2016

    Objective

    Large portion of buildings energy consumption from space heating is wasted. Poor indoor temperature control, low heating energy efficiency or lack of insulation are the main causes of the energy loss. This is critical in cold climate office buildings where space heating consumption accounts for up to 50% of the yearly building energy consumption. Moreover, indoor environmental and personal factors (thermal comfort), are strongly linked to energy efficiency in buildings and to productivity of occupants. Combined energy-comfort approaches in space heating are needed in order to guarantee high indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency. To meet this challenge, integration of the Internet of the Things and space heating technologies for buildings represents a huge business opportunity still not exploited in terms of energy savings from higher comfort levels.
    Overall objective of PLACTHERM is to accelerate the market uptake of PlacTherm®, a smart modular underfloor heating system based on Exploded View patent pending technology that fully merges underfloor heating (UFH) and Internet of the Things technologies in a stand-alone solution.
    PlacTherm® enables buildings to achieve maximum energy savings and indoor comfort levels by untapping the benefits from having one single room covered by over 200 single temperature and pressure sensors and heating sources, enabling each occupant to have their own temperature of comfort, and reducing the energy for heating empty areas.
    PLACTHERM will generate impact at different levels:
    - society: lower environmental impact from the buildings
    - economic performance of the energy bill payers
    - health of building occupants: increase in their thermal comfort/wellbeing at their workplaces and consequently increasing their productivity
    - Exploded View competitiveness, turnover and staff headcount, becoming a worldwide reference in smart and energy efficient space heating solutions based on the zonification to avoid overheating.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    EXPLODED VIEW SL

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
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  • Innovative Financing for Servitisation and Capitalization of Energy Efficiency Solutions for SMEs Efficient Equipment as a Service

    Project dates: 01. Jun 2020 - 31. May 2023

    Objective

    "The Efficient Equipment as a Service (eEaaS) program aims to develop and deploy new business models and a financial structure to enable the transition and facilitate the market adoption of energy efficient equiment-as-a-service in SMEs. The consortium participants (BASE, AGORIA, ANESE, Innoenergy) have been exploring and implementing eEaaS, focusing on financial, fiscal and legal challenges and solutions. They build on present frontrunner experience, attempt to solve barriers, ranging from asset value to shareholder and financial 3rd party management. Their unique expertise on financing, ESCOs, business needs when transitioning from selling products to selling services will enable investments roundtables and building pipeline of projects. eEaaS has two main components: a) mainstream the EE servitisation financial model to facilitate the access of SME to smart, high-energy efficient technologies and b) standardise a financing structure (for example ""sale-leaseback"" model). Past experience has indeed shown that a potential bottleneck for this type of models is the lack of liquidity, financial capacity or capacity to access competitive financing for the providers under conditions that do not hurdle the potential pipeline of servitisation projects. eEaaS model aims to overcome the barriers that have inhibited SMEs from investing in EE solutions as they compete with investment opportunities related to their core business, which are better understood by SMEs in terms of risks and rewards. Servitisation supports SME competitivity by using smart technologies for energy use measuring, supporting the digital economy. In addition it supports a circular economy approach by incentivising technology providers to make their equipment modular, with parts being reusable/recyclable since the ownership of the equipment is never transferred to the client."

    Partners

    Number of partners: 4
    Site numbers:

    STIFTUNG BASE (BASEL AGENCY FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY)

    KIC INNOENERGY SE

    ASOCIACION NACIONAL DE EMPRESAS DE SERVICIOS ENERGETICOS ANESE

    AGORIA ASBL

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
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  • Disrupting the European domestic space heating market with the lowest cost, energy-efficient Gas Heat Pump

    Project dates: 01. Jul 2018 - 30. Jun 2020

    Objective

    Swedish SaltX, a listed 5m EUR revenue company, has identified a growth opportunity in the 7m units/yr European domestic space heating appliance market to deploy its patent protected storage technology SaltX. Experts forecast fast traction for gas heat pumps (GHP) in this market over the next few years, mainly driven by more stringent regulation for energy efficiency. A Phase I feasibility study by Fraunhofer ISE, the highly respected GHP experts, confirmed that the SaltX’s TRL6 prototype is indeed the most energy efficient and low-cost solution among GHPs: SaltX-GHP will be the only GHP system that can compete with condensing gas boilers for some time, whilst the high cost and bulkiness of competitive GHPs restrict them to premium niche segments.

    The final system will increase energy efficiency compared to gas boilers by up to 40%, saving households up to 500 EUR/year in natural gas expenses. The system will be priced at a 15-20% premium to condensing gas boilers, or 750 EUR a unit, at an attractive 1.5 years pay-back.

    The efficiency advance is enabled by SaltX’s innovation that uses nano-coated salt + matrix as a heat storage medium – both are protected by patents. SaltX has already licensed this technology in the thermal solar and truck air-conditioning markets, booking early revenues of 5m EUR in 2016.

    In this project, SaltX will build and demonstrate a pilot GHP system. SaltX’s efforts to create momentum with OEMs via gas utilities, e.g Gas de France and British Gas, who are keen to promote gas driven innovation, has started to bear fruit. SaltX has now received strong interest from OEMs, such as Vaillant and NIBE, who will receive regular progress updates during Phase II.

    Following completion, SaltX will deliver on joint development agreements with OEMs, agreed upon during Phase II, and launch its GHP to a significant portion of the 7m unit a year European gas boiler market, aiming at revenues of 225m EUR by 2024 and total job creation of 30

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    SALTX TECHNOLOGY AB

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
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  • Spectral Energy Management System for appliance-level analytics, control, and microgrid renewables trading.

    Project dates: 01. Mar 2019 - 31. Aug 2019

    Objective

    Linc’s mission is to make effective energy management accessible to all.

    Our breakthrough energy management solution uses advanced spectral analysis to monitor energy consumption on an appliance-by-appliance basis. Installed at a single point — without needing sensors across the building — it delivers an energy breakdown accuracy of 95%, and has proven savings of up to 34%.

    Our hardware and software is installed within 30 minutes by any electrician, in any type of residential, commercial, or industrial building - new or old. It is the first and only energy management solution to be delivered as a low cost service (€9/month), with NO upfront costs.

    It feature built-in controls for building automation and demand response. It is the first energy management system with a fully-integrated microgrid blockchain to trade clean, renewable energy.

    Linc answers directly to European challenges of boosting energy efficiency and renewable generation by 27% each by 2030 — as is necessary to prevent the dire consequences of global warming exceeding 1.5C.

    The EU is not on schedule. 75% of European buildings remain inefficient, and are being renovated at a rate of 1% per year - it will take 100 years to retrofit them. Meanwhile, investment in renewables has stagnated with government subsidies being phased out, and utilities left with no incentive to purchase irregular renewable supplies that destabilise their grid networks.

    Existing Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) are too costly and complex — suitable only for the most energy-intensive buildings; while smart-meters are not very “smart” after all — saving consumers less than 3%.

    Linc solves this. We seek H2020 funding to study the technical and commercial feasibility of our solution. We have support from major piloting partners across all target segments, and project a revenue potential of €24 million with €11 million in net profit within five years of commercialisation, creating of 104 direct jobs.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    LINCLAB NETWORK SL

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
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  • Smart Energy Management System

    Project dates: 01. Mar 2018 - 30. Jun 2018

    Objective

    Stignergy brings to the market a pioneering Smart Energy Management System (SEMS) based on bio-inspired Artificial Intelligence that intends to disrupt in the field of electrical efficiency and control for industrial consumers (which typically represent in EU more than 68% of all electricity consumed) with a drastic reduction in the demand and consumption of electrical energy, while facilitating the deployment of renewable energies. Its main benefits stem from (1) reducing up to 15% on the electricity costs, (2) decreasing the associated CO2 emissions (1.5%), (3) maximizing the self-consumption of green electrical energy (solar, wind) locally produced, and (4) contributing to stabilize the electricity distribution networks for providers. To complement these benefits we propose two unprecedented features: (1) an Energy Storage Management module, which will maximize the self-consumption of green sources of energy from a Battery Storage Energy System and (2) a Smart Grid Integration module, which will provide a virtual charge to balance the energy demand/response of electricity providers. The existing control technologies do not include any intelligence to implement an efficiency energy plan, and are mainly focused on centralized tools which are difficult to install and entail high initial investment and labour costs. Besides, no solution enables to predict the peak demand and maximizes the self-consumption of local green electrical energy. To ensure the viability of SEMS we will assess its technical, commercial and financial feasibility and the IPR exploitation, and define our Business Plan so as to achieve the market uptake in the targeted European countries in 2020. SEMS is aligned with the goals of the EU Horizon 2020 WP for Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy and the energy targets for 2030 by helping reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint by smart and sustainable use of electricity, promoting the use of low-cost, low-carbon electricity energy sources.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    STIGNERGY SA

    • Project coordinator
    • STIGNERGY SA
    • Switzerland
    • Budget: 50, 000

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
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    • Investment needed:

  • Smart interoperable electronic active valve, control eco-system and service to achieve superior building efficiency and user awareness

    Project dates: 01. Aug 2015 - 31. Jul 2017

    Objective

    The business project relates to the development of an innovative product-service offer that intends to revolutionise the hydronic market.
    SmartCIM value proposition aims at transforming water distribution valves from simple actuators of the HVAC distribution systems into smart active nodes that can control with great accuracy quantities flowing through and interoperate with other components of the system (coils, thermostat, pumps) in such a way as to deliver the exact amounts of heat/cooling in each zone served with minimal amount of water and losses. In a nutshell, smart valves to enable smart, efficient HVAC plants.
    Valve technology is unique for the deep integration of sensors and actuators, software eco-system makes the valve interoperable with other hydronic components, enables seamless implementation of advanced controls and allows monitoring from the internet. SmartCIM is the first valve with IoT features, including monitoring/user feedback on mobile devices
    Benefits in application are substantial in terms of savings, ease of installation, lead time for commissioning, comfort and awareness of final users. CAPEX pays back shortly, especially for cooling applications.
    The system is particularly suitable for retrofit/renovation of existing buildings for many reasons: installation & commissioning can be modular (gradual renovations), retrofit can be made without stopping service in all the building, the system interoperates with third party hydronic systems, i.e. does not require to upgrade the rest of the plant.
    CIMBERIO has solid brand reputation, capacity to deliver and global presence. The business project is key for the strategy to become leader in higher value-added segments and is suitable to represent a game changer in the market

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    CAV. UFF. GIACOMO CIMBERIO SPA

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
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The EIRIE platform has been developed under the PANTERA project which has received funding from the European Union´s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under GA No : 824389

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