ExPEDite: Smart grids and energy effectiveness for future

At present as the world is facing the global challenges concerning energy sustainability and climatic change the basic need is to search for the innovative solutions enabling to achieve an energy and climatic neutrality. In this direction the ExPEDite project (Enabling Positive Energy Districts through a Planning and Management Digital Twin) of the Horizon Europe Programme is bringing a new hope representing the breaktrough initiative in the area of smart grids.

This project will be practically applied to a district of Riga, LV bringing invaluable practical knowledge and experience. The resulting digital model will consist of reusable models, algorithms and training materials to aid other cities and districts to implement their own solutions and thus support sustainable energy practices applicable worldwide. This will represent a deciding step towards the energy effective and sustainable future.

The main objective aims at delivering of e.g. mathematical models of Digital Twins (DT) for monitoring, visualization and management of the almost real time energy flows at the level of Positive Energy Districts (PED) in the areas aiming to minimalize energy losses and to achieve the more sustainable and effective energy utilisation level. The proposed Digital Twin ExPEDite platform will utilize a modular open architecture tools enabling its capability to support effectively needs of the different sectors and users. This universality will allow broad DT utilization for the various areas and ensure synergic effects of mutual interaction.

One of the key parts of the project ExPEDite will be ability to model the energy production and demand in the given positive energy district as well as to optimize its flexibility and to simulate demands on its disponible output for the mobility and transportation needs. This will offer energy and urban planners to use „what-if” analyses providing them important tools for qualified decision-making in the area of energy strategies and politics.

„We will develop and further implement the unique digital model that will serve as a tool for analysis, planning and control of energy flows in positive energy districts. This innovative platform will provide reusable modelling tools enabling interested stakeholders systematically analyse and plan measures oriented to achieve positive energy balance and climatic neutrality utilizing energy effective way“, says Dr. Prokop, Associate Professor, one of the project head researchers.

The main asset of this project is its orientation on the effective interaction among providers of energy services and inhabitants as consumers aiming to achieve the highest energy savings. The research team will take an innovative approach to this assignment with support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The aim is to increase citizens awareness of energy effectiveness as well as their active engagement into activities leading to more sustainable energy utilization.

Text: Zuzana Wrbková, Marketing and PR Manager CEET
Photo: Petr Havlíček, Shutterstock