Overview

Project Title

Intelligent flexibility through integrated hybrid storage technologies (“FLEXINet”)

Objective

The objective of this project is to develop an integral system for the intelligent and integrated control and implementation of hybrid energy storage technologies in the built environment. FLEXINet focuses on (renovation) arrangements for homes and utility buildings, including making the collective heat supply more sustainable and the general energy consumption more sustainable. The smart system will improve the flexibility and sustainability of electricity supplies by combining stationary battery storage, reused batteries, electric vehicle charging, vehicle-to-grid technology and flexible heat pumps. FLEXINet offers a complete solution that is attractive to the intended users and that has been validated in living labs.

Outcome

FLEXINet follows a research model that consists of 4 layers: 1) Flexibility-enabling Hardware, 2) Integration, conversion and smart control, 3) System flexibility and Living Labs, and 4) Social Acceptance and Learning Community. The hybrid energy storage technologies that are being developed in layer 1 will be integrated in (renovation) arrangements for homes and utility buildings, to make the heat and cooling facilities more sustainable and to integrate renewable energy sources and electric vehicles. The smart solutions developed in layers 2 and 3 improve the flexibility and sustainability of electricity supplies by combining stationary battery storage, reused batteries, electric vehicle charging, vehicle-to-grid technology and flexible heat pumps and storage. We strive for the most complete, integrated and validated solution that is attractive to users who are further involved in layers 3 and 4. The end result of the project is an integral system for the intelligent and integrated control and implementation of hybrid energy storage technologies in the built environment.

Activities

FLEXINet works via four linked layers. The activities belonging to the first layer of Flexibility-enabling hardware concern the development of innovative low-cost and high-energy battery chemistries and power electronics for hybrid energy storage systems, including the design, development and testing of prototypes. In the second layer the activities concern the design, integration and smart control of an underground heat storage system, the development of a life-extending battery optimization, the design and testing of a generic and open-source EMS platform and the development of intelligent hybrid EMS algorithms. Later these systems in the System Flexibility and Living Labs layer lead to new services and revenue models for reliable networks. Here in this layer the demonstration, testing and validation of the FLEXINet solution is also done (TRL4-6). In the fourth layer, Social acceptance and learning community, the activities concern the investigation of social acceptance and knowledge dissemination. In this way, we offer a complete and integrated solution to exploit the potential flexibility of the built environment through hybrid energy storage systems.

Funding agency

MOOI subsidy scheme