ROLECS – Roll out of local energy communities
The ROLECS project is a FLUX50 VLAIO-funded research project to transform the energy landscape following the position of the European Commission: more sustainable and active participation of the end consumer. The concept aimed at is Local Energy Communities (LEC).
25 companies and 5 knowledge partners will provide answers to relevant challenges, including:
- How can potential LEC participants be activated to become effective members and active contributors?
- How can social aspects be integrated into the technical energy models and success of a LEC?
- How to develop advanced control algorithms that anticipate the human aspect?
- What is the impact of a large-scale rollout of LECs on the energy system as a whole, on emissions and on further investments in a more sustainable and reliable backup infrastructure?
To make real contributions and play a leading role in LEC research in Europe, 10 pilot sites have been selected to take on the role of Living Labs and provide test cases and data to ensure the relevance of ROLECS.
The 30 partners have a common goal: to make LECs a relevant part of our energy system that enables more local renewable energy and offers new business opportunities without increasing the social costs of public infrastructure.
The partners are: Th!nk E, ABB, Wattson, Thermovault, Enervalis, Energent, 3E, DuCoop, Farys, Ingenium, Engie Electrabel, Quares Facility Mgt, Engie Laborelec, OpenMotics, Metha, Blixt, Magenta Tree, Fieldfisher, Powerdale, Antea, Aspiravi Energy, 70GigiWatt Consulting, C-Valley Leuven, KBC Bank, Fluvius System Operator, imec IDLab – Ghent University; imec.LivingLabs, The Institute for European Studies (IES) – VUB, VITO/EnergyVille, KU Leuven – Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven CiTiP, KU Leuven/EnergyVille