CleanMobilEnergy – A Smart Energy Management System integrating renewable energy and electric vehicles.

Across North West Europe, cities are increasingly investing in renewable energy production and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. However, the control systems for energy generation, energy utilisation, energy storage and electric vehicle charging work are currently separate from each other. This results in high costs and CO2 emissions due to energy inefficiencies.

Electric vehicles are mostly powered by fossil fuel generated electricity. At the same time, renewable energy is inefficiently utilised because production and demand are not synchronised across the city.

The project CleanMobilEnergy will integrate various renewable energy sources, storage devices, electric vehicles and optimisation of energy consumption through one unique smart energy management system. The development of this intelligent Energy Management System (iEMS) will increase the economic value of renewable energy and significantly reduce CO2 emissions.

The iEMS will assure the smart integration through interoperability based on open standards for data flows and analysis tools.CleanMobilEnergy will make it possible for renewable energy sources to be used locally, so electric vehicles can be charged with 100 % renewable energy offered at an optimum price. Electrical energy from the grid will only be required when prices are low or renewable energy sources are not available, the iEMS monitors and optimises the system 24hours a day, 7 days a week.

One generic transnational iEMS will be adapted to the 4 specific City Pilots, in Arnhem, London, Schwäbisch Gmünd and Nottingham. These pilots range from small towns to large cities. The 4 City pilots cover different types of renewable energy, storage and electric vehicles as well as different contexts and diverse city environments.

The City Pilots will utilise different state-of-the-art storage media in various environments, which are representative of North West Europe and are easily replicated in other cities across Europe. Specifically in London and Nottingham, for example, electric vehicles themselves will be used to power the buildings and depot by using innovative bi-directional chargers controlled by the integrated energy management system iEMS.

In Arnhem, on the other hand, renewable energy will be supplied to ships in the harbour adjacent to its industrial area. These pilots were chosen to represent a wide range of city sizes and environments, which are essential to developing a widely applicable system for future implementation across Europe.

Project phase

Implementation and operation

What is the goal of the project?

The CME project aims to develop an interoperable Energy Management System (iEMS) that could be deployed from small scale to city scale and optimize the supply and demand of energy using the connected assets such as: solar panels, wind turbines, vehicle-to-grid, static batteries, (light) electric vehicles, cold-ironing, etc.

What is the result of the project?

The iEMS helps to optimize the generation and consumption of energy, maximizing the use of renewable energy and potentially deferring the need for grid reinforcement.

Who initiated the project and which organizations are involved?

Several organizations are involved, both public and private. Two pilots are led by public organizations and two pilots are led by private companies. occasionally, a consortium is formed of both public and private organizations. The (L)EVs are used by employees of the organizations (except for the public charging units in Arnhem).

What is the next step?

The next step is to sort out the open-source license model and find follower cities that are interested in adopting the iEMS for their city.

What can other cities learn from your project?

It proved technically feasible to connect all components within the energy system to the iEMS. Setting the rules for each asset is the biggest challenge, especially when multiple stakeholders are involved. The exact added value of the iEMS will be calculated towards the end of 2022, but it's the goal to find follower cities and replicate the implementation of the iEMS in their energy system.

https://cenexgroup.nl/portfolio-item/cleanmobilenergy/

Comments

Topics

Maybe you will also like these updates

Pelle Menke, Communications and Programme officer Mobility at Amsterdam InChange, posted Nov 18th

During our Knowledge and Demo Day on 10 October (2024), Guus Kruijssen and Rombout Huisman (Province of North Holland) led a working session on their recent scenario studies – Smart Mobility North Holland 2050. In this report, I will share the four ‘Context’ scenarios they developed, the process, and the discussions with the session participants.

Objectives of the Scenario Study

What do we actually mean by future visions and scenarios? What are the different types, and how can they be used? A discussion among the participants quickly highlighted the many different motivations, forms, and use cases. Rombout and Guus began by explaining their aim for this study.

The province of North Holland plays various roles in the field of mobility as a policymaker, road manager, and concession provider. Given the major challenges related to housing, CO2 emissions reduction, and road safety, their perspective on the future of mobility revolves around Reducing (travel), Improving (travel options), and Changing (travel behaviour). This perspective forms the basis for developing, operationalising, and maintaining their strategy – a cycle that spans approximately 50 years. However, digital developments and innovations are making the world change faster than ever, necessitating greater awareness of possible contextual changes. The key question is: how do the choices we make now relate to the different possible futures?

To explore this, a team of colleagues embarked on developing four challenging context scenarios. Working with internal and external experts, they moved from an environmental analysis and contextual factors to scenarios and strategic insights. The process and outcomes were kept administrative and had no political or policy-driven focus. The result is not a set of visions to choose from but rather a representation of various developments and challenges that may arise, to which you can assess your own projects and actions against.

The Four Scenarios

Four distinct context scenarios were developed. Here is a summary and a few key aspects of each:

Steady Traffic (Doorgaand verkeer) A slow shift towards a green economy, benefiting only the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (MRA). The population grows to 3.7 million. Cars remain dominant, transitioning gradually to electric, but roads and trains stay congested. Digitalisation and innovation progress slowly, with limited impact on efficiency and accessibility.
Turbulent Weather (Rukwinden) Ongoing shocks and international instability, with the US leaving NATO and significant climate change. The population increases to 3.1 million. Fuel crises accelerate electrification, but investment focuses on priorities like the navy. Technological scepticism grows due to data breaches, impacting accessibility.
Our Own Path (Eigen weg) The Netherlands withdraws from international cooperation and leaves the EU, focusing on healthcare, circularity, and local production. The economy contracts due to trade restrictions and brain drain, and the population decreases to 2.6 million. Fewer traffic jams, but cars remain significant alongside increased regional public transport. Distrust in innovations and sustainability rises, with informal sharing preferred over commercial options.
Transition (Overstappen) Climate change accelerates transition and AI development. The population stabilises at 3.1 million. Non-sustainable sectors disappear, and reduced traffic results from digitalisation and virtualisation. Space is primarily used for energy infrastructure, and circular processes increase. The EU and the national government push for innovations like autonomous transport and shared mobility. Ownership is limited to the wealthiest, and digital infrastructure becomes a priority.

Outcomes and Follow-Up

Rombout and Guus guided the group through the process and results of these scenario studies. We discussed the developments and contextual factors used in the study, and considered if anything was missing. They openly shared their approach and how they plan to use these insights to assess their own policies and projects, and welcomed questions and suggestions from the group. There was also room for discussing the challenges. Because, while people can easily align on scenarios, opinions can still vary greatly on how we should act on them now.

Many of our partners are already working with future visions and scenarios. See, for instance, our report on a session with trendwatchers from the Municipality of Amsterdam. The purpose, process, and impact on policy, projects, and actions vary across organisations. However, there was agreement that sharing methods and scenarios is valued, particularly in a neutral setting like our innovation network. It fosters mutual understanding and offers valuable lessons from each other's research methods and practical applications. In the coming period, we will explore how we can contribute to this in our network on various transition themes.

Would you like to know more about this study from the Province of North Holland? Feel free to send me a message, and I will connect you. Interested in brainstorming about how we can approach this more frequently or systematically within the network? Let me know at pelle@amsterdaminchange.com.

Kim Nathalia, EU-project secretaris at City of Amsterdam, posted Oct 29th

5 jaar Amsterdam Innovatie Atelier

In Buiksloterham ontwikkelt ATELIER een wijk die meer energie opwekt dan zij verbruikt en worden slimme energietoepassingen in de praktijk gebracht.

Wat komt er allemaal kijken bij het opzetten van een energiegemeenschap, welke mogelijkheden en structuren er nodig zijn voor het actief delen van energie, hoe kunnen batterijen ingezet kunnen worden om netcongestie tegen te gaan, en hoe kan het concept data commons bijdragen aan een duurzame wijkontwikkeling?

In deze bijeenkomst blikken we terug op onze gezamenlijke resultaten en bespreken we de toekomstplannen in samenwerking met het kennisnetwerk Amsterdam InChange.

De dag wordt geopend door de Amsterdamse wethouder Dirk de Jager en georganiseerd door TNO in samenwerking met de Hogeschool van Amsterdam, AMS Institute, Waag Futurelab en gemeente Amsterdam.

Ben jij actief in het veld? Dan ben je van harte welkom en horen we graag jouw reflectie tijdens de kennissessies die zich richten op lokale energiesystemen, energiegemeenschappen, financiering en data delen.

Meld je voor 13 november aan!
Wanneer: 21 november 2024
Waar: Tolhuistuin, IJpromenade 2, Amsterdam

Ga naar de aanmeldpagina voor meer informatie over het programma en de sessies.
Het Amsterdam Innovatie Atelier is onderdeel van het Smart City EU-project ATELIER

Dennis van de Ridder, business community manager at Nationale Duurzame Bedrijven Route, posted Oct 10th

Het verduurzamen van je bedrijfspand levert vaak veel voordelen op, zoals lagere energiekosten, een beter werkklimaat voor werknemers en een verbeterde productkwaliteit. Tijdens de tweede landelijke editie van de Duurzame Bedrijven Dagen van 15 tot en met 28 november delen bedrijven in Nederland hun ervaringen met duurzame maatregelen. Bedrijven die ook hun deuren willen openen voor andere ondernemers, kunnen zich gratis aanmelden via de website van de Nationale Duurzame Bedrijven Route.

Voor ondernemers kan het een uitdaging zijn om aan de slag te gaan met het verduurzamen van hun bedrijfspand. Hoewel er veel informatie beschikbaar is, is het vaak lastig de juiste kennis eruit te filteren. Ook kunnen factoren als tijd en budget als een drempel voelen. De Duurzame Bedrijven Dagen brengen bedrijven met duurzaamheidservaring en andere ondernemers die nog willen beginnen juist samen.

Slim verwarmen bedrijfsruimten
Naast het op weg helpen van andere ondernemers levert deelname voor bedrijven meer landelijke bekendheid op. Daarnaast kunnen ondernemers laten zien dat ze hun pand, terrein of bedrijfsprocessen al (deels) hebben voorbereid op de toekomst. Onderwerpen die tijdens deze dagen bijvoorbeeld aan bod komen, zijn: het slimmer verwarmen van bedrijfsruimten, het opslaan van energie met speciale accu’s of het vergroenen van je bedrijventerrein.

Kop koffie en rondleiding
Met een kop koffie, een goed gesprek of een kleine rondleiding door het gastbedrijf komt op tafel hoe een collega-ondernemer het verduurzamen van zijn pand heeft aangepakt en wat wel of juist niet werkt. Bij een bezoek staan de ervaringen en de handige tips centraal. Ook is het prettig voor bezoekers dat de duurzame maatregelen in de praktijk bekeken kunnen worden.

Bedrijf aanmelden
Wie zijn bedrijf wil openstellen van 15 tot en met 28 november, kan zich aanmelden via: www.duurzamebedrijvenroute.nl/duurzame-bedrijven-dagen/. Een bedrijf geeft zelf aan welke dagen en tijden bezoekers welkom zijn. Bezoekers schrijven zich vervolgens in via de website voor een bezoek aan één van de deelnemende bedrijven.

Over de Nationale Duurzame Bedrijven Route
De Nationale Duurzame Bedrijven Route is een onafhankelijk platform waar ondernemers hun ervaringen, tips en vragen over het verduurzamen van hun bedrijf delen. Sinds de lancering is het platform sterk gegroeid en telt inmiddels bijna 200 deelnemende bedrijven. De Nationale Duurzame Bedrijven Route werkt samen met gemeenten, provincies en de Rijksoverheid. Meer informatie is te vinden op: www.duurzamebedrijvenroute.nl

More projects