RELflex Motivation
A higher degree of flexibility of processes and plants in the whole industry leads to more secure and efficient operation of local power grids and to increase integration of renewable energy sources (RES). The energy generation sources incl. RES and some big industrial loads contribute already in the operation of power system, offering ancillary and flexibility services. The industry with 51,7% of the world total energy consumption by sector (EIA, 2012) has the greatest impact on the power system. The Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with non-controllable loads still do not offer much contribution to support the power grids.
RELflex project goals
The aim of the project RELflex is to develop, test and evaluate new solutions and applications for flexibility of energy-relevant industry processes at SMEs through dynamic management of controllable loads, generation of renewable energies as well as energy storages. RELflex focus on technical development of methods, algorithms, business models and applications for optimal usage of flexibility options in operation of Dynamic Energy Management Systems (DEMS) in industrial processes. Through different options, which are regional market dependent, like aggregation of reserve generation units, it is possible to offer new forms of flexibility for the power system operators. The economic potential and accesses to the market, which opens new business models for the stakeholders, will be identified. Technological and economic results will be fulfilled by socio-economic analysis of customers’ active participation readiness, acceptance, and benefit for the society and group of interest.
