RESOLVD Final Event resulted in new insight and ideas

RESOLVD Final Event resulted in new insight and ideas:

“We can confidently say that the technology is working”

Last week, Smart Innovation Norway hosted the two-day RESOLVD Final Event digitally, where the piloting results were revealed and the project partners presented their most significant findings.

By Mari Kristine Buckholm, 3 March 2021

“The purpose of the final event was twofold. One was to tell everyone about the successful developments of the RESOLVD project, which has already been running for three and a half years. We have developed some remarkable solutions and we wanted to showcase to the public what we have come up with. The other point was about promoting further exploitation,” says Heidi Tuiskula, Deputy Head of Research & Innovation at Smart Innovation Norway and Innovation Manager of the EU Horizon 2020 RESOLVD project.

She explains that the project has already been quite successful with exploitation and has achieved several different follow-up projects where some of the solutions from RESOLVD will be further developed. In addition, a brand-new company has been established and there are some pre-commercial piloting activities ongoing.

Farhan Farrukh at the event in Smart Innovation Arena.

“We can show that we have results from the piloting and we can confidently say that the technology is working, which is why it is great to have this kind of event where people get the opportunity to talk to us and come up with new ways to exploit it,” notes Tuiskula.

Valuable input from participants

The Final Event consisted of two virtual half-day sessions on Tuesday 23rd and Wednesday 24th of February and included pilot demonstrations, partner presentations, panel discussions and group meetings.

Heidi Tuiskula, Smart Innovation Norway

“The first half-day event was very successful. It was open to everyone and we had over 60 relevant participants. We already got positive feedback from the panelists, some participants, and of course the consortium members, who all thought the agenda was well designed and provided a good overview of the project and the outcomes that can be exploited,” comments Tuiskula (photo).

The second day differed a bit from the typical final event of research projects, in the sense that it encouraged interested participants to take active part in project discussions with the developers. It was not organized as a webinar, but as a meeting divided into smaller groups and with experts circulating the ‘breakout rooms’. The project partners received some valuable input, according to the Innovation Manager:

“In the groups, we talked about the solutions with focus not only on what has been achieved but also what should be achieved, where should we go next, how could we exploit it, what kind of projects could come next, and so on. We got a few seeds for future research projects, and I think it was very fruitful. We identified some research questions and application areas for the solutions that we had not given much thought previously.”

The RESOLVD solution

The Horizon 2020 project will officially be concluded at the end of March 2021, and Tuiskula reveals that the main solution(s) developed throughout the project is a set of software and hardware that help distribution system operators (DSO’s) to integrate more renewable energy in the low voltage grid.

“What happens in the grid between the substation and the smart meter has normally been unknown to DSO’s, because there has not been much monitoring or digitalization there. But now the project has developed sensor technology and software to increase the visibility and operability. In addition to cope with congestion in the grid, the project developed a power electronics device which enables the integration of different types of electric storage, batteries, in the grid. When there is a lot of sun and solar energy from PV panels flows into the grid, the batteries can be charged, and when the demand is higher than the production, the energy from the batteries can be used,” explains Tuiskula.

Norwegian follow-up project

As the responsible partner for exploitation and business model development, the final weeks of the project will be busy for Smart Innovation Norway.

“We are wrapping up everything that has been done and making the plans for future exploitation. Within the project funding and framework, we are of course working with setting the goals and reporting what we have already done – but it does not stop there,” says Tuiskula, and continues:

“Smart Innovation Norway is especially focusing on harvesting real benefits from the project for the society and we applied for funding from the Research Council of Norway for a follow-up project which is called RESOLVD Norway, which we got. This project focuses on harvesting exploitation opportunities for the Norwegian industry from Horizon 2020 projects.”

After the RESOLVD project is wrapped up, Smart Innovation Norway will continue with RESOLVD Norway for a few more months with organizing targeted workshops towards DSO’s.

About RESOLVD

  • The aim of the RESOLVD project has been to improve efficiency and hosting capacity of existing low voltage distribution networks by providing mechanisms to reinforce the role of Distribution System Operators (DSOs) as market facilitators.
  • DSOs are the key players for enabling a successful energy transition. Increased distributed resources means less energy transmission loss as generation is closer to consumption.
  • The innovative mechanisms developed during the project provides more cost-effective energy production, which benefits customers in the form of cheaper electricity.
  • RESOLVD has designed, developed and tested new power electronics device, sensor technology and optimisation tools that are connected with various grid optimisation algorithms, which can operate low voltage (LV) grids and provide flexibility.

Read more: resolvd.eu