CHALLENGE

NWE is committed to a clean energy transition, but rapid renewable growth and electrification are straining grid capacity, leading to high costs due to congestion and curtailment. In 2023, re-dispatch measures in Germany alone cost €3.2 billion, with 19 TWh curtailed. The challenge is no longer generating renewable energy (RE) but using it efficiently. The rise of Energy Management Systems (EMS) offer a smart grid solution that optimizes local electrification and renewables integration, something that business parks (BPs), which consume over 30% of energy in the region, have issues with. Specifically, the lack of organisational structure pose a risk to NWE's energy transition.

OBJECTIVE

GEMS aims to create EMS solutions in BPs, where small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) coinvest to enhance energy efficiency and RE consumption, reducing grid congestion.

APPROACH

GEMS targets NWE mid-sized BPs (1-20 MW), enabling the uptake of tested GEMS configurations. 4 knowledge partners (KPs) provide expertise in EMS integration, energy systems, storage, finance, and policy implications. A technical partner deploys digital twins (DTs), harnessing modelling power for solution design and prototyping and 5 regional business support organisations (BSOs) guide EMS demonstrations in NL, FR, IE, DE, BE and accelerate replication across NWE via their networks. Transnational cooperation will be weaved into every activity, ensuring crucial knowledge sharing and allowing each region to replicate the tested GEMS solutions.

OUTPUTS

Key outputs include:

1. An action plan for NWE BPs with DT-based configurations for GEMS implementation.

2. Six transnational pilot actions in BPs (NL, BE, IE, FR, DE), testing four transferable configurations.

3. A capacity-building training program to promote GEMS adoption across NWE BPs.

INNOVATION

GEMS combines regional expertise in energy systems and DT to create reliable, financially viable, and scalable EMS models that reduce grid congestion in BPs.