Increase interoperability between energymanagment systems in order to accelerate adaptation

We are currently working on a Vlaio COOCK project which is called Customer Energy Management Systems (CEMS) that is mostly focused on dissemination of new energy management technologies combining Solar Panel, Electrical charging, Battery storage, heat pump,...

We already see a huge problem in acceptation and understanding these systems because they are mostly working side by side but not WITH each other. Because this new market is incredibly fast evolving we see many systems that are either proprietary or are not focused on working stand alone. Many existing and new protocols are used together in one system.

There is definitely a lack of use cases in the field to demonstrate how these systems can work together in order to get the most out of it. What are the pitfalls, how can we set priorities into the system (max. peak, self-consumption,...) using the different building blocks of all these sub-systems.

These test or use cases would be necessary to prove there is a need on more uniformity. On the other hand these cases should also give a hands-on for the installers how to start implementing these sub-systems in the field and commissioning them. It should help to define a helicopter view of a system as a whole instead of different building blocks working next to each other.

Volta is the sector organization of the electrotechnical installer industry working closely together with them providing technology consultancy, technologywatch, research, (labour market) studies, regulation.

It is not the intention of Volta to become the main submitter but we would like to join as a partner in a project like this. We have a very broad technical spectrum of technical expertise and we work very close together with knowledge institutions and government organizations.

• Knowledge institutes
• could be all over Europe but we see also there could be an interesting cooperation between Belgium and Netherlands