The LOCALRES project, under the Energy Cities program, is advancing Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) across Europe, empowering citizens to take control of their energy consumption and contribute to a sustainable energy transition.
Lucia Aller, technical consultant at Aiguasol, represented the team at the recent LOCALRES General Meeting held in Osimo, Italy. The event offered a platform for partners to share the latest updates, exchange knowledge, and highlight best practices from their case studies.
Ispaster: leading the way in smart energy management
The Renewable Energy Community in Ispaster is nearing the final phase of its demonstration project, showcasing advanced smart control, monitoring, and management. The integration of the day center’s heat pump control variables is almost complete, with the Kosner unit now reporting both consumption and set point temperature. While set point control is technically available, final confirmation with local stakeholders is still pending.
Challenges have been carefully identified and addressed. Connectivity-related data transmission issues are monitored weekly with an alarm system to detect anomalies. At the same time, errors in EC supply readings from the DSO are reported directly to the DATADIS support team.
Moving forward, the team will focus on completing integration, enabling control of real assets, ensuring accurate data readings for the remainder of the project, and maintaining active collaboration with partners including Barrizar, CENTRICA, FLEXENS, and VTT. With 339 variables currently integrated into the API—and two more controllable variables soon to be added—Ispaster is set for a stable, fully operational smart energy system.
Smart pricing: maximizing economic and energy benefits
In parallel, Ispaster is exploring innovative smart pricing strategies to maximize economic savings and optimize renewable energy use. By analysing historical market prices and integrating generation and consumption profiles with battery system specifications, the team has developed and tested methodologies for flexibility services and optimal cost scenarios.
Two scenarios are under evaluation: one where the battery is charged with surplus photovoltaic energy and discharged when generation dips, and another where the battery is charged from the grid when prices are low and discharged when prices are high—the latter showing the greatest potential for economic benefit. According to the revised Royal Decree 244, the battery could even act as a production point, supplying all consumers in the Energy Community. Initial savings are projected between €2,000 and €6,000 annually, depending on the scenario. Next steps include integrating the service into the Energy Community’s economic model and defining community quotas based on the levelised cost of energy (LCOE).
Advancing the European energy transition
Participation in LOCALRES highlights our commitment to building sustainable energy communities and accelerating local energy transitions through cooperation, innovation, and cutting-edge technology. The Ispaster demo demonstrates how smart energy management and economic optimization can work in tandem to benefit both the community and the environment.
Stay updated on the project and its initiatives through its official web page: https://www.localres.eu/
