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AIGUASOL participates on the consortium of AURORAL project, which has recently been granted under Horizon 2020 program, topic DT-ICT-09-2020. The project, that will take place from 2021 to 2025, will be devoted to boosting rural economies through cross-sector digital service platforms, by addressing the technological shortcomings, matching technology and people to produce the desirable impacts. AURORAL will receive a funding of 14,5 MEUR with 25 partners part of the consortium.
AURORAL focuses on increasing connectivity and delivering a digital environment of smart objects interoperable services platforms able to trigger dynamic rural ecosystems of innovation chains, applications and services. Thus, AURORAL contributes to increase economic growth and create jobs in rural areas and to tackle significant societal challenges, contributes to overcoming digital divide between rural and urban areas and to develop the potential offered by increased connectivity and digitisation of rural areas.
AIGUASOL will be coordinating the implementation of ICT tools and services to support the socio-economic development of the rural area of Penedès, particularly developing digital tools to promote the use of vineyards pruning residues as energy source creating competitive alternatives to fossil fuel-based energy systems. Special focus will be placed on wineries and wine cellars, thus creating opportunities to close their cycle using their own residues to self-produce their energy demands as prosumers.
Expected impacts of the project are GHG emissions reduction, Circular Economy promotion and creation of local jobs along all the bioenergy value chain, from agricultural residues management and transportation and engineering of energy systems to Operation & Maintenance of green energy plants.