Periodic Reporting for period 2 - eCREW (establishing Community Renewable Energy Webs - Rolling out a business model and operational tool creating webs of households that jointly manage energy to improve efficiency and renewables uptake)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-12-01 bis 2023-06-30
The eCREW project aims at activating and fostering the inherent – and so far underused - forces of community driven collective actions initiatives (CAI). Empowering citizens and giving them the tools needed to produce, store and consume energy for a) their own benefits, b) the prosperity of the (local) economy, and for c) tackling climate change is an important and indispensable step on our road to a stable, secure, energy-efficient and climate-neutral future energy system. Recent European legislation has paved the way for unleashing the potentials of such initiatives by granting them a certain level of support and has set the scene for the establishment of Citizen Energy Communities (CECs) and Renewable Energy Communities (RECs). Unleashing the potentials of such CAIs requires new business models, financially viable solutions, reliable ICT tools and low, or no, entry barriers to engage as many citizens as possible. Establishing Lighthouse Communities (LCs), the eCREW approach is identifying such new busniess models for the energy transition.
The eCREW approach will thus have a great impact in the European energy transition, the targeted energy effeciency and use of renewable energy sources in a network energy system and thus for environmental and societal benefit. It provides an impactful way to cooperation for those households that have no access to CECs and RECs. During the project runtime, 240,000 households in Lighthouse and Follower Communities in Germany, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Sweden, France, Austria and Greece will be enabled to join a CREW through targeted communication and accompanying actions, resulting in an expected 150-250 CREWs established.
eCREW coordinates and supports the roll-out of an innovative scheme of household cooperation in energy management. These are Community Renewable Energy Webs (CREWs), in which households jointly exploit household-level electricity generation and battery storage capacities and optimise energy efficiency and expenditures. The key purpose of CREWs is to support the transition of passive consumers to active participants in the local energy system through informed decisions and collective actions. In eCREW, three energy utilities from Germany, Turkey and Spain (LCs) will roll-out the eCREW approach to their clients. A strong and divers Follower Community (FC) made up of entities from Austria, Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Sweden and Turkey is made fit for giving the eCREW approach a “go”, too. Together, 240,000 households will be enabled to join a CREW during the project runtime, establishing numerous CREWs with thousands of participants, saving at least 13 GWh/year. Cooperation within a CREW is facilitated through the provision of an award-winning smart phone app (called PEAKapp), exploiting smart meter data to stimulate an increase in energy efficiency and the uptake of local renewable electricity generation. Administration of the CREWs, including the billing of consumption and generation, is covered by electricity retailing companies, which are thereby transformed into holistic service providers; we call them Community Administering Entities (CAEs).
The aim of the eCREW-project was dedicated to establishing the barriers, potential solutions and related instruments for the introduction of a Third Pillar of Energy Communities - alongside Citizen Energy Communities (CEC) and Renewable Energy Community (REC).
The eCREW approach will thus have a great impact in the European energy transition, the targeted energy effeciency and use of renewable energy sources in a network energy system and thus for environmental and societal benefit. It provides an impactful way to cooperation for those households that have no access to CECs and RECs. During the project runtime, 240,000 households in Lighthouse and Follower Communities in Germany, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Sweden, France, Austria and Greece will be enabled to join a CREW through targeted communication and accompanying actions, resulting in an expected 150-250 CREWs established.
eCREW coordinates and supports the roll-out of an innovative scheme of household cooperation in energy management. These are Community Renewable Energy Webs (CREWs), in which households jointly exploit household-level electricity generation and battery storage capacities and optimise energy efficiency and expenditures. The key purpose of CREWs is to support the transition of passive consumers to active participants in the local energy system through informed decisions and collective actions. In eCREW, three energy utilities from Germany, Turkey and Spain (LCs) will roll-out the eCREW approach to their clients. A strong and divers Follower Community (FC) made up of entities from Austria, Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Sweden and Turkey is made fit for giving the eCREW approach a “go”, too. Together, 240,000 households will be enabled to join a CREW during the project runtime, establishing numerous CREWs with thousands of participants, saving at least 13 GWh/year. Cooperation within a CREW is facilitated through the provision of an award-winning smart phone app (called PEAKapp), exploiting smart meter data to stimulate an increase in energy efficiency and the uptake of local renewable electricity generation. Administration of the CREWs, including the billing of consumption and generation, is covered by electricity retailing companies, which are thereby transformed into holistic service providers; we call them Community Administering Entities (CAEs).
The aim of the eCREW-project was dedicated to establishing the barriers, potential solutions and related instruments for the introduction of a Third Pillar of Energy Communities - alongside Citizen Energy Communities (CEC) and Renewable Energy Community (REC).
The aim of the first 18 months of the eCREW-project was dedicated to establishing the barriers, potential solutions and related instruments for the introduction of Energy Communities.
To reach this aim, several deliverables were developed. For Work Package 1 (WP1), the project management guarantees the targeted and efficient development of the project objectives and covers the overall administration and management of the project. The development of all deliverables within WP1 was successfully carried out.
The overall objectives of WP2 are to design the most efficient household engagement strategies for lighthouse communities and to define the project Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and business model indicators for LC’s roll-out performance assessment. WP2 is finished since month 15 (M15).
WP3 tailors the existing smart phone app system for visualising and accounting of the joint achievements in renewables uptake and energy efficiency in CREWs implementing the functionalities specifically developed to facilitate the eCREW approach in the existing software system. D3.1 and D3.2 and D3.3 are delivered according to plan. D3.4 was due in M14 but due to unforeseen technical data process issues this deliverable is still pending. This deviation has no impact on the overall delivery of WP3 or other WPs.
In WP4, the implementation of the eCREW concept in the three LCs in Germany, Turkey and Spain is organized and administered. None of the deliverables was due in the reporting period. D4.1 was finalized in M15, containing a collection of training materials for administering the app software system and carrying-out the engagement strategy.
The objectives of WP5 are to establish an information base to create a high number of replications of the eCREW approach. The focus is on legal and regulatory frameworks for the respective countries (Germany, Turkey, Spain, Austria, Italy and Greece). Task 5.1 was finished in M14. Tasks 5.2 and 5.3 are planned to start.
Overarching activities were conducted in WP6, which created the eCREW-project website and carried out multi-channel communication. WP 6 is dedicated to promote the project to other energy retailers and to all other stakeholder groups, e.g. DSOs, municipalities, consumer groups, electricity contract brokers etc. Two (D6.1 and D6.7) deliverables were submitted within the planned timeframe and they achieved their predefined goals.
To reach this aim, several deliverables were developed. For Work Package 1 (WP1), the project management guarantees the targeted and efficient development of the project objectives and covers the overall administration and management of the project. The development of all deliverables within WP1 was successfully carried out.
The overall objectives of WP2 are to design the most efficient household engagement strategies for lighthouse communities and to define the project Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and business model indicators for LC’s roll-out performance assessment. WP2 is finished since month 15 (M15).
WP3 tailors the existing smart phone app system for visualising and accounting of the joint achievements in renewables uptake and energy efficiency in CREWs implementing the functionalities specifically developed to facilitate the eCREW approach in the existing software system. D3.1 and D3.2 and D3.3 are delivered according to plan. D3.4 was due in M14 but due to unforeseen technical data process issues this deliverable is still pending. This deviation has no impact on the overall delivery of WP3 or other WPs.
In WP4, the implementation of the eCREW concept in the three LCs in Germany, Turkey and Spain is organized and administered. None of the deliverables was due in the reporting period. D4.1 was finalized in M15, containing a collection of training materials for administering the app software system and carrying-out the engagement strategy.
The objectives of WP5 are to establish an information base to create a high number of replications of the eCREW approach. The focus is on legal and regulatory frameworks for the respective countries (Germany, Turkey, Spain, Austria, Italy and Greece). Task 5.1 was finished in M14. Tasks 5.2 and 5.3 are planned to start.
Overarching activities were conducted in WP6, which created the eCREW-project website and carried out multi-channel communication. WP 6 is dedicated to promote the project to other energy retailers and to all other stakeholder groups, e.g. DSOs, municipalities, consumer groups, electricity contract brokers etc. Two (D6.1 and D6.7) deliverables were submitted within the planned timeframe and they achieved their predefined goals.
Based on the eCREW-objectives and the achieved current results of the work in progress, expected final results will be achieved by the end of the project in M36. The following points are expected anticipated results within the timeframe M19-M36:
• Finish the app roll-out in all LCs (WP3)
• Finish developing the PV Amortisation Calculator as add-on feature (WP3)
• Create the final eCREW business model(s) – B2B, B2C and its KPIs (White Book Conpendium) (WP2)
• Listing the Progress and Lessons Learned from each LC (WP4)
• Informing policy makers on all levels about the eCREW approach and identified challenges and opportunities (WP5)
• Providing knowledge about the impact of the eCREW concept along several dimensions (collected revenues of the Community Administering Entity, increase of self-consumption, energy savings and efficiency gains, triggered investments in renewables, …) through the KPIs and impact indicators. (WP5)
• Formulize a CEO Guidebook for future FCs (WP6)
• Contract and enrol 25-50 FCs in Europe till M36 (WP6)
• Push dissemination, exploitation and communication of the eCREW approach attrackting tausends of fans, participants and overall interessted people (WP6)
• Take first FC to benchmark the eCREW-replication process, enablers and barriers (WP6)
The main impact of the eCREW implementation Europe-wide is regarded to the increasing use of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency with energy savings and the concurrently established self-sufficiency of CREWs. This in total shows sustainable environmental and societal impact.
• Finish the app roll-out in all LCs (WP3)
• Finish developing the PV Amortisation Calculator as add-on feature (WP3)
• Create the final eCREW business model(s) – B2B, B2C and its KPIs (White Book Conpendium) (WP2)
• Listing the Progress and Lessons Learned from each LC (WP4)
• Informing policy makers on all levels about the eCREW approach and identified challenges and opportunities (WP5)
• Providing knowledge about the impact of the eCREW concept along several dimensions (collected revenues of the Community Administering Entity, increase of self-consumption, energy savings and efficiency gains, triggered investments in renewables, …) through the KPIs and impact indicators. (WP5)
• Formulize a CEO Guidebook for future FCs (WP6)
• Contract and enrol 25-50 FCs in Europe till M36 (WP6)
• Push dissemination, exploitation and communication of the eCREW approach attrackting tausends of fans, participants and overall interessted people (WP6)
• Take first FC to benchmark the eCREW-replication process, enablers and barriers (WP6)
The main impact of the eCREW implementation Europe-wide is regarded to the increasing use of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency with energy savings and the concurrently established self-sufficiency of CREWs. This in total shows sustainable environmental and societal impact.