BUILDING THE DIGITAL FOUNDATIONS FOR LONG-DURATION ENERGY STORAGE IN EUROPE - AVANGUARD KICKS OFF
AVANGUARD Project - "Advanced Data-Driven Strategies for Optimized Long Duration Energy Storage Deployment in Multi-Energy Networks" is a Horizon Europe-funded project who joins the efforts of 30 partners across the Europe and the full spectrum of Long Duration Energy Storage actors.
Over the next four years, the project will develop and demonstrate the first fully open-source, Python-based digital platform dedicated to assessing, planning, and optimizing Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) across interconnected energy systems.
As Europe accelerates the integration of renewable energy, one of the biggest challenges is no longer how to generate clean electricity, but how to store it and use it when needed. Long-Duration Energy Storage technologies will play a central role in addressing renewable curtailment, grid congestion, system flexibility, sector coupling, and energy security.
In June 2026, the AVANGUARD project officially started with its kick-off meeting at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), bringing together a multidisciplinary consortium of 30 organizations from across Europe.
AVANGUARD aims to provide
stakeholders with the digital tools needed to answer fundamental questions:
* Where should storage be
deployed?
* Which technologies are
the most suitable?
* What value can they
create for power systems, markets, industries and society?
The project will combine advanced planning, network analysis, market simulation and techno-economic modelling within a single platform, validated through real-world use cases in Spain-Portugal, Denmark-Sweden, Italy and Croatia.
Technologies under assessment will range from flow batteries and thermal storage systems to hydrogen-based storage and innovative pumped hydro concepts.
R&D Nester's involvement spans the entire AVANGUARD value chain, from the early definition of stakeholder needs and system requirements for LDES deployment to the validation of real-world applications. The team will contribute to the development, collection, and validation of datasets representing Portugal and the wider Iberian region, while supporting the implementation of the AVANGUARD Data Hub and its open-access modelling ecosystem.
R&D Nester will also participate in the enhancement of advanced power system planning tools, network simulation models, and market-oriented assessment methodologies, helping to evaluate the technical and economic value of different LDES technologies. A central part of its role will be the validation of LDES benefits through the cross-border demonstration between Spain and Portugal, where storage solutions will be assessed for their contribution to renewable integration, grid flexibility, and system resilience.
Finally, R&D Nester will help translate project findings into regulatory, market, and policy recommendations that can support the large-scale deployment of long-duration energy storage across Europe.
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