U2Demo project aims to advance the field of peer-to-peer (P2P) trading and energy sharing by introducing innovative, user-centric management strategies that foster the widespread development of consumer participation in these mechanisms. The proposed strategies will engage active consumers and promote equitable and democratic access to sustainable energy resources. These strategies will be formulated and seamlessly integrated into tools and platforms that adhere to principles of openness, agnosticism, interoperability, scalability, replicability, reliability, security, and trustworthiness.

The testing of tools and platforms across four pilot projects, within four distinct Energy Communities (including a demo site in Évora) will enable a comprehensive evaluation of advanced P2P trading and energy-sharing methodologies. These pilots will facilitate the identification of optimal conditions for implementation and support the consolidation of the most promising solutions. In parallel, they will provide valuable insights into the development of robust business models that align with the evolving dynamics of decentralized energy markets and consumer-driven energy systems.

Comprising 20 partner entities from 8 different countries, the U2demo project will follow some core principles namely: the re-use of existing open-source tools and solutions, the creation of social, economic, and environmental benefits for active consumers and ECs, the valorisation of Distributed Energy Resources and the coordination with system and grid operators and other stakeholders. This is a 42 months project starting in September 2024 and ending in February 2028.

The kick-off meeting for this project took place in Lisbon, Portugal on the 5th and 6th of September, where R&D Nester team was represented. During the project kick-off meeting, a thorough analysis of the overall project context and key administrative details was conducted. This included a detailed review of the analytical work plan, task schedules, and the timeline for project milestones. The discussion also focused on the expected outcomes of each Work Package (WP), ensuring alignment with the project's strategic objectives. Additionally, resource allocation, risk management strategies, and collaboration protocols among partners were addressed to establish a clear roadmap for the successful execution of the project.

R&D Nester is leading 3 important tasks: Forecasting and data analytics methods to support the decision of Active Consumers; Standards, Interoperability, and Cybersecurity of the P2P platform; and Assessment of demonstration results and evaluation of the main KPIs. R&D Nester will be also involved in the Portuguese demonstrator assessing the potential of DERs in black-start and in the development of valorisation algorithms for the consumers.

The U2Demo project is an innovation action funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe Programme.

For more information:

U2-DEMO PROJECT @ R&D Nester website