ISGW March 2020 - IElectrix Project - SHAKTI Demonstration

Indian and European Local Energy CommuniTies for Renewable Integration and the Energy Transition thereby referred to as IElectrix is a project answering a European Horizon 2020 call about “Integrated Energy Systems - Energy Islands”. The objective is to develop innovative technical solutions and economical business models to facilitate the implementation of Citizen Energy Communities (CEC). IElectrix falls within the European Clean Energy Package ambition in significantly increasing the role of the consumers by a user-centric approach, notably through the CEC. This is also a way to speed up the integration of Renewable Energy Sources in Smart Grids and to take part in the decarbonisation of the energy system. In this context, Distribution System Operators (DSO) need to ensure an appropriate connection of CEC within the grid. The IElectrix project brings together 15 European partners (DSO, Research Centres, Universities, Consulting firms, Suppliers, a SME, and an Energy agency), and one Indian partner (DSO). Through 5 demonstrators in Europe and India, it will experiment, the technical and economical relevance as well as the replicability of the implemented solutions in medium and low voltage networks. The 5 demonstration sites are based on different regulatory and ecosystem contexts: one is located in India, two in Hungary, one in Germany and one in Austria. The project started officially on 1st May 2019 and should be completed by 30th October 2022. This paper presents an overview of the main purposes and challenges of the project, as well as, a technical presentation of the demonstration pilots, with a particular focus on the demonstrator that will be implemented in Delhi