BestRES – A new project to support EU energy policy

The BestRES project investigates the current barriers for Energy Aggregators and suggests ways of improving their role in future electricity market designs.

Aggregation can significantly accelerate the deployment of renewable energy sources (RES), help to build a regulatory framework for a widespread application across Europe and decrease the reliance of renewables on subsidies. BestRES adds value to the EU sustainable energy policy activities because none of the ongoing or completed European projects so far has covered a comprehensive multi-criteria business model analysis for energy aggregators (taking into account RES, storage and DSM technologies integration into the electricity system). An important novelty of our project is the virtual business model implementation using real customer data and the extension of results to other market regions and aggregation levels.

In the BestRES project, WIP, 3E, TUW, SUER, Youris and 6 RES aggregators in 9 European target countries, are investigating the current barriers and opportunities for RES aggregators in Europe. In the first stage, the project is focusing on existing European aggregation business models taking into account technical, market, environmental and social benefits. In the second stage, we will develop improved business models considering market designs and with a focus on competiveness and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) that are replicable in other countries in the EU. These improved business models will then be implemented with real data and monitored in the target countries.

The project is build up around the following structure:

• Analysis of the existing business models. The focus will be on technical, market, environmental and social benefits that aggregators bring to power markets and systems and the technical, regulatory, and legal barriers preventing optimal deployment of current BMs. The consortium will subsequently look into possibilities for improving business models.
• Testing of improved business models. We will improve the business models of selected aggregators in the 9 target countries and analyse the competitiveness of the improved business models for selected aggregators. We will also carry out a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) for determining non-economic benefits.
• Selection of business models for real-life implementation. The consortium will assess the feasibility of implementing the business models for each aggregator with a focus on the competitiveness of RES. If the results and feedback from aggregators and stakeholders are positive for real-life implementation, we will define a pilot implementation plan, identify and attract project participants and implement the business model using real customer data. We will give special attention to the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation.
• Recommendations for the uptake of the existing market barriers. This includes an assessment of the impact on RES-E generation and a development of legal and regulatory recommendations for the target countries.

 

29 June 2016