Development project under the H2020 framework
The three-year iFLEX project, which began in the fall of 2020, represented a continuation and enhancement of the international Flex4Grid project.
The main goal of the iFLEX project
With the iFLEX project, we empowered electricity consumers by making it as easy as possible for them to participate in demand response (DR) management.
We introduced the iFLEX Assistant, a new software tool that operates between consumers and their energy systems, various stakeholders, and external systems to achieve mutual benefits through local energy management and demand response.
Although the focus is on electricity, the goal of the iFLEX project was to overcome the widespread issue of so-called silos, where different energy information and automation systems are poorly interconnected, and to provide integrated energy management that optimizes various types of energy in a unified way.
Design of iFLEX Assistants
iFLEX Assistants are designed to provide a unified approach for improving user experience, the level of automation, and personalization across a wide range of energy management and demand response services.
Due to the diverse requirements of these services, the project introduced a common software framework (the so-called iFLEX Framework) for developing specific instances of the iFLEX Assistant tailored to the needs of particular services. The focus was primarily on household consumers and demand response management that supports achieving a high share of renewable energy sources (RES).
Additionally, effective incentives and market structures are needed to encourage consumers to invest in these innovative demand response solutions.
For this purpose, iFLEX Assistants are adaptable to various incentive and market mechanisms, enabling: the use of the solution in different countries with diverse climate regions, as well as A/B testing.
How does it work?
In iFLEX, co-creation with end users was an integral part of various project phases, coordinated by the consumer organization within the consortium. The validation of the iFLEX system was carried out through field pilots in three climate regions: Scandinavia, Central Europe, and the Mediterranean.
Smart Com's role in the project
The three-year iFLEX project, which began in the fall of 2020, represented a continuation and enhancement of the international Flex4Grid project.
Slovenian pilot
Our experts also carried out the Slovenian pilot for efficient management of the power grid with a high share of RES.
The pilot included the Savinja and Kozjansko regions, where some segments of the distribution network have a high share of RES (>50% in some of these segments), causing related grid stability issues due to RES.
The goal of the Slovenian pilot was to demonstrate the feasibility of iFLEX Assistants, enabling household and small commercial consumers to offer their flexibility (in exchange for financial incentives) to neutralize the negative effects of a high share of RES and consequently ensure the stability of the electricity grid.
Want more information about iFLEX project?
We will be happy to answer your questions. We also look forward to your proposals for collaboration on development and research projects.
Slovenian partners of the iFLEX project
The project involved four countries: Finland, Slovenia, Greece, and Denmark.
Smart Com participated in the project alongside four Slovenian partners.
iFLEX partnerji
