Via EUREC Members, FOSS Research Centre for Sustainable Energy
StoRES was a transnational project implemented by both public and private organisations spanning across the MED between 2016-19 with a total budget of €2 mil. The objective was to boost Photovoltaic (PV) self-consumption via testing smart solutions in 6 islands (isolated networks, almost 100% fossil-fuel dependency) and rural areas (greater energy needs, higher environmental impact). StoRES aimed to increase PV penetration in the energy mix of these areas by integrating PV & Energy Storage Systems (ESS) under an optimal market policy and by removing the constraints of grid reliability and Renewable Energy (RE) intermittency.
Residential and commercial consumers in 34 buildings in 6 MED countries (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain) agreed to participate in StoRES by coupling state-of-the-art ESS with PVs, resulting to the first grid-connected PV+Storage systems in buildings in most of the countries involved. The systems were integrated in areas with high solar potential, suitable for increased PV self-consumption of consumers. StoRES operates a novel ESS network including a wide range of manufacturers, sizes, technologies and configurations, covering all particularities (geographical, cultural) of the MED basin. Consumers are now able to easily monitor and manage their energy production & consumption in real-time via the use of advanced monitoring equipment along with the ES. Thus, consumers in all areas have become active prosumers, managing effectively their energy profiles in order to reduce financial costs, supporting the grid’s operation at the same time.