DEMO 1: SOUTH-MID EU (ITALY)

DEMO 1 is the demonstration of the BeFlexible project designed to test and validate a variety of flexibility solutions. Firstly, coordination mechanisms between Transmission and Distribution System Operators (TSOs and DSOs) for the procurement of local and global flexibility services in a simulated environment. Furthermore, taking place across two sites in Italy, Rome, and Cuneo, DEMO 1 integrates national pilot activities into a harmonised framework, focusing on testing innovative devices to facilitate DERs monitoring and control activities for the purpose of local flexibility services management. It streamlines stakeholder interactions and ensure effective participation of distributed energy resources in flexibility markets.

Each DEMO is implementing and analysing results from three different types of flexibility services: consumer centric, grid-centric and cross-sectorial. The interactive graph below shows how each service category is linked to the selected Business Use Cases (BUCs) that are being tested in this DEMO.

Consumer / Community centric flexibility

Planning and sizing of energy communities considering customer flexibility

Operation, energy sharing and flexibility boosting of local energy communities

Optimal control of domestic thermal loads to reduce costs and boost flexibility

Grid-centric flexibility

Long-term distribution grid congestion management

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Long-term distribution grid congestion management

Test innovative devices like PGUI[1](CCI for MV DERs and Chain3 emulator for LV DERs, in e-distribuzione pilot) to ensure a reliable flexibility activation over a longer planning horizon.

Short-term congestion constraints forecasting and management for local flexibility service activation

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Short-term congestion constraints forecasting and management for local flexibility service activation

Using of a standard device (areti’s PGUI), installed in customer ‘property, to enable the resources in the service delivery. The device acquires the near real-time measurements from the main meter and can receives the activation from the remote operator.

Short-term voltage constraints forecasting and management for local flexibility service activation

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Short-term voltage constraints forecasting and management for local flexibility service activation

Increase the grid observability using an innovative Phasor Measurement Units (PMU), developed by RWTH University for the distribution network. The data gathered by PMU feeds a state estimation tool, to improve the voltage profile forecast.

TSO-DSO flexibility coordination

Crowd Balancing: Interoperable data exchange between power system stakeholders

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Crowd Balancing: Interoperable data exchange between power system stakeholders

Using the Crowd Balancing Platform (CBP) and Flexibility Register (FR), the simulated pilot will enable TSOs, DSOs and BSPs to register flexibility resources, manage the prequalification process, and exchange key operational data. CBP and FR facilitate multi-market access for BSPs and support common TSO-DSO coordination, including Traffic Light signal exchange.

Local and global market coordination for distributed resources flexibility

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Local and global market coordination for distributed resources flexibility

Implement mechanisms to enable the activation of distributed flexibility resources for TSO needs while safeguarding the distribution grid. This involves the application of the Traffic Light Mechanism, through which DSOs communicate pre-qualification assessment (Static TL) and real-time grid capacity limitations (Dynamic TL) to TSOs. The objective is to ensure that flexibility activation for global purposes does not cause local congestion or bottlenecks, allowing secure and coordinated operation across grid layers.

Cross-sector flexibility boosters

Capitalizing on flexibility available by leveraging on water distribution grid assets

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Capitalizing on flexibility available by leveraging on water distribution grid assets

Explore the potential to use water distribution network assets as a source of flexibility for the electrical system. The analyses is focused on the operational behaviour of water assets, identifying monitoring tools and processes, and quantifying the flexibility that can be reliably offered. The objective is to define a tool able to evaluate the flexibility potential of the water system to support electricity network.

Operating a value chain enabler for flexibility-centric and non-energy services

Combine energy services (production, storage) with mobility

PILOTS

EXPECTED BENEFITS

STAKEHOLDER	EXPECTED BENEFITS FROM FLEXIBILITY
Consumers/Prosumers	• Direct revenue from participation to flexibility markets (possibility to have an economic perspective) • Indirect: reduction of tariff components (uplift, grid costs) •Engagement in the grid management
Distribution System Operators	• Alternative for grid planning in security of supply management • Improved congestions management and voltage control (quality of supply and cost effectiveness) •Increase the liquidity of the flexibility market
Transmission System Operators	• Increased ancillary services market liquidity
Government and regulators	• Support in reaching decarbonization targets • Reduction of renewable energy curtailment • Market Electricity opening to all the resources • Electricity System transparency, efficiency and non-conflicting participation across multiple market levels

FURTHER INFORMATION

Relevant deliverables:
D4.1 – DEMO 1 Methodological Report
D4.2 – Outcome of DEMO 1 preparatory activities (HW and SW solutions implemented)
Relevant articles: CIRED 2025 paper “Flexibility services from water distribution networks: the demonstration project of Gruppo Acea” written by Areti, Acea and RSE.

DEMO 1: SOUTH-MID EU (ITALY)

Long-term distribution grid congestion management

Short-term congestion constraints forecasting and management for local flexibility service activation

Short-term voltage constraints forecasting and management for local flexibility service activation

Crowd Balancing: Interoperable data exchange between power system stakeholders

Local and global market coordination for distributed resources flexibility

Capitalizing on flexibility available by leveraging on water distribution grid assets

Consumer / Community centric flexibility

Planning and sizing of energy communities considering customer flexibility

Operation, energy sharing and flexibility boosting of local energy communities

Optimal control of domestic thermal loads to reduce costs and boost flexibility

Grid-centric flexibility

Long-term distribution grid congestion management

Long-term distribution grid congestion management

Short-term congestion constraints forecasting and management for local flexibility service activation

Short-term congestion constraints forecasting and management for local flexibility service activation

Short-term voltage constraints forecasting and management for local flexibility service activation

Short-term voltage constraints forecasting and management for local flexibility service activation

TSO-DSO flexibility coordination

Crowd Balancing: Interoperable data exchange between power system stakeholders

Crowd Balancing: Interoperable data exchange between power system stakeholders

Local and global market coordination for distributed resources flexibility

Local and global market coordination for distributed resources flexibility

Cross-sector flexibility boosters

Capitalizing on flexibility available by leveraging on water distribution grid assets

Capitalizing on flexibility available by leveraging on water distribution grid assets

Operating a value chain enabler for flexibility-centric and non-energy services

Combine energy services (production, storage) with mobility

PILOTS

Pilot 1: Rome

Pilot 2: Cuneo

Pilot 3 Simulation

Pilot 4 Case Study

EXPECTED BENEFITS

FURTHER INFORMATION

DEMO 2: NORTH EU

DEMO 3: SOUTH-WEST EU

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