Sustainable energy system for achieving novel carbon neutral energy communities

21 Partners from 3 EU countries and India, led by Aalborg University in Denmark cooperate jointly under #H2020SUSTENANCE to develop concepts enabling a green transition of local energy communities to sustainable “energy islands”.

The overall purpose of the H2020 SUSTENANCE project is to set up sustainable energy systems for achieving novel carbon neutral energy communities. The project focuses on the development of smart technological concepts enabling a green transition of the energy systems with higher share of local renewable energy and more efficient integrated energy solutions for the electrical, heat, water, waste as well as transportation infrastructure.

The set up solutions will at the same time have good socio-economic impact in the local communities and ensure eco-friendly solutions and good infrastructures, which provides support to sustaining the essentials of life. The demonstration activities are set up in four countries: Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland and India.

  • Project Goals

  • The decarbonisation of local energy systems via optimal integration of locally available renewables (via smart control, energy balancing, storage solutions, and application of active load control),

  • Integration of energy systems for local communities (considering electricity, heat, water, waste and transport infrastructure),

  • Technical benchmarking and solutions matched with business models tailored to the different challenges and actors identified in each country,

  • Evaluation of solutions from the demonstration sites for replicability across Europe, India and worldwide,

  • Emphasis on user involvement, including the identification of the conditions and socio-economic characteristics behind the willingness to participate,

  • Enhancement of the environmental, social and economic conditions of local communities.

    • The overall direction of the H2020 SUSTENANCE project is to demonstrate cost-effective, sustainable, and customer-centric solutions for effectively integrating different energy vectors in order to achieve sustainable development of regional communities by meeting their energy needs from the local renewable energy sources and clean technology. This is realized by employing suitable locally available distributed generation including solar PV, biomass and biogas, flexible demand, energy storage technologies, electric mobility and reliable irrigation and clean cooking in energy domains like electricity, heat, transport, waste and water and focusing on attractive citizen centred business models.

    Another important focus area of the H2020 SUSTENANCE project is to work towards energy autarky, decarbonized energy systems and system resilience in EU enhancing the quality of life, and energy poverty eradication, women and children empowerment, uplifting socio-economic status in rural areas of India and other developing countries by developing a sustainable local carbon neutral energy system for such rural communities.

    The H2020 SUSTENANCE project will apply a holistic system approach to find efficient, optimal and economical ways for the harmonised operation of heterogeneous energy carriers (electricity, heating, transport, cooking etc.) and infrastructures in local integrated ‘energy islands’ or integrated community energy systems, where citizens can be actively engaged to enable decarbonised energy communities. This is expected to bring benefits to such communities, including enhancement of local economy, reduced exodus to cities, creation of new employment and business, improved air-quality, community empowerment and capacity development to smart solutions and better infrastructures in relation to both energy and transport.

    The demonstration activities are set up in four countries