EnSyFlex

Unlocking flexibility via smart load control

Achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 requires integrating many more renewable energy sources into our energy system. However, the intermittent nature of renewable energy, combined with the growing electrification of transport, heating, and industry, is creating an increasing need for flexibility to keep electricity grids affordable and maintain a stable balance between supply and demand.

Many homes and businesses already have assets that could help provide this flexibility, including batteries, EV chargers, and rooftop solar installations. Yet these assets are often managed independently, leaving much of their flexibility unused. Unlocking this potential is essential to integrate more renewable energy, reduce grid congestion, and avoid costly infrastructure upgrades.

The EnSyFlex project addresses this challenge by developing intelligent energy management solutions that improve the use of flexibility across small- and medium-scale energy assets. These include batteries, EV chargers, and solar installations in residential environments, business parks, retail sites, and office buildings. The project investigates how these assets can create more value by participating in different energy markets and develops the tools needed to make this possible.

Smarter investment and management

EnSyFlex’s goal is to develop innovative tools and AI technologies that improve both investment decisions and day-to-day energy management.

A first focus is helping companies determine the optimal combination of solar panels, battery energy storage system (BESS), and flexible energy assets for a specific site. The project develops decision-support tools that take into account local electricity demand, grid limitations, dynamic energy tariffs, and energy market opportunities.

A key innovation is the concept of value stacking. Instead of generating value through a single application, energy assets can simultaneously contribute to self-consumption, grid balancing, flexibility services, and electricity market participation through both behind-the-meter and front-of-the-meter applications. By combining these revenue streams, renewable energy investments can become significantly more attractive.

The project also investigates how flexible assets across multiple locations can be pooled together. By aggregating BESS, EV chargers, and other controllable loads, companies can create larger flexibility portfolios that are more valuable for grid operators and energy markets.

AI-driven optimalisation

A second major innovation is AI-driven forecasting and control. EnSyFlex develops advanced algorithms to more accurately predict solar production, electricity demand, and available flexibility. Novel machine learning techniques allow these models to adapt efficiently to changing conditions without requiring extensive retraining.

Building on these forecasts, the project develops intelligent control algorithms that automatically coordinate solar PV output generation, battery storage, EV charging, and other flexible loads. These algorithms continuously balance multiple objectives, including energy costs, carbon emissions, user comfort, and battery lifetime, while operating within grid constraints and responding to local network conditions.

Demonstrating benefits and flexibility

The innovations will be validated and simulated using data and assets from the industrial partners. Validation with real assets will first be performed in (living) lab environments and then extended towards existing sites. These include office buildings, retail sites and industrial environments with rooftop solar panels, battery storage systems and EV chargers, and large-scale platforms that aggregate distributed energy assets across multiple sites.

The diversity of assets, sites, and topologies in multiple domains will allow us to validate the broad applicability of the tools and algorithms.

The project also aims to demonstrate concrete operational benefits, including reduced forecasting errors, improved use of local flexibility, additional revenue from flexibility markets, and shorter payback periods for renewable energy systems.

“By combining renewable energy, battery storage, flexible consumption, and intelligent AI-based control, EnSyFlex aims to support a more sustainable, resilient, and cost-effective energy system while creating new business opportunities for industry and energy service providers.”