Greek technology for enhanced energy management of the building microgrid

This Greek SME is a spin-off company with expertise in smart grids, energy management and energy saving in buildings. Its staff have in-depth knowledge and longstanding experience in energy efficiency optimization techniques, renewable energy sources, control algorithms and power converters. The Greek company has developed an integrated system based on Internet of Things (IoT) and prediction-optimization technologies that provides enhanced energy management in the microgrid of buildings. This is obtained through the proper scheduling of home appliances (programmable and controllable) and the proper utilization of the batteries and the energy generated by home renewable energy sources (RES). In particular, the optimal balance between the energy supply and demand is achieved by considering the potential energy price fluctuations, as well as the home residents' preferences for the use of the appliances. Thus, the goal of the system is twofold: 1) reduction of the electricity bill for the home resident, and 2) useful information for the short-term prediction of the home energy consumption provided to the energy demand response (DR) aggregator and the energy supplier. Specifically, the system provides the optimal time scheduling of the programmable and controllable appliances, while the optimal exploitation of the home RES and battery energy is achieved by controlling in real-time the optimal energy flow with 3 options: 1) self-consumption within the building, 2) temporary storage in batteries, or 3) injection into the grid. The system does not require extra hardware and it is based only on the information provided by the energy smart-meter measurement of the building and data for the current electricity price and current weather conditions and forecast. Specifically, it is an integrated energy management software that has been developed utilizing the genetic algorithm technique and in conjunction with several other optimization and prediction methods. It considers the preferences of the home residents taking into account the usage of appliances. By manipulating a high number of control variables and external information, it can provide the optimal scheduling plan of the home appliances and attains optimal exploitation of home RES and batteries. The company is offering commercial co-operation with technical assistance to energy demand response (DR) aggregators and energy suppliers in order to integrate the energy management system into their applications. It also seeks partners that are involved in developing IoT devices, smart appliances, and energy management software to conclude technical cooperation agreements to integrate this technology in their products.