Flexpartner and partners have been awarded support from the Ulla-Førre funds.
Development of local energy communities is a key factor for the success of the green transition in Norway. Especially in industrial and port areas, there is a need for comprehensive solutions that reduce emissions, strengthen energy preparedness and facilitate value creation. By bringing together several actors in a common system for the production, storage and management of energy, more efficient utilization of resources can be achieved, both economically and environmentally.
The starting point for the project is the industrial park at Husøy in Karmøy municipality, an area with high energy needs, significant greenhouse gas emissions and limited capacity in the power grid. At the same time, Husøy is an area with great potential and several ongoing initiatives to promote sustainable development. In the project, Flexpartner.Energy, together with partners, will further develop a flexible, local energy community system with a common management system for both the industrial area and the port. The application is responsible for managing energy consumption, production, storage, sharing and flexibility across several actors by balancing the load and using the grid capacity efficiently. The vision is that by 2030 the industrial park and port at Husøy will have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions in line with the requirements of the European Commission.
Project Objectives
The main objective is to develop and test a central control system for the establishment, and operation of FlexLEC with Husøy as a pilot project, which will be scaled nationally and internationally.
Sub-goals:
Development of an AI-based energy management system to control and coordinate flexible energy sources, consumption and storage in an industrial area.
Facilitation and testing of shore power and charging in port as a flexible resource and emergency solution in the energy system.
Development of an energy calendar and implementation of process modeling for coordinated and dynamic allocation of grid capacity.
Clarification of technical and practical solutions for energy supply to a shared, coordinated energy center.
Development of grid tariff models and business models that support the sharing of capacity and energy within a flexible local energy community.
Expect Impact and Benefits
The project is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by replacing fossil energy with renewable energy through shared energy solutions. At the same time, it is assumed that it will help implement a better utilization of existing grid infrastructure, and thus avoid or postpone a costly grid expansion by distributing and planning energy demand more efficiently. Local companies will gain access to renewable energy solutions, potential cost savings, improved competitiveness and a greener profile.
At a national and international level, the project can position Husøy and Rogaland as a showcase region for FlexLEC with a great opportunity to replicate and export the concept and technology.
Read more about the Ulla-Førre Fund and the award here.
Partners participating in the project are Flexpartner Energy, Fagne, Haugaland Kraft, Maritime CleanTech (MCT), Havnekraft (HNK), University of Stavanger (UiS), Rogaland Ressurssenter (RRS) and Karmsund Havn (KH), who together contribute technical expertise, research capacity and operational infrastructure. In addition, there are a number of stakeholders involved in the project.