COPLEWIC: Collaborative Operational Planning for Local Energy-Wise Communities

New regulations regarding local energy communities were introduced in May 2021, followed by directives on direct lines and dynamic tariffs starting from spring 2023. Despite these legal advancements, the practical impact of the laws remains uncharted. The interpretation of these regulations, the establishment of governance structures, and navigating the electricity market are still unclear. Furthermore, detailed technical solutions are required to manage flexible loads, distributed energy generation, and storage. Addressing how to share energy within local communities or industrial zones to align with socio-techno-economic goals and various constraints, such as heat/cooling/charging/storage/power supply-demand balance, is essential.
Understanding the flexibility options that energy users can provide, including alterations in power consumption behavior, and fostering engagement in local communities or energy zones need further exploration. The challenge lies in ensuring citizens or industries comprehend how to form and govern local energy communities or energy areas, establishing viable business cases for optimal control of their shared systems, and participating effectively in the electricity market to provide flexibility.

To tackle these challenges, COPLEWIC develops a holistic solution that considers regulatory, business, and technical aspects. The objective is to identify the primary drivers of these communities (local initiatives, municipalities, or industries) and collaborate to establish interconnected local energy systems. COPLEWIC creates a cooperative platform in partnership with research institutes, private companies and public agencies to facilitate effective engagement across various domains.

COPLEWIC is part of Aalborg University's Energy for Sustainable Society (ESUS) Initiative.