GARDEN: Grid-Aware Decarbonization of Electricity-driven Neighbourhoods

Project partner

• AEE - Institut für Nachhaltige Technologien (AEE)
• Scuola Universitaria professionaledella Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI)
• Sakarya University of Applied Sciences (SUBU)
• Sakarya Elektrik Dağıtım A.Ş (SEDAS)
• Erevnitiko Idrima P.L. (UNIC)

Project description

GARDEN responds to the challenges posed by increasing PV penetration, heat pump adoption, and electric vehicle usage in local electricity grids. Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) currently lack district-level energy management systems, hindering collective flexibility utilization for increased grid-awareness. GARDEN aims to address these gaps through a replicable governance process, which supports municipalities to create decarbonised neighbourhoods that foster grid resilience by not overstraining local grid infrastructures and enable access for all citizens to flexible and clean energy assets as well as sustainable e-mobility.

The objectives include mainstreaming flexible PEDs through smart energy management algorithms and a flexibility planning tool. Feasibility studies will assess the flexibility potential to enhance grid reliability in three demos in Austria, Switzerland and Turkey. Co-creation tools will engage stakeholders, demonstrating municipalities and DSOs that PEDs can be implemented in a grid-aware manner. Additionally, GARDEN will formulate community-driven business models and provide procurement templates to accelerate the adoption of district-level energy management.

This project strives to establish a new standard for PEDs, contributing to sustainable urban energy landscapes while addressing the immediate need for grid-aware solutions. The outcomes will guide stakeholders in replicating successful practices, fostering innovation in the broader context of energy transition projects.

 Disclaimer:

The DUT Partnership is co-funded European Partnership under the Horizon Europe research and innovation funding programme with currently 67 partners from 28 countries. The DUT Partnership aims at supporting cities and citizens to make urban change happen and boost the urgently needed urban transformations towards a sustainable future with enhanced quality of life in cities. Our main activities are the implementation of joint calls for funding for research and innovation projects as well as a multitude of additional impact creating activities.
The DUT Partnership is coordinated by the
Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK)
Radetzkystrase 2
1030 Vienna