Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Welcome to the EU Energy Projects Podcast, a podcast series from Enlida and France focusing on the clean energy transition for the European Union and the EU Commission funded energy projects that will help us achieve it. My name is Aretid Daradimu. I. I am the editor of the EU Energy Projects podcast and your host.
[00:00:34] Speaker B: In this episode of the EU Energy Projects podcast, we explore how energy storage is becoming a cornerstone of Europe's clean energy transition.
I'm joined by Angelina Bruccu from the EU funded Synogenesis project, a Horizon Europe initiative working to advance innovative storage solutions and support a more flexible, resilient and decarbonized energy system.
Angelina, thank you very much for taking the time and being with me here today. And I would like just to start us off, I would like to ask you to introduce Synogenous and its main objectives briefly.
[00:01:17] Speaker C: Hello from my side too. Thank you for invitation.
So, I'm Angelina Brucu from my Unisystems Luxembourg. We are holding the coordination of Synogenous project.
So, about Synogenous. Synogenous is a European project focused on energy storage, but in real life conditions.
So the goal here is not just to develop biotechnologies, but to make them work together in practice.
We bring different storage solutions, connect them with digital tools and test them across six pilots in Europe.
[00:01:53] Speaker B: Angelina, what key challenge in Europe's energy transition is the project aiming to address?
[00:01:59] Speaker C: Mainly so the energy system is changing fast with renewables, but it's not flexible enough.
So we have a variability, congestion and complexity. And storage is still now widely deployed where it's needed. So the gap is not technology alone, it is how to actually use it effectively.
[00:02:23] Speaker B: But I don't understand.
Exactly. And I would like you to explain to me why storage has become such a very important topic so critical for the future of European energy system? Sometimes I hear it's more. More important. It's one of the most important, let's say, topics for the energy transition in general. Why do you think is that so?
[00:02:46] Speaker C: Storage is critical. So because renewables are not stable, if you don't store energy, you either waste it or you cannot use it when it's needed. So storage is what makes renewables reliable and usable at scale.
[00:03:02] Speaker B: Yes, but that is not the only, I think, let's say, reason why you. Yes, storage is very important for renewables and it is also very important for flexibility, I would assume. Correct. Which is something that Synogenes also is trying to achieve.
[00:03:19] Speaker C: Yes, indeed. So we don't focus only on one technology. We combine batteries, we combine different technologies. We combine thermal storage, hydrogen flywheels, each for a different purpose. So the innovation is in connecting them and managing them through digital tools and not treating them separately and in isolation.
[00:03:41] Speaker B: Is there a core technology or innovation that you would say this is the most important one that we are addressing in this project? Or everything has an equal, let's say, importance. All the technologies and innovations.
[00:03:55] Speaker C: All the technologies are important because they are centralized in a tool that it can be used simply and efficiently. So all of them, they represent a different environment.
[00:04:07] Speaker B: I understand. And would you say that there is a specific reason why synonymous. And here I would like to pass a little bit in rules and regulations. How does the project align with EU priorities such as REpower, EU or fit for 55? I mean, yes, we have storage, that is a very important topic, as we, as we discussed already. But how does this align with the EU mandates?
[00:04:33] Speaker C: Well, good question.
So the alignment with EU priorities.
So Synogenous directly supports EU clean energy transition. It helps increase renewable integration, improve flexibility and reduce emissions, which are all goals of Red Power EU and FiT455.
[00:04:54] Speaker B: And collaboration is another topic, I would say, that is very important for eu. Collaboration is also central to EU projects, not only to the EU Commission. Who are the key partners involved in Synogenous and how do they contribute?
[00:05:10] Speaker C: Well, we have a quite diverse consortium. We have a strong mix of research centers, of industry players, of technology providers. And each partner brings something different from technical development to real life implementation and validation.
[00:05:28] Speaker B: Can you give me an example of a partner in the consortium?
[00:05:33] Speaker C: Well, I wouldn't like to isolate one partner, but I can speak up for UniSystems, which is going to be. It is actually the partner that is involved to the afterlife of synogenous. UniSystems is interested also in the business development of Synogenous and this is where exactly we are involved in other than the coordination.
And I think this is critical at this point because every European project needs to have a sustainability and after life cycle of the project.
[00:06:10] Speaker B: Absolutely. Exploitation, I think is the part, is a very, very important part of a project. And it's becoming, as the years pass, it's becoming more and more important. I remember back in the day, exploitation was not as important because the important thing was the networking to come up with solutions. But now the second life of a project becomes quite important. And if I may say so myself, I quite agree with the commission that they want that. I mean, it's a shame all these things, all this new innovate, all the innovations that come with projects to get lost. Are there any pilot sites or demonstrations currently underway for Synogenous?
[00:06:53] Speaker C: Yes, absolutely.
So Synogenous is all about testing energy storage in real life. So not just in theory. So we have six demonstration sites, six pilots, and for example, we have pilots in industrial sites like in Portugal and Germany. There the goal is very practical. How can companies use energy more efficiently and reduce costs without affecting their operations? We combine different types of storage and use smart tools to plan energy use one day ahead.
So the company can reduce costs, increase self consumption and even prepare to offer flexibility services.
Then we have pilots in Spain that they are more focused in the microgrids. A small scale energy system where we connect electricity with heat, for instance, we can take excess electricity and store it as heat and at the same time very fast response technologies like flywheels.
These are like mean energy systems where we can test different technologies.
We also look at more innovative setups like Technology park, where energy storage is combined with hydrogen. So we are not only solving today's problems, but we are also preparing for what is coming next.
One very interesting case is also a pilot that we have a demo site that we have in a Greek island, Icaria.
As we know, islands are quite challenging when it comes to energy.
They are isolated and they need to be very efficient. So we use forecasting optimization tools to better manage wind energy and reduce losses, which is critical for these islands. So if a solution works there, it is very strong proof that it can work anywhere else.
And finally, we have a pilot in Switzerland which is focused mainly on transportation and how energy storage can support transportation like electric buses and overall mobility systems.
[00:09:04] Speaker B: Yes, I see that you have quite, quite a nice geographical representation also, which makes total sense. And if I may say so myself, Ikaria must be quite a difficult, let's say, place to create a pilot, knowing the island, which is beautiful, however, it is isolated, as you said.
Now, I'm sure that the project also faces some barriers, some. Some issues.
From your perspective, what are the biggest of them? The biggest barriers, let's say, to scaling energy storage solutions in. In Europe today.
[00:09:41] Speaker C: So I believe that the biggest issue here is not only the technology that is quite complex and involves many different stakeholders. It's a fragmentation, different solutions which receive unclear market signals and they have very high regulatory complexity.
So scaling is difficult even when solutions are there.
[00:10:07] Speaker B: And what about cost or integration or system flexibility? How does Synogenous address these challenges?
[00:10:13] Speaker C: Let's say, well, we integrate technologies instead of testing them in isolation.
So we see it as a whole, we connect them through a digital layer and we test them in real environments. So we move from theory to actual operation.
[00:10:30] Speaker B: Let's circle a little bit back to EU and policy and regulation because I would like to ask you what is the role that policy and regulation play in enabling wider deployment of storage?
[00:10:43] Speaker C: So policy is quite critical and is quite challenging. So without clear rules and incentives, storage will not scale.
So regulation needs to support flexibility and not to slow it down.
[00:11:00] Speaker B: Staying a little bit on the subject, another very important topic, let's say for the EU Commission and Europe in general, is energy security. Also, if we take into consideration the geopolitical situation nowadays, how does the project contribute to it, to energy security, I mean, and reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports. Are there synergies with other EU funded projects or initiatives in storage, storage and or flexibility?
[00:11:29] Speaker C: Yes, we have some synergies with other initiatives, EU initiatives and some other sister projects like Synogens. Now we are more focused into the exploitation part and LIT gave us the opportunity to connect with many, many players on the field. And this is an ongoing now activity.
[00:11:54] Speaker B: But I would assume you were part of the Bridge initiative or you were part of class.
[00:11:58] Speaker C: Yes, yes, yeah.
[00:12:00] Speaker B: Any key expected outcomes or results? I mean you are already there. But if you can walk us through what were the key outcomes, I will
[00:12:10] Speaker C: be very brief in this one. We expect validated solutions, which is a quite complex way pathway. We expect real data from our pilots and we want to construct clear business cases.
So we are not expecting just technical results. We need evidence that these solutions, they will actually work with when they're going to be deployed.
[00:12:36] Speaker B: Now, looking ahead, what would you say success looks like for the project beyond its lifetime? When will you say, I'm happy with what we have accomplished.
[00:12:47] Speaker C: I will be happy after the end of the project when I will see it coming into solutions.
And our solutions actually they're going to be not only exploited, but used and used efficiently.
[00:13:01] Speaker B: Do you plan on asking for some more time, like having Project 2.0 from the Commission?
[00:13:09] Speaker C: Our target is to complete the project and get the best out of it and see how we can really use all this data. Because we are talking about a large amount of data.
[00:13:20] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
So we have reached, let's say, the end of our discussion. So I would like to ask you for a message. So if you had a message for policymakers or industry stakeholders, what would that be from what you've learned from the project?
[00:13:39] Speaker C: Of course, yeah, I would say that from the policymakers, I would expect more clear pathways and more clear targets where we want to go.
And actually we don't need more ideas. We need solutions that they will actually work in real conditions and they can
[00:13:59] Speaker B: scale as well and from industry people in general, let's say the utilities, the solution providers, et cetera, that they would
[00:14:10] Speaker C: be open to use these solutions.
[00:14:13] Speaker B: Absolutely. Let's hope that they will be. And thank you Angelina very much for this discussion. It is a bit brief but I think it was to the point. So thank you very much.
[00:14:26] Speaker C: Okay. It's like our project, not brief but to the point.
[00:14:31] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:14:32] Speaker C: Great. Thank you very much. Ayerthi and I hope to see you in the next enlit.
[00:14:38] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:14:41] Speaker A: You've been listening to the EU Energy Projects podcast, a podcast brought to you by ENLIT and France. You can find us on Spotify, Apple and the Enlit World website.
Just hit subscribe and you can access our other episodes too. I'm Aretita Radimo. Thank you for joining us.
