DIGITISE: Citizen participation in energy markets

Today, consumers face price fluctuations due to dependence on fossil fuels. Helping them to overcome these difficulties by facilitating a rapid and just energy transition that is inclusive, sustainable and affordable is a challenge for different organizations. The European DIGITISE project was born with this goal in mind: to improve digital literacy and empower consumers and prosumers to become more integrated within the energy sector. As expert marketer and project partners, from Voltiva Energy we lead the Spanish pilot that will improve the energy efficiency of homes, reducing the cost of electricity bills of the participants.

What is DIGITISE?

Backed by the European Union with a budget of four million euros, DIGITISE will place the consumer and prosumer at the center of the energy transition, actively participating in monitoring tasks and digital energy markets. Coordinated by Ubitech, the project will last three years and will be validated in four demonstrators, located in Greece, Spain, Croatia and Ireland. These pilots will involve diverse members, including consumers, prosumers and commercial actors such as Retailers, Aggregators and Local Energy Communities (LECs). In addition, they will use a variety of data sources that will integrate both energy and socio-economic variables. The DIGITISE innovation project will develop, among others, an application based on a digital twin that will serve as a guide for the end user's home. In addition, using Artificial Intelligence, a platform will be designed to predict the energy consumption patterns of the participants.

The project at present

The twelve European partners participated in the first project meeting held in Athens last June. The event laid the groundwork for the project by outlining the various objectives, strategies and implementation plans.

Currently, work has begun on some work packages related to the planning and dissemination of the project.

Results of the project in society

DIGITISE offers a futuristic vision of the energy sector, combining knowledge and effective practices in energy systems, as well as services that enable greater flexibility and improvements in energy markets.

With the aim of promoting consumer participation in the energy market, the solution will integrate various technologies such as Digital Twins, AI Analytics and Big Data Management. These technologies and systems will work interoperably, protecting the integrity and confidentiality of the energy data obtained and, ultimately, of the participants.

The results of DIGITISE will be the fruit of the cooperation of twelve European entities specialized in different aspects of the project. Approximately 1,000 participants will benefit from the solution implemented in the pilots, with an estimated energy saving of around 35% and a reduction in energy costs of approximately 50%.

Voltiva Energy's role in DIGITISE

As experts in innovation projects, we are leading the Spanish pilot to be implemented in 18 homes in the Espinardo neighborhood, Murcia. These homes, belonging to the same building, have a 10 kWp photovoltaic installation and different energy consumption monitoring systems: load control, presence, temperature, humidity and air quality sensors.

During the project we will review the status and configuration of these systems and equipment to ensure proper monitoring of the installed equipment. From Voltiva Energy, we will take advantage of our extensive experience in the energy sector using the data from the participating homes and the registration of 300 other consumers in the city as a control group to analyze and contextualize the pilot data.

In addition to running one of the demonstrators, we will oversee work packages, led by other consortium members, related to project planning and dissemination.

Moreover, the DIGITISE application will not only benefit the project participants, but is also intended to be extrapolated to other situations and energy consumers. In this sense, we are leading the work package related to the creation of a plan to exploit the platform once the project is completed.