RealValue Project

RealValue is a game-changing energy storage project funded by Horizon 2020, the largest Research and Innovation programme in Europe (€12M EC funding). RealValue commenced in June 2015 and involves installing thousands of Smart Electric Thermal Storage Systems (SETS) into over 800 homes and businesses across Ireland, Germany and Latvia.

RealValue sought to unlock the energy potential of a demand side management (DSM). RealValue represents the entire electricity supply chain and features expertise from various specialisms including; industry, energy services, network and research organisations. The consortium includes partners from Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany, Latvia and Finland. RealValue’s total investment totalled to over €15.5m.

The three-year project featured over 800 real participants in a live demonstration that included load shifting operations in excess of 4MWs. More than 120 people worked on the project and have contributed to the various project areas including Recruitment, Customer Care, Data Analysis, ICT, Academic Research, Project Management and many others.

The technology testing in RealValue was not limited to single items, but combinations of items across a complex process in day-to-day real life settings. The ambitions of RealValue are providing invaluable learnings and information for future projects looking to adapt ICT enabled technology for DSM and showing how smart, small-scale energy storage can benefit the entire electricity market.

”RealValue has been immensely valuable for Glen Dimplex; we’ve been able to improve our understanding of the technological requirements for using our Smart Electric Thermal Storage space and water heating for smart grids applications, as well as gain in-depth insight into consumer experience. Through working with like-minded partner organisations, and involvement in BRIDGE, we’ve expanded our network in Europe, paving the way for potential future collaborations.”

Rowena McCappin, Glen Dimplex Heating and Ventilation Ireland

“As a leading generator and supplier of green energy, SSE Airtricity is committed to developing new and innovative ways to unlock the potential of renewables in Ireland. If we’re to transition to a smarter, greener system, the customer simply must be at the heart of everything we do, and that’s what the RealValue project was all about. By empowering customers, increasing the penetration of renewables, and reducing costs, we believe these exciting technologies can bring significant benefits for all market participants, as well as our environment.”

David Noronha, Programme Strategy Manager, SSE Airtricity