The Local Energy Communities (LECs) initiative within the OMEGA-X project spans various pilot sites, including Granollers (Spain), the R&D Campus in Belgrade (Serbia), Valverde in Évora (Portugal), Zaragoza Inclusive Solar Community (Spain), and Osimo (Italy).
Osimo Energy Community: Optimizing Public Service Management
Located in a multi-energy municipal minigrid, the Osimo Energy Community—under the guidance of the local utility Astea—aims to enhance the management and consumption of key public services, including water, energy, and the electrical grid. The community is equipped with a range of infrastructure, including:
- A Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant connected to a district heating network serving 1,300 users
- A water district network with smart meters serving 1,900 users
- Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations
- A smart building (Astea’s headquarters)
- Battery energy storage systems connected to the low voltage (LV) grid branch
- 20 final users
Through the OMEGA-X project, the Osimo Energy Community aims to leverage this existing infrastructure for further optimization.
Objectives Osimo use case:
- Reduce water and thermal losses
- Lower operational costs (OPEX)
- Create a virtual Local Energy Community
- Optimize energy consumption
- Promote decarbonization
Key Services Developed:
- Water Losses Detection
- Thermal Losses Detection
- Gamification for Electrical Energy Savings
- Local Energy Community Designer
We highlight two of services here below: water losses detection and the gamification service.
Water Losses Detection:
This service helps identify and quantify water losses in distribution networks at the district level, enabling better scheduling of interventions. By monitoring inlet and outlet flows across different districts, the system provides detailed, localized insights to improve intervention efficiency. The service collects hourly data and segments it at the district level, aiding decision-making for maintenance and optimization of the water distribution process.
2024 Outcomes:
- CO2 reduction: 65.4 tons (-6.1%)
- OPEX reduction: €6,804 (-34%)
The main challenges for this service included the integration of smart meter data management systems with OMEGA-X services and ensuring sufficient smart meter coverage.
Impact: For the Osimo pilot, the benefits include optimized water and energy resource usage, leading to both environmental and economic improvements. The data collected improves network management and cost reduction.
Gamification Service:
The gamification service encourages user engagement by promoting sustainable energy behaviors. It aligns with two primary objectives: decarbonization and cost reduction. Users participate in challenges and earn rewards, motivating them to adopt energy-conscious habits. This service boosts self-consumption of renewable energy while reducing overall energy use.
Key Outputs:
- Consumption groups
- Community rankings
- Daily insights
KPIs are based on reductions in overall consumption and increases in self-consumption. Seasonal variations in energy consumption are taken into account by comparing data from the same months across different years. The comparison between pre-pilot and pilot periods shows improvements in self-consumption, contributing to both cost reduction and increased decarbonization.
This comprehensive approach at Osimo demonstrates the potential for Local Energy Communities to drive both environmental sustainability and cost savings.
The OMEGA-X Academy
For more detailed information regarding this use case or the other OMEGA-X use cases, please visit the OMEGA-X Academy or read the pilot overview here.