COOCK CEMS: Customer Energy Management Systems
: Volta together with the Eloya, Nelectra, and Techlink federations
: € 809,584
: 50 to 100 % of the total budget
This is a COOCK project (collective research and development and collective knowledge dissemination) where the emphasis is on disseminating knowledge to the chosen target group. The advisory group acted as an important sounding board in finding suitable knowledge dissemination.
Customer energy management systems (CEMS) are necessary applications that control the energy management of buildings for consumers and prosumers who want to use renewable energy sources (such as PV), electric vehicles (EV), heat pumps (HP), and smart appliances to achieve climate goals and keep energy costs affordable.
Electrical installers (EI) are the appropriate target group to guide their customers through this energy transition. Through direct contact and the need for quality installations of these new products and systems, electricians prepare the way for new energy services. Through generic cases, the possibilities and applications in this new market of energy management systems become clear. In the project, this knowledge is conveyed by all possible modern educational means such as brochures, webinars, videos, technical articles, e-learning, workshops, and the maakjemeterslim.be website. This website is a useful reference for many installers, containing information from energy management system providers, as well as information on regulations, technical know-how, and the latest innovations.
The ultimate goal of the project is to pick up this market for the entire EI sector. Installers and other stakeholders should retrain for better customer relations, continuity, or reorientation of their business. COOCK CEMS will undoubtedly create new jobs. Flemish manufacturers will also develop products that capitalize energy data provided by sensors, digital meters, and smart appliances.
For the wider society, COOCK CEMS contributes to enabling smart grids: optimising the consumption of renewable energy, spreading consumption to minimize the need for grid capacity, and creating flexibility.
During the project, many events and webinars were organised, the recordings of which have been made available on the maakjemeterslim.be website.
The greatest added value for the installers is the practical information they receive which they can use immediately in their working environment. Through the outcomes of measured data from two houses equipped with an energy management system, we give the installers more insight into its possibilities. We have also set up a practical workshop, see photo below, that allows them to get straight to work in a simulated environment.
Companies from the electrotechnical sector have set up business units offering products specifically for the energy management system (EMS) market. Most companies invest in innovation with their own resources but a few have also applied for subsidies from VLAIO (mostly SME growth subsidy). This is an important step forward as this was previously a rarity within the electrotechnical sector.