The IMPROVEMENT project is made up of a consortium of 9 entities, where in addition to CNH2 as project coordinator, it has the National Energy and Geology Laboratory of Portugal (LNEG), the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique et Aérotechnique (ENSMA), the University of Córdoba, the University of Castilla-La Mancha, the University of Perpignan Via Domitia, the Higher Technical Institute of Lisbon; the Andalusian Energy Agency and the General Secretariat for Industry, Energy and Mines of the Ministry of Finance, Industry and Energy of the Junta de Andalucía. This consortium is joined by 8 associated beneficiaries from 3 countries of the SUDOE space.

Throughout the project, the necessary elements will be developed for the deployment of a new generation of renewable microgrids for the supply of thermal energy (hot and cold) and electrical energy. This technology will improve the quality and continuity of the electricity supply, which are fundamental aspects in buildings where high-tech equipment is predominant, and which also entails high energy consumption in electricity, heating and air conditioning. Examples of this are hospitals, research centers or transport stations, among others.

The aim is to develop microgrids based on advanced energy management systems, with hybrid storage supported by hydrogen, batteries and supercapacitors. In addition, predictive control techniques based on the model will be used in the systems that are developed, guaranteeing the integration of renewable energies and the improvement of the energy efficiency of public buildings for their transformation into buildings with zero energy balance (nZEB).

The IMPROVEMENT project proposes to carry out 2 pilot plants where to implement and validate the new developments carried out. One of them consists of an experimental microgrid platform located at the CNH2 headquarters in Puertollano (Ciudad Real) where the different technical solutions devised will be tested and integrated.

The other pilot will be executed in Lisbon, under the direction of the National Energy and Geology Laboratory (LNEG), with the support of the Lisbon Higher Technical Institute, which will integrate the renewable / heat generation systems into a microgrid for the conversion of a existing public building in one of zero energy balance.

For its part, the University of Córdoba will be responsible for developing a power control system for microgrids with high supply quality requirements based on a network of intelligent IoT (Internet of Things) sensors. In addition, it will collaborate with the University of Castilla-La Mancha, who will develop specific power electronics equipment with active neutral control to improve the supply quality of this type of facility.

The consortium also includes the General Secretariat of Industry, Energy and Mines of the Junta de Andalucía, which will analyze the regulatory framework proposing the necessary recommendations to facilitate its adoption in the region; and the Andalusian Energy Agency, which will analyze the applicability and requirements of the proposed solutions, will participate in their validation, once developed, and will draw up specific plans to implement the results of the project through the Energy Network of the Junta de Andalusia (Redeja).

On the other hand, the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Mecànique et Aèrotechnique and the University of Perpignan (France) will be in charge of the development of energy management systems for microgrids with hybrid storage under minimum degradation criteria and prioritization of renewable consumption, by carrying out advanced algorithms that include energy price prediction tools and energy both generated and consumed in buildings.