Description (EN): The project SMART-MED-PARKS is a 24-month project which aims at developing the Smart Parks concept in the Med Area. The cornerstone of this concept relies on the idea that: energy demand in Parks should be largely covered with local power plants. A high degree of energy self-sufficiency will allow Mediterranean Parks direct energy savings related to losses in distribution and transport network. Besides it will allow the incorporation of technologies that make use of renewable energy or waste energy sources. Three main relevant aspects will be covered throughout this project: - Energy demand - Generation technologies - Network integration/management. Partners, together with the participation of a transnational expert group, will carry out the characterization of current energy demand and facilities for generation and distribution of energy in Parks. This will allow to size and design energy facilities and technologies that better fit with demand profiles locally. The analysis in different Parks from several countries, counting on the end-users opinion, will also permit an exchange of best practices to get a high degree of energy self-sufficiency and a better integration of existing energy networks. Once finished the characterization, following a common methodology, the partnership will work on the development of a catalogue of technologies for local power plants and integration with existing energy networks, through a deep review of potential innovative technologies that satisfy energy requirements with a better performance. The catalogue will be developed under various criteria: analysis and modelling of generation and distribution technologies, energy demand reduction and consumption technologies, and control and smart metering technologies and integration with existing networks. The catalogue will be commonly approved and results will be shared with the Transnational Expert Group and transferred to other identified projects (as mentioned in further section of AF). Furthermore, the partnership will commonly work and define a specific Multi Cristeria Software Tool (from now on SW tool) to help the modelling of a Smart-park. Finally, Pilot Actions to transform a conventional Technology Park into a Smart Technology Park will be carried out in 5 selected parks. Identified technologies and SW tool will be transferred to the selected parks through pilot actions in order to improve current use of energy in Med Parks to integrate a future approach to Smart-Park model. The partnership will bring together key actors directly involved in energy efficiency sector, both at institutional and operational level, to ensure a major diffusion, and impact of activities and will create synergies with past/current projects.
Read more Achievements (EN): Main achievements of the project are:
• Characterization of energy demand, use, distribution of energy in Science and Technology Parks (STPs) thanks to a complete methodology designed for the project. This characterization allows to size and design energy facilities and for distribution of energy in parks. This methodology could be applied, and thus considered of added value, to urban district energy planning, and thus be capitalized.
• Once the STPs have been characterized, partners have developed a Catalogue of potential innovative technologies that satisfy energy requirements with better performance. A special e-Catalogue was developed to provide potential interested park managers and energy stakeholders with a friendly and accessible tool for consultation (see more below).
• As a complement to the catalogue and in order to ease the decision-making for energy efficiency improvement in STPs, a software tool was developed to help the modelling of a Smart park. This software tool was tested in 6 parks during the project action. Pilot actions permitted to evaluate the transformation of conventional Technology Park into a Smart Park, and help decision-making for a better use of energy (see more below).
The spreading of SmartGrid concept initiatives in Europe gives an indication of the importance of such activities carried out in Smart-Med-Parks and its potential application to urban district planning gives a high added value of the outcomes of the project, potentially candidates for a strong capitalization. A total of 9 organizations coming from both EU countries and IPA countries has been involved in this transnational action, including participation of science and technology pars, essential to carry out the pilot action raised.
Main deliverables and results
As anticipated above, two of the main deliverables of the project are the Software Tool and the Catalogue of technologies.
According to project objectives, the Smart-MED-Parks Software Tool (SW Tool) has been conceived to allow:
a) The characterization and quantification of energy demand and consumption in Science and Technological Parks.
b) Providing mechanisms to improve energy efficiency and to measure, or at least estimate, this improvement.
c) Fostering networking amongst STPs by creating a frame of realistic comparison in terms of energy efficiency, energy demand and consumption.
In addition to project objectives, the tool has been designed taking into account final users. In this sense, it has sought to offer interfaces and results understandable by park manager in some cases with no deeply energy knowledge. In this sense the SW make an innovative contribution to the existing models and contribute positively to the energy targets required by the EU, facilitating the first step of facilitating the decision-making for improvement of energy use in Science and Technology Parks.
On another hand, one of the main Smart-MED-Parks outputs is the Catalogue of technologies: this document intends to present and analyze the most promising but already on the market energy-efficient technologies for energy generation and distribution for a smart management of Science and Technology Parks. In order to share this output not only with technicians but also with general public and to reach a wider audience Smart-MED-Parks partners agreed to develop a simplified and interactive version of this Catalogue: the eCatalogue.
So this new and interesting tool aims to give an overview and a general description of each technology and gives a transnational global answer to potential innovative technologies.
Another best results of the project, fruit of the two previously described activities, was the transfer carried out to park managers through the pilot actions for simulating the implementation of technologies obtaining results such as energy saving, environment benefits, master planning, recommendations, economic simulation of the investment. Involved STPs have been advised by the partners in elaborating their action plan for energy efficiency improvement and transform their standard Science and Technology Park into a Smart park.
Mainly addressed to park managers, local and regional policy makers and stakeholders, and SMEs and entities belonging to the parks, the project has brought together most relevant key players to influence on decision-making at STPs level and stakeholders have been invited on regular basis in participating in all events organized at multi-level, ensuring a larger and longer impact of the activities in the largest group. Cooperation and capitalization have been impulsed beyond the originally forecasted activities.
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