The Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), through its Energy Systems Analytics Research group, has been selected as a finalist in the LLAVOR category of the 2023 EMERGENT awards, presented by the Clúster de l’Energia Eficient de Catalunya (CEEC). Organised by the CEEC, these awards recognise innovation and commitment to energy efficiency and the transition towards a low-carbon economy.
The team of this work, including mathematicians Lucía Igualada and Roger Valdés, energy engineer Mariana Jiménez, and group leader Cristina Corchero, has been pivotal in advancing IREC’s commitment to innovation, energy efficiency and the transition towards a low-carbon economy.
The CEEC, celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, is a key entity in promoting energy efficiency in Catalonia and in organising the Night of Efficiency (“Nit de l’Eficiència”), taking place on the 8th of June at the National Theatre of Catalonia. The event, in its tenth edition, is expected to welcome around 600 entrepreneurs and professionals from the energy sector, in addition to Catalonia’s institutional figures.
The EMERGENT awards, in their LLAVOR category, highlight the best academic projects in the field of energy efficiency, a distinction that emphasises the impact and relevance of research in this sector. The recognition of IREC’s candidacy underscores the significance of its work within the framework of energy communities, aligning with European policies for greenhouse gas emissions reduction.
IREC’s work, “Long-term Optimal Investment Planning for Energy Communities“, offers an innovative solution for long-term investment in energy communities. This proposal dovetails perfectly with the European Commission’s ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and is designed to enable active citizen participation in all energy markets.
IREC’s proposed solution, was developed within the context of the MODECO project, funded by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), is based on low-emission investments, primarily in renewable energy assets and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systemswith the possibility to be fueled by natural gas or green hydrogen. This tool is highly customisable, allowing investment options to be tailored to each Energy Community archetype, taking into account its unique context and available land space, to maximise its potential.
This innovative solution will contribute to the increasingly prominent role of energy communities in the European energy market, providing an optimisation tool that will allow for the identification of optimal investment decisions expected from Energy Communities under future energy prices and different tariff structures.
This recognition is a testament to IREC’s innovation and commitment in seeking solutions that contribute to the transition towards a low-carbon economy. Being selected as finalists in the LLAVOR category of the EMERGENT awards affirms their position as leaders in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy research.
Congratulations to the Energy Systems Analytics Research group at IREC on this recognition of their work in the field of energy efficiency and the transition towards a more sustainable future.
