The European Commission’s (EC) Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) and the Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST) have called for proposals that make use of existing local energy systems to speed up decarbonization and reduce clean energy costs.

Local energy systems include isolated villages, small cities, urban districts, and rural areas with weak or non-existent grid connections. The invitation for proposals calls for the use of these existing systems to come up with new approaches to optimize network architecture, planning, and development of the overall electricity system in both regions.

According to the announcement, proposals must be able to put across solutions to interconnect all energy vectors (electricity, heating, cooling, water, wastes, batteries, electric vehicles, among others) and optimize their joint operation.

Proposals must also present a preliminary analysis of the local energy systems and develop network optimization solutions that can be replicated across Europe and India. Applicants were also encouraged to come up with solutions that involve local consumers by creating “renewable energy communities.”

The project is expected to:

• Provide decarbonization solutions within the local energy system while also ensuring positive impacts on a much larger scale.
• Involve local energy consumers and producers by creating energy communities to test new business models
• Validate approaches, strategies, and tools to operate an integrated local energy system across energy vectors so that it can integrate higher shares of renewable energy
• Benchmark technical solutions and business models that can be replicated in local regions and are acceptable by local citizens.

These projects will be developed under the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency’s 2018-2020 Horizon 2020 Work Program, which covers 12 low carbon energy topics and has received funding from the EU to the tune of €112 million (~$121.4 million). The deadline to submit the proposal is September 1, 2020.

Previously, Mercom reported that the African Development Bank, the European Commission, KfW, the Clean Technology Fund, Norfund, and others had pledged $160 million (~₹11.84 billion) for the Facility of Energy Inclusion to improve energy access in Africa by using small scale renewable projects and mini-grid projects.

Earlier, the AfDB announced that the Facility for Energy Inclusion’s Off-Grid Energy Access Fund reached its final equity close target of $59 million (~₹4.17 billion) in committed equity capital and $36 million debt facilities to promote off-grid energy access.