Geographical islands are highly dependent on the mainland energy market

Geographical Islands suffer from several barriers in the traditional electrical grid model

This affects their energy security & increases energy costs by up to 400% with respect to the mainland

If Islands are not grid connected they are highly dependent on fossil fuels

If the grid connection exists they are highly dependent on energy import

Highly variable energy load profiles due to the population fluctuation in the high & low tourist seasons

To predict, control & manage variable load profiles is key

If coupled with energy storage technology and a greater share of renewable energy then islands could enjoy a greener, stable and more resilient electrical grid.

REACT is a 4-year research project funded by the EU's Horizon 2020 Programme

Its objective is to achieve island energy independency by joining renewable energy sources and storage, a demand response platform and promote user engagement in a local energy community.

REACT will develop a technical and business model that will demonstrate that these technologies can bring important economic benefits, contribute to the decarbonisation of local energy systems, reduce GHG emissions and improve environmental air quality.

Learn more about the project impact

4

YEARS

23

PARTNERS

11

EU COUNTRIES

8

DIFFERENT ISLANDS

Users.
Technology.
Sustainable Energy.

Our approach will provide a solution that is flexible, robust & scalable.

01 USERS

The project aims to motivate and engage island communities to take an active part in the control loop by manually influencing the energy demand curve and helping to define the underlying cooperative Demand Response program. Via end consumer engagement, REACT will be able to maximally exploit the demand flexibility and match the energy demand with renewable energy source generation or buffered energy that could be released in peak demand periods.

02 TECHNOLOGY

Existing and innovative technologies are integrated within a scalable ICT platform to enable a digitalized smart grid that is based on distributed generation and demand response. User Centered Design (UCD) principles will help deliver a solution that is easy-to-use and of added value to the users. A modular approach to the design and integration of the different tools and services will ensure the extendibility and replicability of REACT’s core services in different contexts, locations and infrastructures.

03 SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

REACT will bring energy savings, carbon emission and energy cost reduction leveraged by an integrative approach to multi-carrier supply and demand side optimization contributed by higher renewable energy source penetration combined with a cooperative demand response strategy to enhance the grid security and reliability.

PILOTS & FOLLOWER ISLANDS

Three pilot islands with different climates, energy infrastructure, grid requirements and market contexts will serve to deploy and validate the project activities. Five follower islands that will allow partners to develop viable, large-scale replication plans that will measure the project’s socio-economic benefits.

Meet the islands