The Catalan Energy Cluster has submitted up to 10 innovation projects on energy and energy efficiency through different calls aimed at improving the competitiveness of SMEs and companies. These are the Programme for Innovative Business Groups (AEI) of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism and the call for Competitiveness Reinforcement Initiatives (IRC) of ACCIÓ, where more than fifteen cluster members participated, reaching a total budget of more than 2.7 milion euros. 

Regarding the AEI call, the Catalan Energy Cluster has presented 8 projects, leading 6 of them and participating as collaborator in 2 through different work packages. In this call, the cluster has achieved the participation of 15 members that have come along with the cluster in the formation of the different consortiums, where other AEI organisations are also present, such as Solartys, Smart City Cluster, AEICE, the Digital Cluster of Catalonia or INNOVAC. Companies from other AEI also participate in these consortiums, which shows the strong collaborative component of the call. The total budget of the submitted projects is over 2.4 milion euros.

The Programme for Innovative Business Groups (AEI) aims to improve the competitiveness of small and medium-sized companies. The funding, which only reaches to 9.7 million euros this year, is intended to aid innovative projects through certified organisations. In this way, the AEI call seeks to strengthen the Spanish business sector through cooperation between companies and other relevant actors, promoting innovation and competitiveness in key sectors. 

The projects presented and coordinated by the cluster are:

• Bioenergytraces. An initiative that aims at researching into different models of artificial intelligence and document digitalization technologies for solid biomass management. This is the first phase of the project that will focus mainly on carrying out research work to obtain experimental products related to biomass optimization. The consortium is formed by Aiguasol Consulting, Elliot Cloud and the Smart City Cluster.

• BlockBatCE III. In its third phase, BlockBatCE will address the research and development of digital services that allow energy communities to integrate into energy markets to maximize the use of renewable energy, contributing to the green and digital transition. Two SMEs, Zertifier and Holtrop, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and Solartys are the members of this consortium.

• INSIGA IV. The INSIGA project is now in its fourth phase with the aim of expanding the services of the SIE-COMUNIDADES application by giving the members of energy communities the possibility of benefiting from energy efficiency management services. In turn, this tool will allow such communities to provide services beyond collective self-consumption, such as shared electric vehicles or generation storage. The project involves AEICE, the companies Gasso Cimne Inergy, Bee Data Analytics and Eficae Iotech, and the Efficient Habitat Cluster.

• PLATDAT III. The proposal of the PLATDAT project for its third phase is framed within the execution of the conclusions of the first and second phases. The objective is to consolidate an advanced energy data platform that addresses the market challenges and fosters a collaborative ecosystem. The consortium has two SMEs, ARCbcn and 5skill Solutions, with the collaboration of the Digital Cluster of Catalonia.

• SMARTCEL III. In this third and final part of the project, new functionalities will be added to the platform thanks to the lessons learned in the previous phases. Besides, a study on the exploitation and scalability of the developed solution will be carried out, as well as the evaluation of new innovative business models related to the solution. The consortium is formed by three SMEs, Bamboo Energy, ARCbcn and Energia Local, and Indoorclima.

• SmartEnergyPaci II. The last project is the second phase of SmartEnergyPaci, whose objective is to improve and expand the developed platform to manage Energy Saving Certificates and Energy Saving Measures. This second phase will include the optimization of communication between modules and the implementation of artificial intelligence models, among others. The consortium is made up of the companies Energy Tools Consulting, Paci Ingenieros and Triposona. As AEI, the consortium has the collaboration of INNOVAC, the Catalan Cluster of meat and alternative protein.

The non-coordinated projects, but with participation of the cluster, are:

• GIRASOL III. Solartys is leading the third phase of this project in which the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), Áliter Group Renovables, Nexus Lab and the Catalan Energy Cluster also participate. The main goal of this project is to develop a digital twin for large-scale photovoltaic solar power plants, capable of monitoring the status of the plant and making predictions about the evolution and production.
• COOLTB. Coordinated by the Advanced Materials Cluster of Catalonia (MAV), this project aims to increase the thermal efficiency of temporary modular buildings through the sensing and application of passive radiative coatings in these types of buildings. COMSA, Cooling Photonics and Worldsensing are the other members of this consortium.

On the other hand, the Catalan Energy Cluster also presented 2 projects at the call for Competitiveness Reinforcement Initiatives (IRC) of ACCIÓ. The objective of this call is to execute projects in which clusters or companies improve their positioning in a way that allows them to maximize their results and improve their competitiveness within their ecosystem. 

As a novelty this year, a second funding line was opened looking for companies located in nuclear transition areas developing projects to diversify business and generate new opportunities. The Catalan Energy Cluster has presented two projects, in which it participates together with other clusters, such as INNOVI and TIC SUR. The total budget is approximately 230.000 euros. 

The projects presented in the IRC are the following:

• Comenagro. With a consortium formed by INNOVI, the Catalan Wine Cluster, and the Catalan Energy Cluster, the project revolves around energy communities linked to agrivoltaism as a transformative element in the area. In this way, Comenagro wants to show the viability of this solution and promote the definition of an executive project in the wineries involved, with the ultimate goal of testing in a controlled environment. Other members of the consortium are the Celler Cingles Blaus, KM0 Energy, both clusters, INNOVI and the Catalan Energy Cluster, and the TIC SUR Cluster, from the digital sector.
• Pregisti. This project aims to develop a platform for tourist centres management, focusing on sustainability and operational efficiency. This platform will integrate data from various sources, both internal and external, to generate useful information in real time. The members of this project are ARCbcn, AGBAR and the subcontracted company Elliot Cloud.

With the submission of these projects, the Catalan Energy Cluster consolidates its position as a leading strategic player in collaborative innovation in the energy and energy efficiency sector, promoting projects in key areas for the energy future, such as energy communities.

For more information about the projects, please visit the projects section on our website or send an email to [email protected].