Sunlight Group’s inteGRIDy research project: experimentation and innovation

R&D is at the heart of Sunlight’s activities, and extroversion is one of our most significant pursuits. Both these aspects of our operation are reflected in the company’s participation as implementation partner in a wide range of cutting-edge research programs, to which we offer our expertise, state-of-the-art equipment, and facilities. This platform is dedicated to such projects.

Τhe inteGRIDy project

inteGRIDy stands for “integrated Smart GRID Cross-Functional Solutions for Optimised Synergetic Energy Distribution, Utilisation and Storage Technologies.” A Horizon 2020 project, it was implemented across 8 European countries by 30 partners, including CERTH (Centre for Research and Technology Hellas) and Universities – such as the Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza,” the Politecnico di Milano, the University of Cyprus, the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, the Teesside University, and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. The project was financed by the European Commission with ca. €16m and ran from January 2017 to June 2021.

The inteGRIDy project aimed to integrate cutting-edge technologies, solutions, and mechanisms in a framework of replicable tools, and to connect energy networks with stakeholders. It emphasised on the Distribution Grid to optimise stability and coordination of distributed energy resources and to foster collaborative storage schemes for renewable energy – the effective use of renewables being key for achieving the goals of 2030 Green Agenda.

The tools developed and integrated in the context of inteGRIDy were tested in 10 pilot sites, including Xanthi –also the location of Sunlight’s manufacturing plant– and Thessaloniki in Greece. The purpose of the Xanthi pilot site was to manage energy in islanded multi-node microgrids involving hybrid storage technologies. To that effect, Sunlight provided the islanded grid and fleet of forklifts, as well as the charging station.

The Thessaloniki pilot, on the other hand, regarded a Demand-Side management implementation endeavour, involving Battery Energy Storage and Demand Response schemes in residential and commercial buildings. In this case, Sunlight provided smart integrated energy storage solutions (both lead-acid and lithium-ion ones) to evaluate their use in that context and to allow experimentation with different business models. Both Greek pilots were successful, demonstrating Sunlight’s technical expertise, adaptability, and collaborative spirit.

The Sunlight Team

At Sunlight, we are proud for our contribution to the inteGRIDy project. The dedicated team that worked on inteGRIDy comprises Symeon Parcharidis, Project Coordinator; Aristoklis Karamanidis, Researcher; Kostas Paspalas, Administrative support; Dimitris Panagiotopoulos, Technical support; Giorgos Barlas and Theano Karakosta, External Researchers; and Thodoros Kazantzopoulos, Technical staff.

For more information, please visit www.integridy.eu