NETFFICIENT · Project

Smart Energy Storage Systems Tested on a Real Island Grid for Utilities and ESCOs

energyPilotedTRL 7

Imagine a small island that wants to run on renewable energy but can't because the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow. This project installed different types of batteries — including recycled electric vehicle batteries — on the island of Borkum in Germany and built software to manage them all together. Think of it like a smart fridge that knows when electricity is cheap and stores it for later, but scaled up for an entire community. The team also figured out the business models so energy companies can actually make money doing this.

By the numbers

Real-world use cases covering low and medium voltage scenarios

Partners in consortium

Countries represented

TRL 5-6

Starting technology readiness level of deployed storage technologies

Total project deliverables produced

53%

Industry ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Energy companies and grid operators struggle to integrate renewables because supply is unpredictable — solar peaks at noon, wind blows at night, but demand follows its own pattern. Without affordable, well-managed storage, excess clean energy gets wasted and grids become unstable. Existing storage solutions are expensive and there are no proven business models to make them profitable at the community level.

The solution

What was built

The project built and deployed three types of storage — hybrid ultracapacitor/Li-ion systems (HESS), second-life EV batteries, and home hybrid units — on the real grid of Borkum island, plus an energy management system and smart grid control software to run them all. They also produced viable business models, life cycle cost analyses, and regulatory change proposals across 5 demonstrated use cases.

Audience

Who needs this

Distribution system operators managing grids with high renewable penetrationEnergy service companies (ESCOs) building storage-as-a-service offeringsMunicipal utilities planning community energy storageEV battery manufacturers or recyclers seeking second-life applicationsSmart city planners integrating distributed energy resources

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Energy utilities and grid operators

enterprise

Target: Distribution system operators or municipal utilities managing grids with high renewable penetration

If you are a grid operator dealing with voltage fluctuations and grid instability from solar and wind — this project developed and tested hybrid energy storage systems combining ultracapacitors and Li-ion batteries on a real island grid with 5 use cases covering low and medium voltage scenarios. The production-ready systems were validated on Borkum, giving you a proven blueprint for deploying distributed storage.

Energy service companies (ESCOs)

SME

Target: ESCOs looking to expand into community-level energy storage services

If you are an ESCO looking for new revenue streams — this project defined viable business models specifically for energy storage deployment and even planned the creation of a new ESCO to exploit those models after the project ended. The consortium of 17 partners across 7 countries tested real hardware and ICT management tools you could adopt for your own storage-as-a-service offering.

Electric vehicle and battery recycling

mid-size

Target: Companies managing end-of-life EV batteries seeking second-life applications

If you are dealing with retired electric vehicle batteries and need economically viable second-life uses — this project demonstrated second-life EV batteries integrated into a real community grid. The life cycle assessment and life cycle cost data from 20 deliverables gives you evidence-based numbers to build a business case for repurposing batteries instead of recycling them.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy a similar storage system in our grid?

The project data does not include specific cost figures or EU contribution amounts. However, the project produced Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Cost analyses for all storage systems tested, which would provide detailed cost benchmarks. Contact the coordinator for access to these cost models.

Can this scale beyond a single island demonstration?

The project was designed with scale-up in mind — it included a 'follower smart-city' in the consortium and covered 5 use cases across both low voltage and medium voltage scenarios. The business models were specifically developed to enable wider market uptake of the storage technologies tested.

Who owns the IP and can we license the technology?

The consortium includes 17 partners from 7 countries, with 9 industry partners and 5 SMEs. IP is likely distributed across partners per EU Horizon 2020 rules. The coordinator ATECH ADVANCED SOLUTIONS SA (Spain) would be the first point of contact for licensing discussions.

What regulations need to change for this to work commercially?

The project explicitly developed proposals for regulatory changes in social and economic areas to lower barriers for distributed storage deployment. These recommendations target the specific regulatory obstacles identified during the 5 real-world use cases on Borkum.

How mature is the technology — is it ready for commercial deployment?

The project started with technologies at TRL 5-6 and deployed them in a real electrical grid on Borkum. Deliverables confirm production-ready systems running in real-live conditions, with verified and validated hardware installations. This puts the outputs at approximately TRL 7.

How does the energy management system integrate with existing grid infrastructure?

The project built control systems that integrate management and decision support tools connecting renewable generation, forecasting, and storage systems into the smart grid. All hardware was integrated within the existing grid of Borkum and governed by the ICT systems developed, as documented in their integration deliverables.

Is there ongoing support or a commercial entity behind this?

The consortium planned the creation of an ESCO to exploit the demonstrated business models after the project ended. With 53% industry ratio in the consortium and 5 SMEs involved, the commercial intent was strong. The project website at netfficient-project.eu may have current status on post-project exploitation.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a strong industry-driven consortium with 17 partners across 7 countries (Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, UK), and a 53% industry ratio — well above average for EU projects. Of the 9 industry partners, 5 are SMEs, which suggests a mix of established players and agile innovators. The consortium includes a distribution system operator (for real grid access), research organizations (5), and a university. The coordinator ATECH ADVANCED SOLUTIONS SA is a Spanish private company. With only 1 university versus 9 industry partners, this consortium was clearly built to deliver commercial results, not academic papers.

ATECH ADVANCED SOLUTIONS SACoordinator · ES
RISE IVF ABparticipant · SE
STEINBEIS INNOVATION GGMBHparticipant · DE
VANDENBORRE ENERGY SYSTEMS NVparticipant · BE
CENTRO DI RICERCA, SVILUPPO E STUDI SUPERIORI IN SARDEGNA SOCIETÀ A RESPONSABILITÀ LIMITATAparticipant · IT
WILLIAMS ADVANCED ENGINEERING LIMITEDparticipant · UK
WIND INERTIA TECHNOLOGIES SLparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI CAGLIARIparticipant · IT
AYUNTAMIENTO DE SANTANDERparticipant · ES
NORDSEEHEILBAD BORKUM GMBHparticipant · DE
POWERTECH SYSTEMSparticipant · FR
ZIGOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT AIEparticipant · ES
FUNDACION AYESAthirdparty · ES

How to reach the team

ATECH ADVANCED SOLUTIONS SA (Spain) — contact via CORDIS or project website

Order a report on this consortium See ATECH ADVANCED SOLUTIONS SA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to connect with the NETFFICIENT team about their grid storage systems or ESCO business models? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction.

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