Imagine you run the local electricity grid and suddenly half your power comes from wind and solar — sometimes too much, sometimes too little. You need a way to see what's happening in real time and convince customers to shift when they use power. PlatOne built a set of connected software platforms that let grid operators, energy aggregators, and customers all trade this "flexibility" on a transparent blockchain marketplace. They tested it across 3 large pilots in Europe to prove it actually works in the real world.
Distribution grid operators across Europe face a growing crisis: renewable energy sources like solar and wind create volatile, unpredictable power flows, while new loads like EV chargers make consumption patterns harder to forecast. Traditional grid management tools were not designed for this two-way complexity, and operators lack a transparent, trusted way to coordinate flexibility from customers, aggregators, and generators simultaneously.
PlatOne delivered a layered set of interconnected platforms: a DSO Technical Platform for real-time grid analysis and flexibility validation (v3), a blockchain-based Market Platform for open energy flexibility trading (v2), an Aggregator Platform connecting market and customers (v3), and a Blockchain Customer Access Layer providing certified measurements and data archiving (v2). All components were integrated into a unified prototype and validated across 3 European pilots.
If you are a DSO dealing with grid instability from growing rooftop solar and EV charging — this project developed a DSO Technical Platform (delivered through v3) that analyzes grid status in real time and validates or adjusts flexibility requests from aggregators. Tested across 3 large pilots in Europe with 12 consortium partners.
If you are an energy aggregator struggling to coordinate between customers, DSOs, and wholesale markets — PlatOne built a dedicated Aggregator Platform that interfaces with both the Market Platform and DSOs on one side, and customers on the other. The blockchain layer provides certified measurements all parties can trust.
If you are a grid software vendor looking to add flexibility management and blockchain-based data certification to your product — PlatOne's integrated platform architecture includes a Blockchain Customer Access Layer with a DSO Common Access Interface and Customer Data Archive, designed as modular components that were validated across 3 European pilots.
The project's EU contribution amount is not available in the dataset. PlatOne is an Innovation Action with 12 partners and 69 deliverables, indicating substantial development investment. Licensing or deployment costs would need to be discussed directly with the coordinator at RWTH Aachen or the 8 industry partners involved.
Yes — PlatOne was explicitly designed for and tested in 3 large pilots across Europe. The DSO Platform runs on actual grid control systems, and multiple platform components reached version 3, indicating iterative real-world refinement. The project also analyzed results in cooperation with a large research initiative in Canada.
The consortium of 12 partners across 4 countries (BE, DE, EL, IT) jointly developed the technology, with RWTH Aachen as coordinator. With 8 industry partners and 2 SMEs in the consortium, commercial exploitation was clearly planned. Specific licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the relevant consortium members.
The project objective explicitly states it was designed to fully respect the existing regulatory framework. The layered platform architecture separates DSO operations, market functions, and customer access specifically to align with European energy market regulations and data requirements.
The project ran from September 2019 to August 2023 across its full development and pilot cycle. Since platform components reached v2 and v3 iterations through 3 European pilots, a deployment based on existing validated software should be significantly faster than the original 4-year development timeline.
The DSO Platform is described as software running on existing DSO grid control systems, meaning it layers on top of current infrastructure rather than replacing it. The blockchain access layer provides a Common Access Interface designed to connect with existing customer and generator systems.
With 12 partners including 8 industry companies, the project had strong commercial involvement. The project website (platone-h2020.eu) and the consortium's stated focus on dissemination and exploitation targeting DSO experts suggest continued engagement beyond the project end date of August 2023.
The PlatOne consortium of 12 partners across 4 countries (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy) is heavily tilted toward industry with 8 industrial partners (67% ratio) — a strong signal that commercial exploitation was a priority from day one. RWTH Aachen, one of Europe's top technical universities, leads the coordination, providing deep grid engineering expertise. With only 2 SMEs, the consortium skews toward established energy companies rather than startups, suggesting the technology is designed for integration into existing utility operations rather than as a disruptive standalone product. The 2 universities and 1 research organization provide the scientific backbone, but the commercial weight is clearly with the industrial majority.
RWTH Aachen (Germany) — contact via university's energy research department or project website
Want an introduction to the PlatOne team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partner for your specific grid flexibility challenge.
