SCORES · Project

Hybrid Storage System That Lets Buildings Use Their Own Solar Energy Year-Round

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Imagine your building has solar panels but half the energy they produce goes back to the grid because you can't use it right away. SCORES built a smart combo of reused electric-car batteries, heat-storing materials, and a clever heat pump — all managed by one brain — so the building soaks up its own solar power instead of wasting it. They even cracked seasonal storage: capturing summer heat and releasing it in winter using a chemical reaction. The whole system was installed and tested in real homes in both Northern and Southern Europe.

By the numbers

Real buildings used for full-scale demonstration

Demonstration cases (Northern Europe with/without heat grid, Southern Europe)

Consortium partners across the value chain

Countries represented in the consortium

83%

Industry ratio in the consortium

Industrial partners including OEMs

Total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Buildings with solar panels waste a huge share of the energy they generate because production peaks don't match consumption peaks — and seasonal mismatches are even worse, with excess solar in summer and high heating demand in winter. Existing battery storage only solves the daily mismatch for electricity, leaving the heat problem untouched. Building owners and developers need an integrated system that captures, stores, and delivers both electricity and heat on demand — across hours and seasons — without massive infrastructure costs.

The solution

What was built

The project built a hybrid energy storage system combining second-life Li-ion batteries, phase-change material thermal storage, a PVT-powered heat pump, and chemical looping combustion for seasonal heat storage, all orchestrated by a smart Building Energy Management System (BEMS). This was installed and demonstrated in 2 real residential buildings across 3 European climate configurations, with 20 deliverables produced including hardware installation documentation.

Audience

Who needs this

Residential property developers building net-zero or low-energy housingEnergy service companies (ESCOs) offering performance-based energy contractsDistrict heating operators looking to integrate building-level solar and storageSecond-life battery integrators seeking proven building-scale applicationsBuilding automation and HVAC companies wanting to add renewable self-consumption features

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Residential property development

mid-size

Target: Property developers and housing associations building or retrofitting multi-unit residential buildings

If you are a housing developer dealing with rising tenant energy costs and tightening carbon regulations — this project developed a hybrid storage system combining second-life batteries, phase-change thermal storage, and a smart energy management system that maximizes self-consumption of rooftop solar. It was demonstrated in 2 real buildings across 3 climate configurations in Europe, proving it works in both Northern and Southern conditions.

Energy services and utilities

enterprise

Target: Energy service companies (ESCOs) and district heating operators

If you are an energy service provider looking for new revenue streams beyond selling grid electricity — this project built a building energy management system that optimizes when to store and when to use locally generated power and heat. The system was tested with and without connection to a heat grid, giving you flexibility to deploy in different infrastructure setups across 7 European countries.

Battery and storage manufacturing

any

Target: Manufacturers of energy storage systems and second-life battery integrators

If you are a storage system manufacturer looking to integrate second-life Li-ion batteries into building-scale products — this project demonstrated how repurposed EV batteries can be combined with phase-change thermal storage and chemical looping combustion for seasonal heat storage. The consortium included 15 industrial partners, signaling strong supply-chain readiness for commercialization.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would this system cost compared to standard solar-plus-battery setups?

The project aimed to increase self-consumption of renewable energy at the lowest cost, but specific pricing data is not available in the public project records. The use of second-life Li-ion batteries — significantly cheaper than new cells — is designed to bring overall system cost down. Contact the coordinator for detailed cost breakdowns from the demonstration sites.

Can this scale beyond single buildings to entire neighborhoods or districts?

The system was demonstrated in 2 real buildings across 3 configurations, including scenarios with and without a heat grid connection. This suggests the architecture is designed to work at both individual building and district scale. The consortium of 18 partners across 7 countries provides the industrial depth needed for larger deployments.

Who owns the intellectual property and how can I license it?

The project was funded as a Research and Innovation Action under Horizon 2020, meaning IP typically stays with the consortium partners who developed each component. With 15 industrial partners (OEMs) described as key actors in the value chain, licensing discussions would go through the coordinator TNO or the specific technology owner. SciTransfer can help identify the right contact.

Does this comply with current EU energy performance regulations?

The project explicitly states that full-scale demonstration was done with regulatory and normative boundaries taken into account. Given the project ran until April 2022, the system was designed with EU building energy performance standards in mind, though specific certifications would need to be confirmed with the consortium.

How long did installation and testing take?

The project ran from November 2017 to April 2022 — roughly 4.5 years including R&D, manufacturing, installation, and field testing. Demo deliverables include both first and second photographs of the installed system, suggesting iterative deployment. Real-world installation timelines for commercial rollout would likely be significantly shorter.

How does this integrate with existing building heating and electrical systems?

The system uses a smart Building Energy Management System (BEMS) that orchestrates all components: PVT solar collectors, heat pump, second-life batteries, phase-change thermal storage, and chemical looping combustion seasonal storage. It was tested in buildings representative of different climate and energy system configurations, demonstrating integration flexibility.

Is there ongoing technical support or a community around this technology?

The consortium includes TNO (a major Dutch applied research organization) as coordinator, along with 15 industrial partners positioned as OEMs in the value chain. Based on available project data, the consortium was specifically assembled for future exploitation of the compact hybrid energy system. Post-project support would depend on individual partner commercialization plans.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavily industry-driven consortium: 15 out of 18 partners are industrial, giving an 83% industry ratio — well above average for EU research projects. The coordinator is TNO, a leading Dutch applied research organization with deep experience in energy systems commercialization. The consortium spans 7 countries (AT, CZ, DE, FR, IT, NL, PT), covering Northern, Central, and Southern European markets. The partners are described as key OEMs in the value chain for compact hybrid energy systems, meaning the supply chain for commercialization is largely already inside the project. With only 2 SMEs, the consortium leans toward established players capable of manufacturing and deploying at scale.

NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNOCoordinator · NL
SIEMENS NEDERLAND NVparticipant · NL
ELECTRICITE DE FRANCEparticipant · FR
AEE - INSTITUT FUR NACHHALTIGE TECHNOLOGIENparticipant · AT
RINA CONSULTING SPAparticipant · IT
INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DE SETUBALparticipant · PT
RINA SERVICES SPAthirdparty · IT
FENIX TNT SROparticipant · CZ
RINA PRIME VALUE SERVICES SPAthirdparty · IT
SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTthirdparty · DE

How to reach the team

TNO (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek), Netherlands — use SciTransfer's coordinator lookup service to find the project lead's direct contact.

Order a report on this consortium See NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNO profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the SCORES team or a detailed technology brief? SciTransfer connects businesses with EU research teams. Contact us to explore licensing, partnership, or deployment opportunities.

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