STORY · Project

Proven Energy Storage Solutions That Make Renewables Reliable for Buildings and Factories

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horizon2020-story.eu

Imagine you have solar panels on your roof but the sun doesn't always shine when you need power. STORY figured out the best ways to store that energy — in batteries, heat, or other systems — so buildings, neighborhoods, and factories can use renewable energy around the clock. They tested this at real sites across Europe: a residential area in Slovenia, a neighborhood of 5 buildings, a factory with cold storage, and an industrial park in Belgium. The result is a practical playbook showing which storage setups actually work and pay for themselves.

By the numbers

EUR 12.5 million

EU funding for storage demonstration across Europe

22 partners

Consortium members across the project

8 countries

European countries represented in demonstrations

5 buildings

Buildings equipped with different energy storage in neighborhood demo

3 devices

Controllable devices demonstrated for energy demand flexibility

14 industry partners

Industry organizations in the consortium

45 deliverables

Total project deliverables documenting results

The business problem

What needed solving

Businesses with on-site renewable energy — solar panels on factories, office buildings, or residential complexes — lose money because generation and consumption don't align. Excess energy gets wasted or sold back cheaply, while peak demand still hits the grid at premium prices. Without storage, renewables remain unreliable and the business case for going green stays weak.

The solution

What was built

The project built and tested energy storage systems at 4 real-world demonstration sites: a residential zone with PV and medium-scale storage in Slovenia, a neighborhood grid connecting 5 buildings with storage, a factory integrating storage with PV and high-demand cold rooms, and a private multi-energy industrial grid in Belgium with an organic Rankine cycle unit. They also demonstrated 3 controllable devices for energy demand flexibility and produced 45 deliverables documenting technical results, business models, and policy analysis.

Audience

Who needs this

Property developers managing multi-building complexes with solar installationsFood manufacturers and cold storage operators with high electricity costsIndustrial park operators looking to create shared energy infrastructureEnergy service companies (ESCOs) designing storage solutions for clientsDistribution system operators integrating high shares of renewables

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Commercial Real Estate & Property Management

mid-size

Target: Property developers or building managers operating multi-building complexes

If you are a property manager dealing with rising electricity costs and unreliable grid supply for your building portfolio — this project tested energy storage integration across 5 buildings with different storage equipment, showing which configurations reduce peak demand charges and increase self-consumption of on-site solar. Their neighborhood network study demonstrated how buildings can share stored energy across a local grid.

Food & Cold Chain Manufacturing

any

Target: Factories with high-demand refrigeration or cold storage operations

If you are a food manufacturer or cold storage operator struggling with massive electricity bills from running fridges around the clock — this project demonstrated energy storage combined with PV production at a factory with high-demand fridge rooms. The study showed how to shift energy consumption to off-peak hours and buffer renewable generation to cut costs.

Industrial Park Development & Energy Services

enterprise

Target: Industrial zone operators or energy service companies (ESCOs)

If you are developing or managing an industrial area and want to reduce energy costs across multiple tenants — this project piloted a private multi-energy grid in Belgium integrating energy storage with an organic Rankine cycle unit in a developing industrial area. The demonstration proved how shared storage infrastructure can serve multiple industrial users while stabilizing the local grid.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement these storage solutions?

The project operated with EUR 12.5 million across all demonstration sites and research activities. Specific per-site costs are not broken out in the available data, but the studies cover residential, neighborhood, factory, and industrial-scale installations — giving cost benchmarks across different scales. Contact us for detailed cost analysis from the demonstration reports.

Has this been tested at industrial scale or only in labs?

This was tested at real operational sites, not labs. Demonstrations include a residential zone in Slovenia, a neighborhood of 5 buildings, a factory with cold storage, and an industrial park in Belgium. The project also demonstrated 3 controllable devices supporting energy demand flexibility.

What about IP and licensing — can I use these results?

As an EU Innovation Action, the project results and methodologies are documented in 45 deliverables. Specific IP arrangements depend on the consortium partner who developed each solution. The 14 industry partners in the consortium may offer commercial licensing or implementation services.

Does this work with existing building energy systems?

Yes. The demonstrations specifically studied integration with existing infrastructure — PV systems, building energy management, industrial processes, and distribution grids. The project tested interoperability across different controllable devices and ICT platforms.

How long did implementation take at the demo sites?

The project ran for 5 years (2015-2020), covering development, installation, testing, and analysis. Based on available project data, actual installation and commissioning at individual sites would have been a fraction of the total project timeline.

What regulations or policies affect deployment?

The project specifically analyzed the effect of policies and regulations on business opportunities for storage-related industry. Their findings cover how different regulatory environments across 8 European countries impact storage viability — directly relevant for companies navigating grid connection rules and energy market regulations.

Can this work for a single building or only large sites?

The demonstrations covered multiple scales: individual buildings with integrated storage, a neighborhood of 5 buildings, a single factory, and a full industrial area. This means the solutions are validated from single-building to multi-site deployments.

Consortium

Who built it

The STORY consortium is heavily industry-driven with 14 out of 22 partners (64%) coming from industry, including 7 SMEs. Led by VTT, Finland's top applied research center, the project spans 8 countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Slovenia, UK). With only 3 universities and 4 research organizations versus 14 industry players, this consortium was designed for real-world deployment rather than academic research. The strong SME presence (7 partners) suggests that commercially viable, market-ready solutions — not just research papers — were the priority. For a business looking to adopt these storage solutions, this means there are multiple potential technology suppliers and implementation partners already within the consortium.

TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OYCoordinator · FI
JOANNEUM RESEARCH FORSCHUNGSGESELLSCHAFT MBHparticipant · AT
VLAAMSE INSTELLING VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZOEK N.V.participant · BE
ELEKTRO GORENJSKA PODJETJE ZA DISTRIBUCIJO ELEKTRICNE ENERGIJE DDparticipant · SI
PROSPEX INSTITUTEparticipant · BE
ABB OF ASEA BROWN BOVERIparticipant · BE
ACTILITY SASparticipant · FR
TH!NK Eparticipant · BE
FUNDACION CENERparticipant · ES
VLERICK BUSINESS SCHOOLparticipant · BE
UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANIparticipant · SI

How to reach the team

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland — reach out through SciTransfer for a warm introduction to the right team

Order a report on this consortium See TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to know which STORY storage solution fits your site? We can match you with the right consortium partner and provide a tailored technology brief. Contact SciTransfer.

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