MAS4TE Regional Workshop @ FZJ

Insights from the MAS4TE Workshop at Forschungszentrum Jülich: Bringing Clean Energy Benefits to All

How can low-income households without solar panels or battery storage still benefit from locally generated renewable energy? This was the central question explored at a highly insightful workshop held at Forschungszentrum Jülich.

JÜLICH, GERMANY — A stimulating and enlightening day unfolded at Forschungszentrum Jülich as partners of the Interreg project MAS4TE gathered to present their latest work and engage in open discussion with invited experts. The workshop shed light on one of the most pressing social dimensions of the energy transition: ensuring that the benefits of locally produced solar energy reach everyone — including low-income households that do not have access to their own photovoltaic systems or battery storage.

A Local Market Framework with Virtual Storage

FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences presented its ongoing work on a local market framework in which virtual storage capacity can be traded in time intervals among community members. This innovative approach allows participants — even those without physical storage assets — to access and trade stored solar energy, effectively democratising participation in local energy markets.

Digital Twins and Battery Storage Simulation

Forschungszentrum Jülich introduced the existing battery storage infrastructure at both the research centre and at partner Climate Cities. Alongside this, the team demonstrated the development of digital twins — virtual replicas of physical battery systems — which are connected via a middleware layer to simulate their behaviour within a local energy market. These digital twins enable researchers and operators to model and compare different energy scenarios before implementing them in the real world.

IoT Infrastructure: Making All Components Speak the Same Language

A further presentation focused on the IoT (Internet of Things) infrastructure underpinning the entire system. For a local energy market to function seamlessly, all components — battery storage units, solar installations, and consumer devices — must communicate using a common protocol. The session outlined the technical developments that ensure full interoperability across all connected assets.

An AI Agent for the Local Energy Market

The Open University presented a particularly forward-looking development: an AI-powered conversational agent — akin to a ChatGPT for the local energy market — designed for future end users. This intelligent assistant is built to understand plain, everyday language and to explain the workings of complex local energy markets in accessible terms. It can also deliver forecasts and market insights to non-expert users, lowering the barrier to meaningful participation in community energy trading.

Guest Presentations: Batteries, Markets, and Blockchain

Following an extensive Q&A session, the afternoon programme featured four compelling guest presentations covering a broad range of perspectives:

▹    New developments in battery technologies and emerging energy market opportunities

▹    The strategic approach of a major regional energy supplier from Cologne to local energy markets

▹    The potential of blockchain technology in enabling secure, transparent local energy trading — analysed from multiple stakeholder perspectives

A Day Worth Celebrating — The MAS4TE team extends its sincere gratitude to all participants and attendees for making this such an engaging and productive day at Forschungszentrum Jülich. A special thank you goes to Nestar Lakot from the Interreg EMR for their invaluable support and dedication to the project.