Intelligent Assistants for Flexibility Management

The aim of the iFLEX project is to make it easier for you and me as energy consumers to be part of energy solutions that focus on demand responseDemand Response Intentional change of normal consumption patterns by energy consumers in response to external price signals (implicit DR) or incentives to reduce or increase consumption (explicit DR). Both operations can be automated., in which energy consumption (demand) is adjusted in response to price signals or incentives coming from an energy actor. Project focus is especially on household consumers and demand response for supporting high penetration of renewable energy such as solar power.

The transition to more renewable energy sources has made power generation more complex to forecast and manage and as a result, new control mechanisms are needed to ensure that there is a balance between generation and demand. In this situation, consumers have a key role as they control a large share of flexible resources (e.g. solar panels, heat pumps, household appliances, ventilation systems) that can be used for balancing the energy system.

The iFLEX Assistant

The core concept of the project is the iFLEX Assistant, a software agent that acts between the consumer, the home energy system, various stakeholders and external systems helping the consumer to realise energy goals through local energy management and demand response.

The iFLEX Assistant builds heavily on recent advances in Automation and Artifical Intelligence, making it possible to automate the demand response process so that the consumer does not have to be bothered with the daily operation, while at the same time, to adjust and execute demand response according to the consumer wishes, leaving you in full control of the flexibility management.

The iFLEX Assistant is deployed and validated in three European countries; Finland, Slovenia and Greece where it will be tailored to the profile and needs of the pilot site.