Image: © panupol/Stock.adobe.com
The EU-Dream project plans to simplify energy management, while three Irish organisations will contribute through real-time data analysis and AI algorithms.
Multiple Irish organisations have joined a new EU project that wants to increase the adoption of digital services in the energy market.
The project – EU-Dream – aims to simplify energy management processes to make it easier for consumers to actively participate in the energy market and support a green transition. This project plans to enhance customer awareness, trust and confidence in digital tools in this sector, through the creation of an AI-based assistant and a natural language processing intermediary.
This Horizon Europe-funded project is led by the University of Porto in Portugal and includes 16 other organisations from nine countries including Ireland.
EU-Dream plans to develop next-generation energy services and products, which will be tested in six living labs across six EU countries – Portugal, Ireland, Belgium, Italy, Greece and Denmark. Each of these labs will be focused on a different aspect of energy innovation.
The Irish living lab – led by SSE Airtricity in collaboration with EPRI Europe and DCSix Technologies – will look at the ability of consumers to optimise their energy use through real-time data analysis and AI algorithms. The goal is to make energy use more efficient and reduce reliance on the grid.
“Innovations that help with an equitable, affordable clean energy transition are key to meeting net-zero targets,” said EPRI Europe technical leader Mário Couto. “We are pleased to work with SSE Airtricity and DCSix Technologies on the lab, which could provide consumers with the tools needed as part of an effective energy transformation.”
This living lab will also create digital twins of households using real-time data from sensors to precisely monitor and optimise energy use.
The EU-Dream project launched at the start of July and will run until the end of 2027. The consortium said its goals align with the EU action plan on digitalising the energy system.
The EU has been making efforts to bring digital transformation to various aspects of society. But a report earlier this month from the European Commission warned that those goals are falling short across various member states.
Meanwhile, there is a debate on the benefits of AI when it comes to energy – supporters say it can be an important tool for energy efficiency, but others point out that these models consume vast amounts of energy themselves.
Earlier this month, Google revealed that its carbon emissions have grown by nearly 50pc compared to 2019 levels. Google attributed this increase to a rise in energy consumed by its data centres and supply chain emissions as it supports its “AI transition”.
Find out how emerging tech trends are transforming tomorrow with our new podcast, Future Human: The Series. Listen now on Spotify, on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
