Groningen, The Netherlands - 2007

Status: Pilot

Stakeholders: DNVGL, Gasunie, Enexis, Essent, ICT and TNO. 

PowerMatching City is the sustainable energy neighbourhood of the future. Forty households are equipped with solar panels, innovative heating installations and intelligent domestic appliances.

The total energy demand of the neighbourhood is continuously tuned to the sustainable supply. In co-creation with the residents, two energy services have been developed and tested. Extensive research has also been carried out into the participation of the residents, the possibility to harmonise supply and demand and the value of flexibility in households for the total energy chain. 

PowerMatching City has demonstrated that smart energy systems are technically feasible and that energy flexibility makes economic sense. In fact, the net gains from the consumer market could well reach 3.5 billion euros. These benefits are based in part on money saved by the grid operators by avoiding costs for investments and maintenance of grids. On the other hand, energy providers will be able to manage their customers’ energy consumption more effectively so that they will be able to purchase energy for more competitive wholesale prices. Energy providers will also be able to use locally generated energy to match local supply and demand, which also saves costs.

During the pilot, the consortium partners and the residents jointly established two energy services to facilitate flexibility: Smart cost savings enabled the residents to keep the costs of energy consumption and generation as low as possible, while sustainable together focussed on helping them to become a sustainable community. PowerMatcher, the smart software used in the study, played a key role by matching the energy supply and demand based on the information provided by the energy providers and the consumers.