OURMISSION
DIGISOLAR’s mission is to revolutionize large-scale Solar Thermal (ST) systems by seamlessly integrating them with other renewable energy sources, enabling flexible and decarbonized hybrid-ST solutions.
Our core objective is to deliver the DS Suite, a unified digital platform leveraging advanced digital twin technology, AI-driven fault detection, demand forecasting, and Model Predictive Control (MPC). This ensures the optimization of every stage of a hybrid solar thermal system’s lifetime—from investor-trusted planning to predictive maintenance and real-time energy optimization. Ultimately, we aim to accelerate the energy transition for industrial process heat and district heating networks.
PROJECTOBJECTIVES
DIGISOLAR’s core ambition is structured around seven measurable objectives, focused on developing and demonstrating the complete DS Suite and promoting the sustainability and economic viability of hybrid solar thermal systems.
- Develop and Demonstrate the DS Suite: Develop, implement, and validate the complete DigiSolar software suite (DS Suite) framework at TRL 7 in 4 demo sites, supporting high shares of renewables (target: >80%).
- Digital Twin Tools: Demonstrate the Digital Twin (DT) tools for system-wide performance verification, quality assurance, and improved maintenance (targets: model accuracy >95% for collector field, >90% for system-level).
- Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD): Develop and demonstrate the AI-based FDD tool to significantly reduce system downtime (unscheduled by 30%, total by 10%) and maintenance costs (unexpected by 30%, total by 20%).
- Forecasting Models: Develop and validate localized AI-based models for weather and demand forecasting to feed real-time optimization tools.
- Advance Energy Management System (AEMS): Develop and demonstrate the AEMS using Model Predictive Control (MPC) to improve system efficiency and minimize operational expenditure (OPEX).
- Harmonised Planning Tool (P2DTwin): Validate the all-in-one harmonised P2DTwin software tool for planning, aiming to reduce design engineering costs by 60-70% and improve pre-design accuracy by a factor of 3.
- Sustainability and Circular Economy (VERIFY): Promote the sustainability of renewable energy systems by fully integrating Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC), aiming to reduce overall environmental impact and cost by 5%.
CONSORTIUM
The Austrian Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC) is one of Europe’s leading institutes of applied research in renewable energy and resource efficiency.
CERTH is the Greek Center for Research and Technology, based in Thessaloniki. It focuses on applied research in fields such as energy, environment, AI, among many other sectors.
DCARBO is a Spain-based company dedicated to decarbonising the heating and cooling sectors through innovative solutions like solar energy, heat pumps, and thermal storage, ensuring that communities and industries transition toward a low-carbon energy landscape.
Komotini Paper Mill, the holder of the trade name Elina, is a Greek papermaking company committed to applied sustainable development, and awarded for its environmental performance.
ENGIE is an Italian company specialised in energy efficiency, thermal services, and facility management, serving public, industrial, and residential sectors. It focuses on reducing emissions and optimizing energy consumption through sustainable solutions.
EUREC is the Association of European Renewable Energy Research Centers, based in Brussels. It promotes and supports the development of innovative technologies and human resources to enable a prompt transition to a sustainable energy system.
The Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST) strengthens the Eastern Switzerland region with forward-looking initiatives and makes a significant contribution to its economic and social development.
PREDICTIA is a Spanish SME specialised in web-based solutions for management and visualisation of large quantities of data, with a focus on climate, weather and health data.
Solar Engineering Guggenberger is an Austrian company operating within the civil engineering and construction industry, focusing on sustainable energy solutions, project development, and consultancy.