In the last months, the ten RE-EMPOWERED ecoTools (power electronic converters, energy management systems, smart meter, digital tools for community engagement and tool interfacing, energy planning, charging station, resilient structures, and air quality monitoring) have been completed and lab tested.
In Bornholm Island (Denmark) and Kythnos Island (Greece), commercial installations have been completed. Most of the RE-EMPOWERED ecoTools have also been deployed, and we are now heading towards demonstration.
From first to sixth of February, EU partners visited India, participating in an exciting week of site visits and meetings. During this week, the partners had the opportunity to:
Visit the Indian demo sites of Ghoramara and Keonjhar:
The Ghoramara demo site (India) is an island located approximately 92 km south of Kolkata, in the Sundarban of the Bay of Bengal, with a non-existent utility grid and no access to electricity. The inhabitants live in very poor and difficult conditions, and the island suffers from severe cyclonic storms. In the framework of RE-EMPOWERED, photovoltaic installations have been performed on the island along with batteries. Small wind turbines, smart meters, charging stations for electric vehicles, special structures to withstand very strong winds, remote monitoring units, load limiters, etc. will be also installed.
· In the Keonjhar demo site (India), the partners visited the microgrid system where the 10 kW biomass plant, 30 kWp Solar PV system, along 180 kWh BESS were commissioned in February 2024 and November 2023, respectively. The biogas system (10 kW) installation is in progress to be completed by 31 March 2024. Subsequently, they met with village people and discussed various issues related to the sustainability of the system.
