18 partners want to relieve the burden on power grids with open-source software

Vezetői összefoglaló (AI)

• Launched in June 2026, the Focus:lfm research project, coordinated by e7 and involving 18 Austrian partner organizations, is developing an open-source framework for local energy flexibility; it will run for 48 months.
• The software is designed to connect electric vehicles, heat pumps, and battery storage systems to energy management systems, electricity traders, and grid operators via common interfaces, without replacing existing systems.
• Flexible consumers could relieve pressure on electricity grids and make better use of renewable energy. An EU analysis estimates the potential of demand-side flexibility at around 120 GW by 2030, compared with approximately 44 GW of installed pumped-storage capacity in the EU; this would not completely replace pumped storage.
• Startups will be able to use the software free of charge and build their own services and business models on it; an accelerator program supports integration.
• Initially, simulations and laboratory tests are planned, followed by field tests. Ideally, around ten companies would actively use the infrastructure for their own business models by the end of the project in 2030.