GECO

Project code: TC_2.2.15_190736_P125-1A

Programme: EIT Climate-KIC

Call: 2019

GECO is a pilot Green Energy Community in the Pilastro-Roveri district of Bologna, experimenting with the creation of an energy community, recently introduced by the EU Clean Energy Package (CEP). GECO intends to tackle all the socio, technical and economic aspects that contribute to the creation of the energy community, contributing to the transposition of CEP into the national legal framework, increasing sustainability, reducing energy poverty and generating a low carbon economy cycle, enabling it through digitisation, data collection, smart optimisation algorithms, blockchain technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The project seeks to experiment with the latest smart solutions to maximise energy self-consumption, storage and decentralised energy resources, increasing flexibility through real-time monitoring, predictive analytics and automated response.

These activities will be performed by the GECO entity, which will manage the energy community and also provide climate services to its members related to energy-saving technical assistance, renewable energy plant design, stakeholder engagement, training, dissemination, and promotion of behavioural changes among the community stakeholders.

In the end, all local households and business members of the community will benefit from the GECO activities. It is expected that the synergies, frictions and disruptions arising from the smart energy community proposed will help to shape the neighbourhood and the Italian energy systems in the low-carbon economy transition. The community will not only provide competitive clean energy prices but also fight climate change, develop cooperation among neighbours and provide added value to the local economy.

The project is organised by AESS, ENEA, UNIBO, CAAB and Agenzia del Pilastro with the support of the Emilia Romagna Region, GSE, RSE, the City of Bologna, local associations, local businesses and the public at large.

Project duration

09.2019 – 07.2022

Department scientific supervisor

Danila LONGO

Coordinator

AESS Agenzia per L’energia a lo sviluppo sostenibile - Modena

Partnership

Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna (prof. Carlo Alberto NUCCI - DEI - Dipartimento capofila)

ENEA - Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile

Budget

Budget totale: Eur 2.466.403,00

Budget UNIBO: Eur 696.955,00