3FOOD

Third Industrial Revolution Consulting Group
projects aim to develop, deploy, and evaluate advanced tools and ICT services for distribution
grid operators, production cooperatives, and medium-sized retailers (Nobel Grid), 55 while
others are focused on experimenting with cooperative models for district heating companies
(Smart Reflex). 56
Together, these community renewable and energy efficiency projects are examples of
successful projects that encourage citizens to cooperate in the development of renewable
energy and energy efficiency initiatives. The results are compelling: European cooperatives
have made cumulative investments of €977 million between 2012 and 2014. Together, they
attracted 109,801 new members and, in 2014, produced around 129,050 toe/year of renewable
energy. 57
While these initiatives are providing important early learnings from largely small-scale
experiments, they lack the scale necessary to provide sufficient evidence to inform
Luxembourg’s future energy policy at the national level. The following section provides a
recommendation for Luxembourg that can create an experimental grid cluster large enough to
inform decisions at the distribution system operator (DSO) level, and possibly at the EU level.
First Nationwide Smart Grid
The European Climate Change Programme 58 aims to provide reliable and affordable energy for
all, to apply the efficiency first principle, and to make the EU the global leader in renewable
energy. 59 The EU’s energy and climate objectives for 2030 are expected to increase the share of
renewables to up to 50% of total electricity produced. “Achieving these goals will require a
fundamental transformation of Europe’s energy system, including the redesign of the European
electricity market” 60 by providing greater predictability, linking the wholesale and retail
markets, and attracting further investments. This will contribute to delivering a new deal for
Europe’s energy consumers.
To achieve that objective, the European Commission needs to demonstrate this new energy
system in practice. Such a demonstration environment requires a combination of an energy
system with a high degree of renewable energy production, and the simultaneous development
55 See http://nobelgrid.eu/
56 See http://www.smartreflex.eu/en/home/
57 European Commission. “Energy cooperative projects celebrate 10 years of the UN’s International Day of
Cooperatives”. July 2015. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/news/energy-cooperative-projectscelebrate-10-years-un-s-international-day-cooperatives
58 See http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/eccp/index_en.htm and links therein.
59 See http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/eccp/index_en.htm and links therein.
60 https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/news/new-electricity-market-consumers
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