The reduction of the noise exposition represents both societal and environmental concerns, in particular for cities that are subjected to a multitude of noise sources and that count de facto numerous exposed people. In this context, noise mapping is acknowledged as a relevant tool to diagnose urban sound environments, to propose action plans to reduce noise annoyance, as well as to communicate with city dwellers. Nowadays, noise maps are essentially elaborated by means of numerical simulations, with high spatial precision, from a census of road traffic noise sources, followed by a sound propagation modelling. However, this method has some well-known limitations especially concerning the inaccuracy of input data, the simplified emission and propagation modelling, and, lastly, the inadequacy of classical output noise indicators to describe the perceived sound environments. In parallel, noise observatories have been deployed in some cities, which give access locally to the temporal variations of the real sound levels, but entail high operational costs that forbid their dense deployment, limiting the number of observations point to few units. Given the recent developments in noise measurement technologies and computational methods, it now seems possible to combine these two approaches in order to benefit from the advantages of each method. This would be a significant advance in the development of predictive noise models, and would open many opportunities for assessment and improvement of urban soundscapes. So, the CENSE project aims at improving the characterization of urban sound environments, by combining in situ observations and numerical noise predictions. The project relies on data assimilation techniques, which have never been developed in the environmental noise context yet, in order to take profit of both modelling and measurements advantages. The proposed approach constitutes an important breakthrough in the environmental noise domain and is made possible thanks to the recent affordability of wide deployment of low-cost noise sensors. Particularly, in the context of CENSE project, the deployment of a mixed wired/wireless sensor network, connected to the cloud through a public street lamp network (as a power-line communication based system), constitutes an innovative technical approach. In addition, the project will focus also on the quality of the input data that are required for the modelling, since they define the accuracy of the output noise indicators. Two aspects will be developed, the first concerning the optimization and improvement of the quality of input data, the second on the estimation of uncertainty of the output data, from the input ones. This work, based on uncertainty propagation approaches, constitutes here again a major breakthrough. Indeed, the information on the accuracy of output data from noise prediction models is currently totally missing, which can have an impact on the development of solutions to reduce noise annoyance. The CENSE project will also propose an original approach to produce perceptive noise maps, by developing soundscape models that rely on the automatic identification of noise sources, based on models that have never been used for urban noise mixtures. Lastly, because the management of geo-localized data is central to the project, the development of an integrative geographical information system (GIS) platform constitutes an important task, in order to facilitate the data accessibility (inputs/outputs, measured/simulated), its reuse and its exploitation to build new thematic noise maps. Whether on scientific, societal or economic, the project opens ambitious and promising prospects.

Integration of distributed small/medium size storage systems can allow operating distribution grids much more flexibly, thus realizing smart grid features like local demand-supply balancing, congestion relief, peak shaving and effective RES integration. However, few technologically mature decentralized storage systems are commercially available today at affordable prices, while both viable business models and the underlying legal and regulatory framework are lagging behind. As an answer ELSA will implement and demonstrate an innovative solution integrating low-cost second-life Li-ion batteries and other direct and indirect storage options, including heat storage, demand-side management, as well as use of intermittent RES. The core idea is to consider Storage as a Service towards building and district managers for local energy management optimization, and towards DSO for enhanced network operations. ELSA will adapt, build upon, and integrate close-to-mature (TRL>=5) storage technologies and related ICT-based energy management systems for the management and control of local loads, generation and single or aggregated real or virtual storage resources, including demand response, in buildings, districts and distribution grids. Data models ensuring interoperability among building, districts and DSOs and novel business models enabled by energy storage “as-a-service” will be developed. Different configurations will be demonstrated along six test sites, where a set of different storage technologies will be integrated. Safety issues and social acceptance will be dealt with by communication and product reliability demonstration. A technical, economic and environmental validation, involving relevant stakeholders, will be carried out to nurture the European-wide replication of the ELSA concept, prepare the ground for a concrete roll out of the resulting TRL9 technologies and provide input for regulatory framework adaptation.

The project main goal is to develop new generation batteries for battery storage with a modular technology, suitable for different applications and fulfilling the increasing need of decentralised energy production and supply for private households and industrial robotised devices.. New materials and components will be developed and optimised to achieve longer lifetime (up to 10,000 cycles depending on the material selected), lower costs (down to 0.03 €/kWh/cycle), improved safety and more efficient recycling (>50%). The expected results will strengthen EU competitiveness in advanced materials and nanotechnologies and the related battery storage value chain, preparing European industry to be competitive in these new markets. This will be achieved by using high capacity anodes coupled with cobalt free cathode and with a very safe gel polymer electrolyte separator, leveraging partners’ knowledge in advanced materials. This new technology will be developed up to a TRL 6 (large prismatic cell ESP-Cell 30Ah) at the end of the project, producing these novel high voltage high capacity batteries close to practical applications. Further, the proposed solution will allow Europe to become more independent from raw material and the feasibility of a metal recovery process will be deeply investigated and recommendations for future application will be made. To achieve the ambitious targets, the CoFBAT project covers the entire value chain, bringing together industrial experts in material development and battery science together with engineering companies and institutes and battery producers and integrators.

WiseGRID has two intertwined and equally important strategic goals: on the one hand, it aims at successfully putting in the market, within a horizon of 24 months after project completion, a set of solutions and technologies which increase the smartness, stability and security of an open, consumer-centric European energy grid, with an enhanced use of storage technologies and a highly increased share of RES. On the other hand, the project intends to have a significant impact in the business and innovation activities of the consortium -with a planned ROI for the partners of less than 30 months after commercialisation of WiseGRID products and services starts- and the European sector at large, contributing to the creation of jobs, the access to new energy services of citizens and public/private organisations, the saving of CO2, and the increase of of RES, among other impacts. The achievement of these strategic goals will involve the four aspects addressed by LCE-02-2016: (a) Demand Response, (b) Smartening the Distribution Grid, (c) Demonstrating Energy Storage Technologies and (d) the Smart Integration of Grid Users from Transport. WiseGRID technologies and solutions will be packed within 9 different products, the impact of which will be demonstrated under real life conditions in 4 large scale demonstrators –in Belgium, Italy, Spain and Greece-. In order to facilitate the assessment of the performance, transferability and scalability of these solutions, the demonstrations will be conducted following 7 high level use cases.