GIFT PROJECT [Jan/2019 - Dec/2022]
The GIFT project is an innovation action aiming at decarbonise the energy mix of European islands. European islands have to abide by the law of their countries that push toward a greener energy mix to comply with the European and international agreements. GIFT is willing to develop innovative systems to allow islands to integrate vast amount of renewables.
In order to reach that goal, GIFT will develop multiple innovative solutions, such as a virtual power system, energy management systems for harbours, factories and homes, better prediction of supply and demand and visualisation through a GIS platform, as well as innovative storage systems, allowing synergy between electrical, heating and transportation networks. GIFT will increase the penetration rate of renewable energy sources into the islands' grid, reducing their needs for diesel generation and thus decreasing the greenhouse gases emissions directly related to it.
The GIFT project has started to build a replication board with associations that already gather 1640 European islands able to study the replication for their territories.
During 4 years, the partners will develop and demonstrate the solutions in two lighthouse islands, in Hinnøya, Norway's largest island and the small island of Procida in Italy and study the replicability of the solution in a Greek and Italian islands at the minimum, respectively Evia and Favignana. The complementarity of these islands in terms of climate, energy mix, population and activities is meant to have solutions adaptable to different situations.
The consortium gathers 17 partners of 7 countries, including 1 industrial partner, 9 SMEs, two municipalities, 3 research centres and 2 universities with the aim to provide sustainable solutions with a strong market uptake and plans to widely disseminate their solutions and replicate it on all relevant islands in the EU and beyond.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 824410.