The project, financed with 13.6 million euros, begins with the objective of connecting all actors in the energy value chain to improve security of supply and the integration of renewables.
The European Union needs to establish a geographically large market and improve its cross-border electricity interconnections in order to achieve its energy objectives. In this way, it will be possible to increase the level of competition, the security of electricity supply and the integration of renewable energies.
Aligned with this objective is born FARCROSS, a European project whose launch took place in Athens last October and of which the technology center CIRCE is part. FARCROSS seeks to address this challenge by connecting all actors in the energy value chain through the design, implementation and demonstration of innovative integrated hardware and software solutions.
In this way, the collaboration between the operators of the electricity system and transport and the coordination between them and the producers will be reinforced, thus improving the regional flows of electricity, the stability and flexibility of the network and optimising the management and allocation of resources, including transmission and generation.
All of this will result in major economic savings, as it will reduce the need to build new infrastructure and integrate a large proportion of renewable generation. At the same time, the environmental impact will be reduced in comparison with other alternatives.
Over the next three years, a consortium of 31 interdisciplinary actors from 16 European countries will be responsible for carrying out the FARCROSS project, funded with 13.6 million euros through the European Commission’s H2020 programme. Within it, CIRCE will be in charge of the implementation of a Protection, Automation and Expanded Area Control System applied to Transboundary Transmission Systems.
The project will be carried out in three phases: initially the obstacles to innovation and international cooperation will be eliminated through national regulations; later demonstration cases will be developed and finally a cost-benefit analysis, an evaluation of the results of the demonstrations and a scalability and replicability document will be carried out at European Union level.