AVANGUARD: Long-Term Energy Storage for Smart Grids

Description

The AVANGUARD project aims to develop and test the first free, open-source (Python) suite of tools, supported by an open-access data center, to optimize the role of Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) in the European Union’s energy system.

This initiative seeks to provide grid operators, plant developers, policymakers, and regulators with a comprehensive digital platform (“One-Stop-Shop”) that enables them to assess the technical and economic feasibility and reliability of grids incorporating LDES technologies.

The effectiveness of these tools will be validated through an EU-wide campaign covering four use cases in regions such as Spain and Portugal, Denmark and Sweden, Italy, and Croatia, using diverse datasets and evaluating the performance of various technologies, including innovative hydraulic pumping, Carnot batteries, and electrochemical storage.

Objectives

Develop the AVANGUARD Data Hub: Establish a shared, open data infrastructure integrating harmonised operational, spatial, and market datasets to support optimisation models.

• Design a modular, SGAM-oriented data architecture to enable secure data exchange.
• Develop a data repository containing energy storage performance metrics, climate parameters, and operational data accessible through standard APIs.
• Ensure cybersecurity and compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)..

Develop an open-source tool suite: Create a suite of spatially and temporally resolved models to optimise the transregional deployment of Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) across planning, network operation, and electricity markets.

• Develop techno-economic and Reduced-Order Models (ROMs) to accurately represent the performance of LDES technologies.
• Enhance the capabilities of existing tools, such as PyPSA-Eur, to support strategic LDES planning across the electricity, heating, and gas sectors.
• Ensure interoperability by adopting open standards throughout the tool suite.

Validate the Platform at TRL 6/7: Demonstrate and validate the tool suite through a pan-European campaign in real operational environments, showcasing the value of LDES technologies.

• Deploy the suite as a digital testbed across four transregional use cases (Spain–Portugal, Denmark–Sweden, Croatia, and Italy).
• Assess optimal deployment configurations (co-locating LDES with renewable energy plants, industrial demand, or energy districts) to provide integrated flexibility and balancing services.
• Quantify the contribution of LDES to the European Union's decarbonisation objectives and energy policy targets.

Cuerva`s role

Within the AVANGUARD project, Cuerva plays a key role as a distribution system operator (DSO) and strategic partner in the development of the project’s test cases.

Its primary responsibility is focused on Use Case 1 (Spain–Portugal), where it contributes its infrastructure and operational expertise in medium- and low-voltage distribution networks (6–36 kV).

Cuerva’s specific contributions and roles include:

• Provision of real operational data: Supplying key datasets such as load curves and network topologies required for the validation and calibration of the project’s modelling tools.
• Management of the “Granada Living Lab”: Using part of its distribution network in the Granada region as a real-world laboratory to test smart grid solutions and energy storage technologies.
• Validation of LDES technologies: Demonstrating how Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) can mitigate grid congestion, improve voltage quality, and facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources.
• Technical infrastructure provision: Contributing critical assets such as the Escúzar electrical substation and a 1 MW lithium-ion battery energy storage system.