Project at a glance
Problem: The building sector accounts for 33% of the European Union’s GHG emissions, primarily from direct fossil fuel use and electricity production for buildings. For achieving the EU’s goal of a carbon-neutral economy by 2050, it is paramount that GHG emissions are significantly reduced through the adoption of circular economy concepts, increased penetration of RESs , improved insulation of the building stock, and the application of advanced HVAC control methodologies. Towards truly nZEB and nPEB , multiple challenges must first be addressed such as the unpredictable nature of RES and increased electricity costs due to stochastic load consumption that threaten grid stability, leading to energy losses, and significant increase in the energy costs for the end-users. In addition, the combination of weatherization policies for reduction of energy expenditure with inadequate IEQ policies for monitoring and control are negatively impacting occupants’ health, comfort and productivity.
Project Objectives: The ANTS project aims to develop a holistic solution for real-time optimal energy management and control of the HVAC systems through the utilization of self-learning, multi-objective optimization methodologies and advanced forecasting techniques.
The solution will account for renewable resources (e.g., photovoltaic systems) and energy storage systems (e.g., battery storage) such that the developed energy management method ensures maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness for the end-users. All, while considering and controlling the HVAC systems (e.g., split units, air purifiers, floor heating) operation to ensure that occupants’ health, productivity and comfort are not compromised.
Pilots: The ATNS project will pilot test and demonstrate the technical readiness of the solution and the business perspective of use-cases in both commercial and consumer buildings. The following buildings are participating as pilot demos to evaluate the project results:
- Commercial building – Cyprus Energy Agency (CEA) offices with photovoltaics, smart meters, air-quality sensors, and electrified heating/cooling.
- Residential building – A two story building in Nicosia equipped with photovoltaics, battery storage system, smart electricity meters and air-quality sensors, and electrified and controllable heating and cooling systems.
Key results and demonstration
The residential pilot building of the project is already in operation. The real-time and historical operation of the building regarding its energy and air quality performance is openly available to the public through the WiseWire User Interface Portal.
Consortium
The project’s consortium consists of the PHOEBE Research and Innovations Ltd, as the coordinator, the H. Wise Wire Energy Solutions Ltd, the Lelantus Innovations Ltd, and the KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence at the University of Cyprus.
Sponsors
The ANTS project is supported by the Republic of Cyprus and the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation under grant agreement CODEVELOP-REPowerEU/1223/0078 (ANTS), through the European Union’s NextGenerationEU initiative and the Recovery and Resilience Plan of Cyprus (Cyprus – Tomorrow).
