Digital Agenda Funding

Project Status: Live Project

Project Leader: Caitriona Strain

EU Programme: Northern Periphery and Arctic (2014-2020)

Project Budget: €1,500,000

Start Date: Jul, 2019

Finish Date: Sep, 2022

Project Website: http://smarctic.interreg-npa.eu

The aim of the project is to:

Raise local authority, community and citizen awareness of energy efficiency opportunities and renewable solutions in groups of buildings within the housing sector & public infrastructure in remote and sparsely populated areas.

Specific objectives are to:

Provide a Smart Energy Management Model (SEMM) suitable for Northern Peripheral & Arctic region communities
Design, Build & test the effectiveness of innovative Smart Energy Solutions
Increase the community of Northern Peripheral & Arctic regions' innovation capacity to deliver Smart Energy Solutions
Disseminate findings to remote regional local authorities, communities & citizens

Donegal, Ireland
ERNACT Network(Lead Partner)
Overall Project Management, Coordination, Communications & Capitalisation

Caitriona Strain
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Derry & Strabane, United Kingdom
Derry City & Strabane District Council(Partner)
Advising on potential solutions to be integrated into the SEMM, engaging with stakeholders and also piloting the solutions

Leo Strawbridge
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Donegal, Ireland
Donegal County Council(Partner)
Advising on potential solutions to be integrated into the SEMM, engaging with stakeholders and also piloting the solutions

Paul Earley
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Iceland, Iceland
Orkusetur(Partner)
Providing expertise in heat utilization technology & offering advice on innovative energy-saving air management unit(s)

Ragnar Asmundsson
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Iceland, Iceland
Municipality of Akureyri(Associate)
Providing buildings to be used for application of energy monitoring using smart sensors

Gudridur  Fridriksdottir
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Lapland, Finland
Lapland University of Applied Sciences(Partner)
Advising on potential solutions to be integrated into the SEMM, engaging with stakeholders and also piloting the solutions


Hannu Korhonen
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Lapland, Finland
Regional Council of Lapland (RCL)(Associate)
Providing expertise and aiding dissemination of results to the wide network of energy and rural sector actors in Lapland

Tanja Häyrynen
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Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada
City of Mount Pearl(Associate)
Actively involved project capitalisation of results & ensuring long-term effects.  Advising DCC on efficient energy management

Cassie Pittman
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Nordland, Norway
UiT The Arctic University of Norway(Associate)
Providing expertise and advice on energy efficiency research and energy auditing of buildings

Bjorn Sorensen
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Västernorrland, Sweden

Regional Council of Västernorrland (Partner)
Regional Energy Agency with expertise in ICT-based platforms integrating multiple pub. services, collaborating with KRAMBO

Marta Bystrowska

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Västernorrland, Sweden

Krambo Bostads AB (Associate)
Providing support to the Association of Local Authorities Västernorrland, also serving as a test bed for the smart energy services to be piloted

Gomil Hussein

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The Smart Energy Management Model: Envisaged as an integrated energy communications channel between the public authority – responsible for decreasing overall energy usage in their community – and the energy consumers (homes, businesses, public infrastructures). The public authorities will use the SEMM to raise awareness among energy consumers regarding incentives, changes in construction standards and new potential urban planning policies.
The 6 Smart Energy Pilots: Each region will implement a smart energy pilot, the topics include connecting public buildings to smart grid, retrofitting homes for energy efficiency, adaptive street lighting, optimisation of air quality and energy usage in homes, connecting public buildings, dispersed throughout the community, to an overall smart energy management system.
NPA Smart Energy Advisory Service: Ensure that the awareness raising activities of the project are continued in the project regions and the wider Northern Peripheral & Arctic regional areas after the project is complete.

The ERNACT regions focus on adapting and transferring services, approaches or digital knowhow between regions. Please examine the following table to see a list of specific items transferred over the past few years

Crowd-Sourced Adaptive Energy Mgmt in Rural Communities

Lapland - Lapland University of Applied Sciences

Based on smart city technologies that combine data and services from multiple public sources to improve a community’s ability to facilitate changing user needs and increased energy performance. The objective is to use data and predictive analysis to promote...

Based on smart city technologies that combine data and services from multiple public sources to improve a...

ICT-based Energy Management System

Västernorrland - Regional Council of Västernorrland

This pilot utilises smart technologies to measure, monitor and improve energy efficiency in Krambos schools, including a car mechanic workshop and a pre-school, where energy display panels are installed to educate students and encourage energy behaviour change....

This pilot utilises smart technologies to measure, monitor and improve energy efficiency in Krambos schools, including...

Intelligent Indoor Energy Management

Donegal - Donegal County Council

This pilot uses IoT sensors to capture real-time energy consumption data in 5 public buildings and share it with building managers via an Energy Management System. The objectives are to: 1. demonstrate that individuals can manage energy consumption more...

This pilot uses IoT sensors to capture real-time energy consumption data in 5 public buildings and share it...

Off-Grid Solar Smart Energy Storage

Donegal - Donegal County Council

This pilot demonstrates the efficiency and necessity of utilising solar energy as a renewable energy source in Community buildings. It shows how the impact of Solar Panels can be best utilised when the sites chosen are based on how the site currently consumes...

This pilot demonstrates the efficiency and necessity of utilising solar energy as a renewable energy source in...

Smart Indoor Air Quality in Arctic/Sub-Arctic Buildings

Iceland - Orkusetur

This pilot addresses unhealthy air conditions and contaminants in kindergarten and schools. It consists of IoT sensing of air quality parameters. The data will be combined with domestic weather and intelligent ventilation technology to control ventilation systems to...

This pilot addresses unhealthy air conditions and contaminants in kindergarten and schools. It consists of IoT sensing...

Virtual Power Plant/Smart Grid Demonstrator

Derry & Strabane - Derry City & Strabane District Council

The objectives of the pilot are: 1. Research and prototype a Council Virtual Power Plant (VPP) and study the impact on energy consumption and bills across the applicable council buildings. 2. Research and understand solar and wind generation within the NW region. 3....

The objectives of the pilot are: 1. Research and prototype a Council Virtual Power Plant (VPP) and study the impact on...

Affordable, reliable and efficient supply and usage of energy is a major challenge for NPA communities. SMARCTIC aims to develop an ICT-based solution adapted from existing smart city models and use ICT technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT).

An overall “Smart Energy Management Model” (SEMM) will facilitate the design, development and deployment of six innovative energy pilots with companies and researchers in NPA regions. The "SEMM" approach will enable communication between energy stakeholders (e.g., consumers, public infrastructure owners) to build awareness, trial new solutions and change energy behaviour; collect and share energy data from multiple sources (buildings and houses, public lighting, road traffic, local weather).

Transnational cooperation is key to achieve the above result due to the need to: bring the range of ICT and energy specialisms from different parts of the NPA; transfer and integrate pilots, models and user requirements to achieve a robust transboundary solution and; achieve economies of scale. The project budget is €1.4 million and the partnership contains a mix of partners from the public sector, university and business in Finland, Ireland, Sweden, UK and Iceland (with associate partners in Norway and Canada).