To design, deploy, operate, and evaluate in real world conditions the baseline system architecture and interfaces for the provisioning of an integrated, open, cooperative, and fully featured 5G network platform, customized for smart energy distribution grids (WP2, WP3).

Smart5Grid leverages on the concepts of 5G MEC, 5G SBA, network slicing, and ETSI MANO network management, in order to enable the vision of “5G empowering the energy sector” and to allow the roll-out of extended and highly demanding NetApps on top of a 5G mobile network infrastructure. For this purpose, the project will provide a federated 5G system architecture that will allow not only the smooth integration with the current energy grid communication networks but additionally, it will allow the experimentation, testing and validation through continuous evolution of novel network applications, originating from either the consortium or from third parties, in the innovative Smart5Grid platform. 

To develop an open Network Application repository. In conjunction with the 5G network facility, the Open Service Repository will have access to network resources and it will be used to develop and accommodate Network Applications, providing rapid access and execution environment to developers, third parties, and SMEs from the energy vertical sector (WP3).

The Smart5Grid project pays special attention in keeping the project outcomes as open as possible. Providing an open Network Application repository will be a key driver for SMEs of the energy sector, and additionally for technology-driven companies, software and application developers, engineers, network operators, industrial stakeholders, etc., to enter the high barrier arena of the energy domain. The greater visibility and influence which will be ensured, will provide an excellent opportunity for progress and growth, while at the same time the chances for vendor locking in specific services will be severely reduced. Immediate feedback and reports on best practises will be also guaranteed through the proposed open access policies. Smart5Grid will be designed to be malware-free and it will provide a management system and tools intended to search, install, and manipulate Network Applications inside the open repository. The open Smart5Grid repository will have immediate and direct access to the 5G network resources and this will be an excellent opportunity for building Network Applications and at the same time conforming to the requirements of the energy specific vertical area.

To develop high-performance Network Applications that will support the ambitious Smart5Grid energy-oriented use cases (WP4, WP5, and WP6).

Smart5Grid project will build upon energy grid infrastructures across four different countries (i.e. Italy, Spain, Greece, and Bulgaria) and each infrastructure will be upgraded during the timespan of the project to support the most recent 5G features. Smart5Grid will develop Network Applications to support Automatic Power Distribution Grid Fault Detection in Italy, Remote Inspection of Automatically Delimited Working Areas in Spain, Millisecond Level Precise Distributed Generation Control in Bulgaria and Real-time Wide Area Monitoring in an ambitious cross-border scenario that will materialise in the region of Greek and Bulgarian borders. The validation of these technologies through the proposed highly ambitious 5G Network Applications does not only involve the mere utilisation of technologies and concepts coming from previous projects, but also the consideration of several technical topics that have been already identified, to ensure the most efficient support of the selected use cases. 

To provide a Validation and Verification (V&V) experimentation framework for Network Application automatic testing, certification, and integration (WP4).

The achievement of Objective #5 will be realized based on the design and development through the Continuous Integration (CI) and Deployment framework to be established in WP4. The Smart5Grid Validation and Verification Cycle (V&V Cycle) will consist of a set of components supporting the development, validation and verification of Network Application workflows that can be realized over the Smart5Grid platform. Moreover, Smart5Grid will embrace the DevOps paradigm for providing access to the Smart5Grid open platform, thus enabling faster and continuous software delivery, less complexity to manage and faster resolution of potential bugs and problems, thus producing Network Applications more reliably and at less time. 

To realize four advanced 5G real-life demonstrations over a wide set of energy related use cases. To exhibit that performance has been conforming to 5G PPP KPIs.

Smart5Grid will conduct a wide range of pilot demonstrations to evaluate the capabilities of the developed Network Applications and evolve its services through the feedback from real stakeholders. Smart fault detection, remote power inspection, real-time monitoring and fast control techniques will be demonstrated in real-life conditions with the aim to improve the power quality when high levels of variable RESs are integrated into the power grid. This will result in minimizing the disturbed areas when an outage occurs, increasing the safety of the maintenance crews and through more resilient communications and automated devices, to allow the real-time management and control of the power distribution grid operation. Thus, the project will build upon the introduction of 5G networks on real power grid infrastructures and demonstrate the energy and power services’ improvement and automation offered by the developed Network Applications. During the four operational use cases, the existing wired and wireless connectivity will be replaced with 5G suitably developed networks, while the demos will be equipped with appropriate components in order to run the Network Application related to each application under real operational conditions. Tests and validation procedures will be implemented to improve the capabilities and functions of each Network Application.

To conduct a market analysis and to establish new business models. Detailed techno-economic analysis and road mapping towards exploitation and commercialisation by industry partners and SMEs are also of high priority for the project (WP2, WP7).

Actors in the European energy scene are at a major turning point: data network traffic is rising, and power grid stability is more vulnerable than ever. In this context, Smart5Grid will explore the means to deliver its achievements to the market, with emphasis in the quantification of benefits provided through the introduction of SMEs and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to the energy sector, especially in terms of TCO, revenues and profits. It will allow the sharing of existing and new infrastructure by many smart grid operators in a multitenant environment, thus enabling new business models that will help new entrant market players to develop and analyze the perspectives of potential win-win strategies based on the developed solutions. Key actors, revenue streams, and cost/performance drivers of the various smart grid partitioning options will be identified, as well as best practices, blueprints, guidelines and road mapping for existing and prestigious stakeholders in energy sector, aimed to enable the European-wide replication of the proposed approach.

To ensure maximization of Smart5Grid impact to the realization of the 5G vision by establishing close liaison and synergies with 5G PPP Phase-2 and 3 projects and the 5G PPP. To pursue extensive dissemination and communication activities, as well to assess the perceived impact from the stakeholders and the wider community (WP7).

Smart5Grid consortium consists of SMEs, energy and telecommunications stakeholders, technology providers, and academics. Capitalizing these competencies, Smart5Grid will analyze thoroughly regulation and market challenges across Europe, creating synergies with 5G PPP initiative, ICT-17, ICT-19 and ICT-20 5G PPP Phase 3 projects, and also other relevant H2020 actions, in order to build upon their achievements. Additionally, it will provide an implementable framework that will help Energy stakeholders to access the 5G features, including recommendations for regulators and System Operators. Additionally, Smart5Grid will focus on using all available means to disseminate and communicate the achievements, the results and the knowledge acquired during the project. To this end, contributions to standardization bodies, working groups, advisory boards and fora have been planned. Joint dissemination activities in the 5G PPP Program Events have been also provisioned along with coordinated actions leading to a holistic approach for 5G PPP. Scientific excellence will be demonstrated by an outstanding number of papers in prestigious international conferences and open access journals (with acknowledgment to the Smart5Grid), while various media and marketing collateral channels will offer communication of high impact and optimal quality. Special measures will be applied to address SME communities that can uptake the Smart5Grid outcomes to ensure awareness and the sustainability of the impact for European Economy. A set of complementary activities (like webinars, trainings, etc.) to incubators, associations, and in particular to Digital Innovation Hubs, DIH (i.e. regional ecosystems supported by local governments and the European Commission to provide digital transformation services to SMEs) is foreseen. Note that one of the partners, i2CAT, manages a DIH in Catalonia with the support of the regional government. It is connected to other DIHs in Europe through the IoT eDIH Network, which aggregates all the regional actors that support SMEs in their digital transformation.