COPOWER
COPOWER
About COPOWER = 'Community-based Virtual Power Plant (cVPP)'
Using information technologies to link multiple small energy systems and operate them in coordination like a utility-scale power station to balance electricity demand and production.
This will demonstrate how communities can generate their own energy needs through a system of collective power that increases participation and control in local areas. It also raises awareness of how consumers and producers can work together to generate their own local energy requirements.
Project Leader: Caitriona Strain

The aim is to develop a community-based Virtual Power Plant (cVPP) and a viable business model to support it in 5 communities of Finland, Iceland, Ireland and Faroe Islands.
Specific objectives are to:
- The overall objective is to use transnational cooperation to exploit information technologies to link multiple small energy systems and operate them in coordination like a utility-scale power station to balance electricity demand and production.
- The main output is a cVPP model for deployment in a typical NPA community with 5 distributed energy resource (DER) solutions applied and an online demonstration service.
EU Programme: Northern Periphery and Arctic (2021 - 2027)
Project Budget: €1,498,935
Start Date: Jun, 2023
Finish Date: May, 2026
Partner | Role | Contact Person |
---|---|---|
Partner ERNACT Network (Lead Partner) |
Role Overall project manager, communications and administration and reporting. | Contact Person Caitriona Strain |
Partner CENTRIA University of Applied Science | Role Centria will provide expertise in biogas production ecosystems combined with other renewable energy (RE) solutions. |
Contact Person Fabian Sander |
Partner Donegal County Council | Role Donegal County Council will actively contribute to all project activities across all 3 WPs. |
Contact Person Paul Earley |
Partner Nolsoy Energy Ltd | Role Nolsoy will take part in the joint development of all pilot actions and implement/test a DER pilot in their own region where heating energy is produced, stored, and distributed to local households. |
Contact Person Bjarti Thomsen |
Partner University of Iceland | Role The University of Iceland will actively contribute to all project activities across all 3 WPs. This includes the co-design and development of the cVPP in WP1. |
Contact Person Rúnar Unnþórsson |
Partner University of Oulu | Role The University of Oulu will contribute to all 3 WPs, including co-design/development of the cVPP and verification of its estimate calculations in practice. | Contact Person Markku Kananen |
Partner at the University of Iceland
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Rúnar Unnþórsson |
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5254954 | runson [at] hi.is | haptic and tactile stimulation;;energy efficiency;;performance engineering;;acoustic engineering;;3d sounds and acoustics;;gasification;;renewable energy;;biowaste;;virtual reality acoustics;;sensory substitution;;battery energy storage system;;energy storage;;battery repurposing;;battery testing | Yes | https://iris.rais.is/en/persons/1a4fd637-b23f-4521-85b4-aa7172e91368 | Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science |