PeakCom addresses a growing challenge in the energy transition: electricity grids, particularly in rural and sparsely populated regions, often have limited capacity to accommodate increasing peak loads from electric vehicles, heat pumps, renewable energy systems and other new electrical loads.
The aim of PeakCom is to jointly develop and demonstrate a European smart energy management system and practical tools that help electricity users reduce peak demand and improve energy efficiency. The solutions will be tested through six pilot cases in Finland, Sweden, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Ireland.
Specific objectives are to:
- jointly define the technical, economic and user requirements for a smart energy management system;
- develop an open-source energy management solution for managing electricity peak loads;
- demonstrate the solution in six different pilot environments;
- develop practical tools that allow households, SMEs and communities to identify and manage peak electricity consumption;
- investigate how battery storage, automation, renewable generation and flexible electricity consumption can reduce pressure on local grids;
- create solutions that can be transferred and scaled to other rural and remote communities across Europe;
- involve young people and students in the design, development and testing of future energy solutions.
PeakCom builds directly on experience and infrastructure developed in earlier projects, particularly CoPower, where several of the grid-capacity challenges addressed by PeakCom were identified.
The main outputs of PeakCom will be:
- a European smart energy management system, developed as an open-source solution;
- a toolkit for tackling peak-load problems, aimed at communities, households and SMEs;
- an online calculator that helps users identify peak electricity consumption and assess opportunities for reducing it;
- six pilot demonstrations covering different peak-load challenges across the participating regions;
- practical recommendations supporting wider uptake of the developed solutions.
The project is expected to contribute to lower peak electricity demand, lower energy costs, reduced need for grid reinforcement and improved energy resilience in remote and rural communities.
The Icelandic Pilot
The University of Iceland will focus on battery-assisted EV charging under grid constraints.
Rapid growth in electric vehicle charging can create short-duration but very high power demands. In areas where the existing electrical connection is limited, these peaks can restrict the installation of additional charging infrastructure or require costly upgrades to the electricity grid.
The University of Iceland will investigate how battery energy storage systems, including repurposed EV batteries, can be combined with EV charging to reduce these peak loads. The battery can supply part of the charging power during periods of high demand, allowing the charging system to operate within the capacity of the existing grid connection.
The work will include:
- analysis of EV charging load profiles;
- development of control strategies for coordinated operation of EV chargers and battery storage;
- integration with the PeakCom smart energy management system;
- experimental validation of battery-assisted charging;
- evaluation of the potential reduction in peak power demand and associated energy costs.
The main focus will be AC charging, with higher-power DC charging investigated where feasible.
This work builds on the University of Iceland’s expertise in energy storage, repurposed EV batteries, energy systems and operation under constrained grid conditions.
Pilot Demonstrations
PeakCom includes six pilot demonstrations in different regions and operating environments:
Finland – Centria University of Applied Sciences
Peak-load management for a farm located in a rural area with a weak electricity grid.
Sweden – Lapland’s Municipal Association
Peak-load management for SMEs and municipalities in sparsely populated northern regions.
Finland – University of Oulu
Smart, decentralised energy management and household-scale peak-load reduction.
Iceland – University of Iceland
Battery-assisted EV charging under limited grid capacity.
Faroe Islands – Nancy Spf
Interaction between solar PV generation, heat pumps, EV charging and energy storage.
Ireland – West Kerry Community Cooperative Ltd
Peak-load management and renewable-energy integration in community-owned buildings.
Together, these pilots allow the same core energy-management concept to be tested under different technical, climatic and community conditions.
Programme: Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic 2021–2027
Programme priority: Strengthening the capacity for climate change adaptation and resource sufficiency in NPA communities
Specific objective: Promoting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Total project budget: €1,250,000
EU funding: €812,500
Project duration: 30 months
Lead Partner
Centria University of Applied Sciences, Finland
Project Partners
- Lapland’s Municipal Association, Sweden
- University of Oulu, Finland
- University of Iceland, Iceland
- Nancy Spf, Faroe Islands
- West Kerry Community Cooperative Ltd, Ireland
Associated Organisations
- Údarás na Gaeltachta, Ireland
- Bull Team Oy, Finland
- West-trading Sp/f, Faroe Islands
- Gällivare Municipality, Sweden
- Orkustofnun / National Energy Authority of Iceland
- N1 ehf., Iceland
- Alor ehf., Iceland
University of Iceland