IDEAS, “Intelligent Neighbourhood Energy Allocation & Supervision”, is a R&D project supported by the European Commission, focused on the development and operation of energy positive neighbourhoods. IDEAS aims to illustrate how communities, public authorities and utility companies across the EU can be engaged in this context. In addition, IDEAS will focus on the economic and environmental benefits of doing so.

In this framework, IDEAS will try to develop and validate different tools and business models needed for demonstrating the cost effectively and the incrementally implementation of an energy positive neighbourhoods:

• “Neighbourhood energy management tool”: Tool to optimise energy production and consumption;
• “User interfaces” : tool to engage communities and individuals in the operation of energy positive neighbourhoods;
• “Decision support urban planning tool”: Tool to optimise the planning of neighbourhood energy infrastructures;
• “Business models” : Models to underpin energy positive neighbourhoods that engage end users, public authorities and utility companies

The neighbourhood energy management tool will enable intelligent energy trading and operation of equipment and buildings along with local energy generation and storage.
It will consist of:

• an internet-based infrastructure to manage real-time information flows;
• an optimisation and decision support system for the management of energy production and consumption;
• data management and storage services.