Grid Capacity-Aware Investment Roadmap for Eco-Industrial Clusters (GRACE)

GRACE aims to create an investment roadmap for circular industrial clusters by optimizing energy vectors and leveraging the electricity grid as the backbone for sector coupling and flexibility. Through techno-economic analysis and business models, we will deliver strategies to enhance energy synergies and promote scalable industrial energy solutions.

Developing such a roadmap to maximize the value of local energy clusters requires an understanding of local potentials, bottlenecks, synergies, and market mechanisms. In addition to modeling existing supply and demand profiles and identifying options for system integration and sector coupling, we will investigate local dynamic background conditions. These include the capacity and flexibility of different units, electricity prices, available capacity in the local electricity grid, grid services, gas and heat prices in local networks, and seasonal variations in heat demand.

A comprehensive techno-economic analysis will be conducted as input for roadmap development, taking into account power system analysis, grid constraints, and electrical layout design. Accordingly, the project will develop guiding principles for optimizing value creation through synergy-enhancing business models. These principles, aimed at distributing value capture across sector participants, will seek to align incentives and enhance investment attractiveness, considering the risks associated with emerging technologies.

The analysis will include an in-depth case study of GreenLab Skive, guiding strategic decisions, ensuring optimized grid performance, and unlocking the full potential of sector coupling. At the same time, it will offer generalizable insights to support the development of industrial energy clusters elsewhere.

What the researchers think 
“Our collaboration with GreenLab Skive has been a cornerstone in shaping the concept and implementing the GRACE project. Since joining the research community in 2022, we’ve had the opportunity to engage deeply with a unique ecosystem that exemplifies the future of sustainable industry. GreenLab’s pioneering work in sector coupling, circular energy systems, and industrial symbiosis aligns closely with our research in renewable energy integration and microgrids. Their model provides a real-world foundation for testing and refining our approaches, demonstrating how interconnected energy and resource systems can unlock both environmental and economic value. This partnership not only strengthens our roadmap development but also highlights how industrial clusters can lead the green transition through innovation, collaboration, and scalable solutions.”

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