Energy audit and augmented reality: how to combine them? RETROFEED innovation accelerated by Covid-19

Based in Brussels (December 2, 2020) - Energy Audit in times of COVID-19: The RETROFEED augmented reality experience

RETROFEED industry partners shared, on 02 December 2020, their experience of working with energy management and energy audits during unprecedented protocols necessitated by the COVID-19 situation. The online event facilitating this knowledge exchange, and taking place after a successful III General Assembly, has seen the participation of industry representatives, technology providers and research institutes, with more than 100 people attending it.
The event showcased the variety of innovative responses to the unanticipated circumstances brought upon industries in 2020. Led and presented by the project coordinator Fundación CIRCE, the event included some reflections of the European Commission, represented by the project coordinator Lucia Fernandez Macia from DG Research & Innovation, followed by a demonstration session of energy audit and related augmented reality by RINA Consulting S.p.A . It continued with interactive panel discussions with some of the major industrial players in agrochemical, aluminium, ceramic and steel sectors (FERTIBERIA, ASAŞ Aluminium, TORRECID, FERRIERE NORD, SILCOTUB) and ended with the twin project, REVaMP represented by BFI.

Responses to the pandemic within the event ranged from the comprehensive stimulus package of the European Commission for a greener, more digital, resilient Europe, to the deployment of augmented reality in energy audits. A solution for remote energy management was the central example displayed during the event: the kiber helmet used by RETROFEED end-users, which provides a comprehensive set of tools and measurements necessary for conducting remote energy audits. Deployed by RINA in discussion with on-site personnel, the helmet and its related tools respond to the exact needs of the industry during these unprecedented times. The innovation potential in industries was not only affirmed by end-users integrating augmented reality into their energy audits, but also by the continuous progression of retrofitting equipment throughout the pandemic. While the circumstances have undoubtedly hindered the foreseen planning, end-users have managed to adapt and collaborate efficiently in order to keep pace with project requirements all the while adopting a contingency plan.
Overall, the discussions of the online event established RETROFEED as an excellent example of EU projects handling the challenges of our times with flexibility and resiliency through innovation and technology.

The event was recorded and can be found on the project website - www.retrofeed.eu

RETROFEED Consortium Partners

The consortium is multidisciplinary, well-balanced and gathers expertise from 10 different European countries, therefore satisfying the ability to guarantee wide dissemination of the project outcomes as well as to maximise the opportunities for replication of the solutions developed. Project partners boast, in fact, years of experience in European projects and the development of innovative industrial solutions.

The consortium consists of 4 RTD performers (Coordinator: CIRCE Foundation; AIMEN Technology Centre; Instytut Energetyki; Rina Consulting – Centro Sviluppo Materiali) that will focus on the characterisation and validation of the demo-sites and the development of the preliminary design of some solutions; 4 engineering and technology companies (Optit Srl; Odys Srl; Sistem Teknik Endüstriyel Fırınlar LTD; HTT ENGINEERING, Spol. S.r.o) in charge of the manufacturing and implementation of the RETROFEED solutions making use of the developments of the RTDs; 6 end-users (Torrecid SA; Secil-Companhia Geral de Cal e Cimento SA; Asas Aluminyum Sanayi Ve Ticaret AS; Ferriere Nord Spa; Fertiberia SA; Silcotub SA) that will act as data providers and support the development of the process by integrating the solutions developed in their facilities; and 4 horizontal partners (IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute; Energy Efficiency in Industrial Processes ASBL; Geonardo Environmental Technologies Ltd; Rina Consulting Spa) working in the area of results validation, project business exploitations, dissemination and knowledge transfer.

For more information
Dr Ana Isabel Gonzalez Espinosa (CIRCE – Project Coordinator) aigonzalez@fcirce.es
Dr Diego Redondo Taberner (CIRCE – Project Manager) dredondo@fcirce.es
Ms Marianna Santavenere (EEIP – Communication and Dissemination) marianna.santavenere@ee-ip.org

Additional resources
Project website www.retrofeed.eu
Twitter www.twitter.com/retrofeedEU
LinkedIn RETROFEED EU project www.linkedin.com/company/retrofeed

Disclaimer
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 869939. The responsibility for the information and the views set out in this press release lies entirely with the authors. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

EEIP - Energy Efficiency in Industrial Processes
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Contact person: Ms Marianna Santavenere
email: press@ee-ip.org

EEIP is a free, neutral, and open, business and policy platform for industrial energy efficiency. As first B2P (business-to-policy) platform, the key to its success is its neutrality and innovative “Go-Where-People-Are” approach; everybody can connect to EEIP whenever and however they want: from website to social media, from newsletter to magazines, from conferences to webinars. Currently, EEIP has 140.000 network users, coming from organisations of all sizes, all industrial sectors, covering both the supply and demand side. EEIP uses communication, engagement and “best practice” exchange to enable actors to improve the functioning of the energy transition market.

This release was published on openPR.