Launched by the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the Starlings project involves six industrial plants and two grid operators to explore multi-utility (electricity, natural gas and heat flows) optimization across company borders. The project aims to enhance resource flexibility, lower utility costs and emissions and strengthen industrial resilience.
The Starlings project leveraged:
- Digital Twins and Simulation Technologies, to model in real-time the cluster energy systems for visualization, analysis and optimization
- AI and Machine Learning, to forecast and optimize energy flow exchanges within the cluster
- Visualization and Collaboration Platforms with single participants and project-level dashboards, to show user-specific information. A marketplace/auction system supports trading within the cluster and with the external energy market
As part of the pilot phase, participants use shadow operations to simulate real-world scenarios, while monthly planning cycles evaluate the impact on efficiency, costs and emissions. Industrial companies that participated retain control over their own flexibility, using an auction system to allocate resources where they provide the most value. A feasibility study conducted by the Port of Rotterdam indicated the project could:
- Achieve up to 5% energy cost savings
- Reduce 50 to 100 kilotons of CO2 emissions annually
- Provide 15MW of demand flexibility
Stakeholders
Port of Rotterdam, Yokogawa and Distro Energy