The CBCat Energy Node was launched last October, when it was officially presented. Since then, several initiatives have been carried out, and she has collaborated and participated in industry events. Here we summarize the activity of this node in the fourth quarter of 2022:

PRESENTATION OF THE BADALONA ENERGY NODE AND ITS INTERNATIONAL PROJECT OBSERVATORY

26.10.22

From the CBCat we have presented together with the Badalona City Council, the Energy Node, the new sub-headquarters of our center, specialized in the application of the blockchain in the energy sector. This node will have its own team, and will be located at the BCIN (Badalona International Business Centre).

"Energy in general, but especially renewable energies, is a sector in which decentralized technologies are already proving to have a great impact", has declared Quirze Salomó, executive director of the CBCat. "The disruption brought by new technologies is absolutely necessary in a situation of climate emergency and market instability like the one we are currently experiencing," he said.

Àlex Montornès, first lieutenant of the Mayor's Office, has stated that the installation in Badalona of this branch of the CBCat "is important for the city and for the country as a whole, at a time when the debate surrounding the energy model is strategic; offering opportunities to the productive fabric of our municipality and to citizens". "In fact, we are already seeing it with the pilot test to create an energy community in the Guixeres estate, which will help our companies to rationalize electricity consumption and be more sustainable and competitive", he added.

During the presentation, the first initiative on which this sub-headquarters is working was also exposed: the Narcís Xifra Forum, an international observatory that aims to observe and collect projects from all over that link blockchain technology and renewable energies. The purpose of the Forum is to encourage debate and mutual learning based on the experiences gathered, and to become a speaker for Catalan companies and projects that are pioneers in the use of blockchain applied to energy.

In the presentation, it was possible to hear first-hand the use cases of two companies that have successfully applied this technology to the energy sector. On the one hand, Electra Caldense has presented a pilot of the Flexenergy project, developed in Caldes de Montbui, where they have created a completely digitized energy community that allows exchanges to be carried out between individuals thanks to the EnergyWeb Foundation blockchain. On the other hand, Bamboo Energy has presented an energy optimization platform based on artificial intelligence.

Additionally, both companies have jointly informed the attendees of ElectraFlex, an initiative they are developing in collaboration, and which will allow the flexible capacity of assets connected to their electricity distribution network to be used, using blockchain technology.

PUBLICATION OF THE ARTICLE "TOKENIZATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY" IN THE VANGUARD

06.11.22

Last November 6, the Lluïsa Marsal, Coordinator of the Badalona Energy Node of the CBCat, published an article in La Vanguardia. In this article, entitled "Tokenization of renewable energy", he tells us about the gaps in the energy regulatory framework and how they can be navigated to find solutions to democratize energy. In this context, Lluïsa introduces us to the Rewatt project, which gives shape to the initiative called "the revolt of the roofs". You can read the full story below:

There are those who say that the current regulations and regulatory models are very unpermissive and limiting when it comes to energy communities and collective self-consumption and that, therefore, nothing can be done until this legal framework changes. In my opinion, this is the excuse of those who lack ideas and the ability to innovate.

What is interesting about this regulatory framework is that it leaves many loopholes that, well navigated, allow for revolutionary energy democratization solutions. One of the limitations, aside from the distance restrictions between the point of generation and consumption, is that collective self-consumption only allows energy to be shared between the generator and the consumer. It's clear that if I have a photovoltaic installation that produces more energy than I need, I don't want to give away this surplus (because "to share", in this context, means to give away). What I will end up doing, then, is individual self-consumption welcomed as compensation; in other words, my marketer will buy the surplus energy from me at a laughable price, to sell it to the wholesale markets at a laughable price.

But what would happen if we tokenized this energy that the surplus self-consumer now sells in the markets? When I talk about tokenizing, I mean representing the energy units in tokens, digital assets to which we assign a value, and which are represented in a blockchain. If we do, nothing would happen, and at the same time a lot would happen. I say that nothing would happen, because we would not be breaking any rules and therefore the regulator cannot object. At the same time, however, this would be a great advance, because we would be making a real revolution that would exponentially accelerate the energy transition.

From the CBCat (Centre Blockchain de Catalunya) we refer to this initiative as "the revolt of the roofs", which is taking shape under the reWatt project. And what is needed to carry it out? Very little: a photovoltaic installation, some consumers who want the surplus and a blockchain wallet to be able to buy and sell this energy. And that's enough. There is no need for an agreement with commercial companies, nor for the regulator to authorize us.

The reWatt, then, is a tool for training local energy communities (a concept ultimately not included in the European directives to have distributed and decentralized foundations, and which the reWatt recovers), with the participation of the city council. We will soon see a first reWatt in Badalona, ​​seat of the CBCat Energy Node, and we will work to make Catalonia a reWatt of reWatts.

So, when faced with the question of whether energy tokenization is a myth or a reality, we can firmly answer that it is a reality. And we are lucky that this is the case, because traditional mechanisms have proven insufficient to deliver the much-needed energy transition. From the CBCat we ally ourselves with the public to empower them, not only in energy self-sufficiency on an individual scale but to achieve energy sovereignty as a collective.

COLLABORATION WITH THE CEEC
CONFERENCE "FLEXIBILITY, ENGINE OF ENERGY TRANSITION"

13.12.22

The Efficient Energy Cluster of Catalonia (CEEC) is the reference entity in Catalonia in terms of the promotion and adoption of efficient energy. It brings together 190 organizations, among which are the main institutions, companies and large energy consumers.

The Badalona Energy Node of the CBCat has been actively collaborating with this entity, participating in the planning of some events that will be carried out to publicize the flexibility of demand, and thus be able to show how the blockchain can be used in this area. The aim of the collaboration is to act as a speaker among its associates in terms of finding partners for projects, spreading the activity of the Node and alliances in the wider sense.

Last December 13, the coordinator of the Energy Node, Lluïsa Marsal, participated in the Demand Flexibility day of CEEC, moderating a panel discussion, and taking advantage of the use case section to present the ReWatt technology standard.

The event was a success, and managed to gather more than 150 professionals from the sector energy. In this way, the CBCat managed to gain visibility, and from the entity it managed to take another step towards the main purpose, the adoption of the blockchain in Catalonia. 

BREAKFAST BLOCKCHAIN ​​ENERGY COMMUNITIES IN INDUSTRIAL ESTATE

19.12.22

On December 19, the Blockchain Breakfast focused on energy communities in industrial estates took place. The event took place at the headquarters of the BCIN (Badalona International Business Centre).

During breakfast, the Lluïsa Marsal, coordinator of the Node Energia Badalona debated with Pep Centelles, disseminator of policies for the energy transition about the possibilities that blockchain technology adds to the management of energy communities. In addition, we were also very lucky to be able to visualize it in the only example that exists in Spain, in the industrial estate of Arinaga (Canary Islands), with the words of Raúl García Brink, technical coordinator of economic development energy and climate of the Cabildo Gran Canaria.

Raúl García Brink touched on topics of interest, such as regulation. "Someone could ask if this is regulated, if it is allowed. Obviously, it is not allowed by law to create an energy community of this type, and therefore, we are going to submit to the regulatory Sandbox call to introduce novelties, exceptions or regulatory safeguards and that therefore allow us to do experiments that go outside the law.”

On the other hand, Pep Centelles also shared some interesting thoughts, based on energy, energy communities, blockchain and a new concept called mining. "Blockchain is trust", he affirmed.

The event had a notable impact: fifteen people traveled to Badalona to follow the event in person, and another 20 spectators followed it via streaming. To this must be added all the repercussion that the act will have during these days, and the reproductions of the recording that can be found on the CBCat YouTube channel.

OTHER ACTIONS

October.

• Collaboration agreement with the CEEC to work together on demand flexibility and blockchain.

November.

• Agreements with the General Directorate of Energy of the Generalitat de Catalunya and with the ICAEN to guarantee the alignment of the technological developments carried out by the Node with public energy transition policies.
•  Meetings with relevant actors and organizations to establish collaboration in the deployment of the pilots of the reWatt technological standard, among which the Ajuntament del Prat de Llobregat should be highlighted.

December

• Launch of the Narcís Xifra Forum and agreement with the Degree in Energy Engineering of the UPC for the use of the contents of the Narcís Xifra Observatory as an educational resource for students, especially for the purposes of TFG, and to make them participants in the Forum.
• Agreement with the UPC Besòs Campus Engineering School for the celebration of a Blockathon to solve a blockchain challenge related to energy to be celebrated on the weekend of April 15-16.