BESSFlex
Building Energy Systems and Storage for Flexible Sector Coupling BESSFlex advances Flexible Sector Coupling (FSC) between electrical and thermal sectors by leveraging buildings and energy
Background
Europe’s current geopolitical context emphasizes energy independence which has contributed to extreme electricity price volatility due to supply-demand imbalances and the limits of siloed optimization across electrical, thermal, and building sectors. Energy storage enables flexibility and is central to FSC, which improves grid stability, optimizes renewable use, and reduces fossil dependence. District heating and cooling (DHC) and combined heat and power (CHP) already support robust and flexible supply, yet buildings’ roles in system-wide optimization remain underexplored.
Although FSC and buildings are recognized as essential to integrated energy systems, their potential is not fully realized in Sweden or Europe. Buildings are increasingly acting as prosumers and potential energy hubs, however focus has been largely placed on the electrical sector; battery storage, EV charging, and heat pump controls. Siloed optimization, alongside technical, economic, policy, market, and stakeholder challenges, hinders effective FSC deployment. Previous initiatives have addressed energy flexibility or sector coupling partially, often overlooking cross-sectoral, non-technical, or Swedish-specific dimensions.
Digital tools currently optimize subsystems independently, but holistic integration through shared ontologies, interoperable data structures, and generic models remains insufficient. In-depth techno-economic analyses incorporating stakeholder perspectives are missing, as is systematic understanding of how buildings (across residential, public, service, and commercial sectors) can leverage embedded storage and building envelopes to interact dynamically with electrical and thermal networks.
Aim
BESSFlex aims to unlock currently underutilized flexibility in the built environment by positioning buildings as intelligent FSC nodes within electrical and thermal networks that produce, consume, store, and exchange energy. Energy transition and climate goals are supported through increased integration of renewables, energy storage, and digitalization to enable techno-economically viable, holistically optimized energy systems.
Objectives
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Identify the current role and unrealized potential of Buildings with Energy Storage and Digitalization, for Flexible Sector Coupling (FSC) of Thermal and Electrical Sectors
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Develop a Digital Maturity Framework for buildings to support FSC
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Create techno-economically analysis of FSC solutions in buildings
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Provide policy and market recommendations to unlock FSC in Sweden, with buildings as Energy and FSC hubs
BESSFlex is within the KTH Live-In Lab and is an affiliated project of Dig-IT Lab.
Project partners
KTH (Coordinator)
RISE AB
Work Package leader
Rafael Gómez García, MSc.
Borggården 99
Johan Marklunds
CheckWatt AB
Dan-Erik Archer Dag Sandegren
Stockholm Exergi AB
Fabian Levihn Johan Dalgren
Vasakronan AB
Nils Rosengren
Einar Mattsson AB
Mikael Dimadis
Funding is provided by the Swedish Energy Agency
Project number: P2025-01863.
Timeframe: Jan 2026- Dec 2028