The domestic technology company MarkeDroid is completely revolutionizing the renewable energy market by launching an innovative microgrid project. In collaboration with the data science company STACC, they are creating a future-proof solution that rewrites the rules of flexibility precisely where the power grid is currently under the greatest strain.
The project received a significant boost from the Applied Research Program (RUP) of the Enterprise and Innovation Foundation (EIS). Interest in the EIS applied research program was exceptionally high, but MarkeDroid’s smart, science-intensive approach stood out so clearly from the competition that it secured the funding.
The energy market is facing major challenges, as traditional grid solutions are rapidly falling behind the fast growth of renewable energy.
Donatas Braziulis, Head of VPP Partnerships and Business Development at MarkeDroid, emphasized that the company refuses to compromise on quality and is building a future-proof solution.
“In today’s market, there are projects trying to solve grid issues in a simplified manner—for instance, by simply shifting generation to dark hours. Such solutions do not create real value in the long run and are generally implemented without in-depth analysis,” Braziulis stated.
The core of the microgrid project lies in deep and smart system analysis, which will enable Distribution System Operators (DSOs) to adopt flexible grid packages in the future. This ensures that the existing grid is utilized in the best possible way. In practice, this means customers will be able to sell energy produced by solar panels back to the grid even during Market Time Units (MTUs) where it was previously impossible due to an outdated, static model. Grid bottlenecks will be resolved in real time through MarkeDroid’s smart management.
Science Meets Practical Business Intelligence
To ensure the solution is technically robust and polished down to the finest detail, MarkeDroid partnered up with STACC, a Tartu-based data science and machine learning company.
Carmen Oroperv, Senior Data Scientist at STACC, explained that growing data volumes, tightening competition, and the transition to renewable energy are rapidly increasing the value of data science and machine learning in the energy sector.
“STACC has experience in the energy sector, a viable client base, and an evolving product portfolio. In cooperation with other research institutions, we develop novel, science-based solutions for the sector while continuously raising the expertise of our own team,” Oroperv said.
“The ongoing microgrid project is an exciting challenge for our data science team because conventional approaches simply won’t suffice here. Creating a digital twin of the electricity grid requires a thorough understanding of the domain’s technical details, cleaning up complex grid data received from Elektrilevi, and developing reliable forecasting and simulation systems.”
“The goal is to forecast the grid’s available capacity accurately yet safely—ensuring that the grid remains within allowable limits even with the additional load,” Oroperv noted.
First Results Already Achieved
The collaboration between MarkeDroid and STACC has already yielded the first version of the digital twin for Hiiumaa’s electricity grid, along with forecasting models that estimate the load on the medium-voltage grid a couple of days in advance. Together with Elektrilevi, the results are being compared against actual measurement data, and the continuous updating of the model is being automated. In the coming months, development of grid modeling solutions will continue to lay the foundation for dynamic sales permits based on the actual state of the grid.
Oroperv highlighted that close, direct cooperation with the MarkeDroid team has been essential to the success of this complex project.
“All of this work is made possible by direct collaboration with MarkeDroid, whose team’s knowledge of energy market management, flexibility, and willingness to cooperate turn a complex project into a smooth process. The joint vision of MarkeDroid’s engineers and STACC’s data scientists is exactly what led us to these first promising results. The most exciting and critical part of the work is still ahead, and we look forward to the next phases with great anticipation,” Oroperv added.
Donatas Braziulis confirmed that combining cutting-edge science with practical business intelligence will result in a solution that will see real-world testing as early as this year.
“This partnership results in a reliable, transparent, and genuinely functional solution that offers tangible benefits to consumers and producers alike—both today and for decades to come,” Braziulis concluded.
