eNeuron reaches its end

eNeuron is a project funded by the Horizon 2020 programme from November 2020 until January 2025. It has involved a team of 21 partners from 10 countries.

eNeuron goal was to set out a practical and evidence-based framework for optimising the design and operation of local energy communities. Local energy communities offer a bottom-up approach to producing, managing and using energy, nevertheless they face many challenges. The project used the energy hub concept to develop several tools to balance supply and demand dynamically from multiple enrgy carriers.

To test such framework and tools, four pilots were established in Bydgozecz, Poland, Skagerak, Norway, Lisbon, Portugal and Ancona, Italy.

Key accomplishments and impacts include:

• Possibility to optmise energy flows thanks to the refined eNeuron toolbox (watch here the tutorial).
• Contribution to policy and standards thanks to the scientific publications published and the body of knowledge on the market use cases and the diversity of markets and regulations in Europe – you can read more in the coordinator’s last interview.
• Exchange of lessons learned thanks to webinars organised, attendance of events, participation to BRIDGE Working Groups, infopacks redacted, organisation of final event and production of the best practice book.

Although the project has concluded, its impact will continue to resonate thanks to the results obtained, the best practice book and the resources available on the website.

If you missed the final event, you can watch the recording here. The final event was an important milestone. Discussions revolve around some important points:

• Energy communities are still a novelty, yet it is essential to further develop them.
• Their role in industry is increasingly relevant which means they should be seen also as a business opportunity.
• It is important to make the economic benefits clear to citizens but it is equally important to have energy management tools ready like the ones produced by eNeuron project.
• Europe cannot afford to miss the opportunities presented by the local energy communities.

If you are interested in replicability and scalability of local energy communities, you can watch the webinar recording here.

Cover image by Davide Valenti