The ESTELAR project is dedicated to modernizing power grids to accommodate renewable energy sources and enhance energy efficiency, focusing specifically on the virtualization of substations to improve the grid's sustainability and resilience. By redefining the operation and concept of substations—key components within the power grid infrastructure—ESTELAR aims to facilitate the energy transition towards carbon neutrality. ESTELAR is based on three innovative pillars: advanced communication strategies, a robust computational framework, and the transformative Digital Substation of the Future architecture. The first pillar focuses on enhancing substation communication systems to facilitate seamless and real-time integration of physical and virtual components. The second pillar aims to boost the processing and data handling capabilities of substations across both cloud and edge computing platforms for future computational demands. The third pillar is centered on developing a modular and scalable substation architecture that incorporates advanced monitoring, protection, and control through digital twinning. To ensure the efficacy and readiness of these technologies, ESTELAR will conduct rigorous validations in two Virtualization Testing Laboratories located in Spain and The Netherlands. These facilities will allow for realistic, controlled testing environments to refine and perfect the technologies prior to widespread implementation. The project unites nine partners from four EU countries, combining expertise from research centers, technology providers, and distribution system operators to comprehensively approach substation virtualization. ESTELAR facilitates renewable energy integration, bolsters grid resilience, and supports wider electrification. This positions it as a key player in accelerating the EU's transition to a climate-neutral economy.

Worldwide Data centers (DC) are estimated to account for 1 to 2% of electricity usage. Regarding the European context, it is expected that data centres will account for 98.5 TWh/year in 2030. So it is evident that there is an important potential to recover waste heat from the cooling processes of DCs. The THUNDER project aims to overcome existing barriers hampering a wide adoption of DCs waste heat recovery strategies, providing an innovative, efficient and cost attractive Seasonal Thermal storage based on Thermochemical Materials. THUNDER solutions stretch across the value chain (data centre innovative storage providers, heat pump manufacturers and district energy company operators). The THUNDER solutions will be validated in field conditions at the Demosite in Bulgaria where the practice of WHR from DC is not widely diffused thus boosting the market also in those areas. Deepened replicability assessment will be done and pre-feasibility analysis developed in 10 further Demosites across all over Europe. Co-design and training workshops will be organized at the replicability identified sites to promote stakeholders engagement and social awareness thus unlocking barriers and make it real THUNDER replication.

ZEBAI is an ambitious integrative project in which a broad range of interdisciplinary teams collaborate to develop a new methodology that aims to change the way that Zero-emission buildings are designed, by integrating all interdependent analysis and partial alternative decision-making processes under a holistic approach that allows the evaluation of a design simultaneously taking into account: energy performance, environmental impact, indoor environmental quality, and cost-effectiveness. For this purpose, we will require to develop a database of well-characterised materials and make an estimation of discrepancies between simulated and actual building performance. The methodology that will be used is artificial intelligence techniques to optimise the selection of materials and systems in different aspects of the building design. The AI-assisted methodology aims to make the design process more efficient and user-friendly while incorporating all environmental quality and cost-effectiveness objectives. This approach will enable the optimisation of new architectural designs towards scalable Zero Energy Building (ZEB) design in different climates, usages, and building patterns, with the ultimate goal of achieving a zero-emission building stock by 2050. During the project, we will test ZEBAI methodology with four representative demonstrators (located in Ukraine, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands). ZEBAI relies on previously funded European research projects and aligns with several national initiatives in which the partners collaborate.

Nowadays, the interest in direct current (DC) power transmission and distribution (T&D) systems among academia and industry has been rekindled mainly due to the proliferation of power electronic based (or interfaced through power electronics) loads and the increasing deployment of distributed energy resources (DERs), which operate intrinsically in DC or have a DC stage. Reacting to the recent events in Ukraine, the European Commission (EC) unveiled the REPowerEU Plan. This plan aims to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy imports by increasing the total renewable energy generation capacities to 1236 GW by 2030 (compared to 1067 GW originally envisaged under the “Fit for 55” package). To achieve this goal, the energy sector, including DC technologies, is expected to play a prominent role. While considerable progress has been made in increasing electricity generation from variable RES in various member states, additional efforts are needed to reach a carbon-neutral power system. Within this context, the widespread adoption of offshore wind generation is anticipated to play a significant role in the years to come, as it is favored for its higher availability rates and greater public acceptance. The HYNET projects aims to: (i) develop innovative technologies for transnational design and planning of AC/DC hybrid power systems, (ii) establish standardized methodologies and interoperability for multi-terminal, multi-vendor MVDC and LVDC systems, (iii) define and validate functional requirements for AC and DC grid forming capabilities, (iv) design, implement and demonstrate a complete workbench of innovative solutions that promotes the adoption and deployment of DC power systems across all voltage levels while evaluating the technoeconomic benefits of DC vs AC systems, (v) demonstrate HYNET innovations in 4 countries across Europe in existing and planned AC/DC hybrid grids.

The EU goals for the clean energy transition require at least a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (from 1990 levels) by 2030, according to the ‘Fit for 55’ package. To achieve these goals, electricity grids will be required to operate in an overall context of 50% electricity production from RES of any scale by 2030. The huge rise in the share of solar PV and wind in total generation fundamentally reshapes the European power system and significantly increases the need to build new HVAC or HVDC cable connections. These will have a crucial role to link islands or offshore wind parks to mainland or to connect countries over long distances. The CABLEGNOSIS project aims to deliver innovative cable technologies that will support the clean energy transition era for the 2050 targets set at European level. CABLEGNOSIS project will develop innovative insulation and conductor design technologies, high performance and environmentally friendly cable insulation materials, ageing studies of superconducting cables, recyclability technologies for the materials used in power cables, as well as pre-fault condition, aging and remote monitoring AI-based tools. A feasibility assessment framework and detailed analysis for the use of superconducting cables for submarine connections. A respective feasibility analysis will be developed for the offshore wind parks in The Netherlands and Germany. The CABLEGNOSIS technologies will be validated in five European countries (Italy, UK, Greece, Hungary, Cyprus). CABLEGNOSIS will deliver a complete deployment plan for supporting the development and operation of efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly cable systems to support the energy transition. The deployment plan will provide the scalability and replicability framework of using the CABLEGNOSIS technologies in future cable development projects, with emphasis in the UK-Morocco interconnection, Cyprus-Israel interconnection, offshore developments in the Aegean Sea.