The current international situation makes the process of energy transition more critical for Europe than ever before. It is a key requirement to increase the penetration of renewables while aiming at making the infrastructure more resilient and cost-effective. In this context, digital twins (DT) build a key asset to facilitate all aspects of business and operational coordination for system operators and market parties. It is of fundamental importance to now start a process of agreement at European level so not to develop isolated instances but a federated ecosystem of DT solutions. Each operator should be able to make its own implementation decisions while preserving and supporting interoperability and exchange with the remaining ecosystem. Exactly this is the vision of the TwinEU consortium: enabling new technologies to foster an advanced concept of DT while determining the conditions for interoperability, data and model exchanges through standard interfaces and open APIs to external actors. The envisioned DT will build the kernel of European data exchange supported by interfaces to the Energy Data Space under development. Advanced modeling supported by AI tools and able to exploit High Performance Computing infrastructure will deliver an unprecedented capability to observe, test and activate a pan-European digital replica of the European energy infrastructure. In this process, reaching consensus is crucial: the consortium therefore gathers an unprecedented number of actors committed to achieving this common goal. The concepts developed by TwinEU span over 15 different European countries with a continuous coverage of the continental map. Demos will encompass key players at every level from transmission to distribution and market operators, while also testing the coordinated cross-area data exchange. The consortium also includes relevant industry players, research institutions and associations with a clear record in developing innovative solutions for Europe.

The Ren(n)ovates proposal focuses on the deployment and demonstration of an innovative systemic, 4-step holistic approach comprising state-of-the-art renovation with state-or-the-art smart ICT control. Deep renovation of residential buildings will be carried out including the installation of a standardised pre-fabricated energy module equipped with communication technology converting the buildings into Net Zero Energy Buildings. This can be achieved with minimal disturbance to the tenant and with minimal renovation costs for the tenant/building owner by means of an innovative business model. The inclusion of interoperable smart control strategies introduced at building- , cluster- and business level, implemented on existing software platforms and standard compliant serve to ‘unlock’ the residential energy flexibility for grid and system level services. The project addresses the call for Energy-Efficient Buildings (H2020-EeB-2015), more specifically the topic EeB-08-2015 : Integrated Approach to Retrofitting of Residential Buildings.

Hydrogen Mobility Europe 2 (H2ME 2) brings together action in 8 European countries to address the innovations required to make the hydrogen mobility sector truly ready for market. The project will perform a large-scale market test of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, passenger and commercial fuel cell electric vehicles operated in real-world customer applications and demonstrate the system benefits generated by using electrolytic hydrogen solutions in grid operations. H2ME 2 will increase the participation of European manufacturers into the hydrogen sector, and demonstrate new vehicles across a range of platforms, with increased choice: new cars (Honda and Mercedes), new vans (range extended vehicles from Renault/Symbio and Renault/Nissan/Intelligent Energy) and a new medium sized urban delivery truck (Renault Trucks/Symbio). H2ME 2 develops an attractive proposition around range extended vehicles and supports a major roll-out of 1,000 of these vehicles to customers in France, Germany, Scandinavia and the UK. 1,316 new hydrogen fuelled vehicles will be deployed in total, trebling the existing fuel cell fleet in Europe. H2ME 2 will establish the conditions under which electrolytic refuelling stations can play a beneficial role in the energy system, and demonstrate the acquisition of real revenues from provision of energy services for aggregated electrolyser-HRS systems at a MW scale in both the UK and France. This has the further implication of demonstrating viable opportunities for reducing the cost of hydrogen at the nozzle by providing valuable energy services without disrupting refuelling operations. H2ME 2 will test 20 new HRS rigorously at high level of utilisation using the large vehicle deployment. The loading of stations by the end of the project is expected to average 20% of their daily fuelling capacity, with some stations exceeding 50% or more. This will test the HRS to a much greater extent than has been the case in previous projects.

The IRIS project supports the Lighthouse cities of Utrecht (NL), Göteborg (SE) and Nice Côte d’Azur (FR) and their Follower cities Vaasa (FI), Alexandroupolis (GR), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (ES), and Focsani (RO) to address their urgent need to deliver energy and mobility services in their cities that are cheaper, better accessible, reliable, and that contribute to a better and more sustainable urban quality of life. By demonstrating smart solutions that integrate energy, mobility and ict, rooted in a City Innovation Platform, IRIS quantifies their value, and connects interests of many different stakeholders in innovative business models, allowing for upscale and replication of integrated solutions for sustainable cities across Europe and world-wide. To achieve this, IRIS works along five Transition Tracks based on common challenges, encompassing 16 integrated solutions that cities can mix and match according to their characteristics and district specific needs. Track 1, 2 and 3 enhance energy efficiency and utilize grid flexibility by balancing supply and demand dynamically and by 2nd life battery and V2G storage, to allow increase of renewable energy production and roll-out of e-cars and e-buses. Track 4 supports this by data sharing, a common architecture, use of standards, and governance practices accelerating innovation, standardisation and implementation of affordable smart applications. Track 5 integrates interdisciplinary citizen engagement and co-creation in Tracks 1 to 4, connecting the needs of end-users with those of other stakeholders, in further support of innovative business models. The expected impacts of IRIS are an open innovation ecosystem motivating citizens to act as prosumers; more effective urban planning and governance of integrated solutions; exploitation of validated innovative business models based on multi-stakeholder collaboration; more stable, secure and affordable energy and mobility services for citizens, with improved air quality.