Portugal, Greece and Turkey have joined forces with a common goal: to support the energy transition in a fair, inclusive, and sustainable way through energy communities. The European project ECHO – Energy Communities Excellence Hubs, with INESC TEC as a partner, will establish regional centres of excellence in these three countries to develop solutions that foster innovation in the energy sector.
Launched in December 2024, the project focuses on promoting innovation ecosystems and empowering local stakeholders, involving academia, industry, government, and civil society. The main expected outcome is the creation of a hub in each partner country, enabling the launch of training programmes, the development of tools and methodological guides to support community energy projects, case studies and best practices from pilot-initiatives, as well as policy recommendations to facilitate the replication of these models across Europe.
“This project represents a unique opportunity to rethink how local communities can lead the energy transition. By working closely with multiple actors, it is possible to leverage each stakeholder’s expertise to create solutions that drive technological innovation,” said Susana Bayo, researcher at INESC TEC.
INESC TEC participates as a technical partner, contributing with expertise in regulatory analysis and in the development of tools for collective self-consumption and energy communities. The research team is also involved in designing and implementing pilot-projects, mentoring new initiatives or enterprises in the energy sector, and disseminating and transferring knowledge to the academic community and industry.
“The project relies heavily on training activities, so we will share knowledge and experience on existing technologies and advanced solutions already mastered by INESC TEC, supporting their understanding, selection, and application in relevant project contexts. One of the tools that may be made available at the hubs, and potentially licensed, is RECreation, a digital platform developed by INESC TEC for managing energy communities and collective self-consumption,” explained Susana Bayo.
The initiative aims to leave a legacy of knowledge, tools, and networks that can be replicated in other regions of the European Union, benefiting local communities, public authorities and policymakers (who will have access to best practices and policy recommendations to support energy transition), academia and researchers, who can expand their collaboration networks, energy sector companies and citizens, who will benefit from improved participation in local energy management.
“ECHO will reinforce INESC TEC’s role as a reference institution, enabling the sharing of knowledge and technologies already applied in real-world projects. It is also an opportunity to transfer technology, facilitating future collaborations and the licensing of tools we develop within energy communities,” concluded Susana Bayo.
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