
Energy & Environment
Smart Grids & Renewable Energy
District-scale: clean generation, smart grids, energy communities.
Urban energy decarbonisation runs on two parallel tracks: scaling renewable generation and making the grid clever enough to absorb it. Positive Energy Districts (PEDs), smart-grid pilots, battery storage, and district heating retrofits turn whole neighbourhoods into producers as well as consumers. The Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) and the Clean Energy for All Europeans package created the legal scaffolding; cities and energy communities are doing the build-out.
Programmes like Horizon Europe's Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, the European Energy Communities Repository, the Covenant of Mayors and SET Plan Action 3.2 (PEDs) coordinate delivery. The Joint Research Centre, REScoop.eu and the European Federation of Energy Cooperatives provide evidence and templates that municipalities can adopt directly.
This leaf collects resources on grid-scale renewables, smart-grid management and storage, district heating and cooling, and energy-community models — for utilities, distribution system operators, community-energy initiatives, and city energy teams.
Programmes like Horizon Europe's Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, the European Energy Communities Repository, the Covenant of Mayors and SET Plan Action 3.2 (PEDs) coordinate delivery. The Joint Research Centre, REScoop.eu and the European Federation of Energy Cooperatives provide evidence and templates that municipalities can adopt directly.
This leaf collects resources on grid-scale renewables, smart-grid management and storage, district heating and cooling, and energy-community models — for utilities, distribution system operators, community-energy initiatives, and city energy teams.
Key Aspects
Renewable generation
Solar, wind and geothermal at city and district scale, including rooftop and brownfield deployment.
Smart grids & storage
Demand response, flexibility markets, grid-scale storage and the digital control layer that ties them together.
District heating & cooling
Low-carbon heat networks, waste-heat recovery, geothermal loops and the retrofit of legacy systems.
Energy communities
Citizen-owned generation, energy cooperatives and Positive Energy Districts redistributing energy ownership.
Knowledge Resources

Swiss initiative targets 2,000 W per person, limiting CO₂ to one tonne, influencing Zurich’s 2050 sustainability goals.
2000-Watt Society

Teasing climate‑neutral city models, €345 M EU funding, 120 cities, 550+ solutions, and groundbreaking financing insights.
The State of European Smart Cities: Exploring and showcasing models, solutions, and financing for European replication to achieve climate neutrality

Polish smart‑city policies blend EU funding, digital infrastructure upgrades, sustainability goals, and innovative urban governance.
Smart City Strategies and New Urban Development Policies in the Polish Context

112 cities, 377 applicants, 70% emissions, 103 already on track, massive €‑hundreds‑bn investment.
EU Mission: 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030

Copenhagen’s plan blends AI‑optimised energy, 98% district heating coverage, and pioneering cycle super‑highways.
CPH 2025 Climate Plan

Stockholm aims to cut emissions 80% by 2030, achieve fossil‑free city operations, and deploy BECCS removing 800 kt CO₂ annually.
Stockholm Climate Action Plan 2030
Related Organisations

Endesa (Enel Group) — Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain

Vattenfall Wärme Berlin
Berlin, Germany

Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)
Dublin, Ireland

Technische Universität Berlin
Berlin, Germany

NetZeroCities
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Vinnova — Sweden's Innovation Agency
Stockholm, Sweden

ENEA
Rome, Italy

Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie
Berlin, Germany

Naturgy
Barcelona, Spain

Tegel Projekt GmbH
Berlin, Germany

Enpal
Berlin, Germany

HOWOGE
Berlin, Germany
Related Projects

Smart meters, AI leak detection, 150k LED lights, microgrids—Rome’s utilities become predictive, water‑saving.
ACEA Smart Grid Rome
Rome, Italy

Digital twin simulates Munich’s energy flows, mobility patterns, and climate‑neutral district scenarios.
ASCEND Munich – Urban Digital Twin
Munich, Germany

Transparent plant lets visitors watch real-time cogeneration, boosting Berlin’s heat‑electric efficiency above 80 %.
Adlershof Gläsernes BHKW
Berlin, Germany

LED lights cut energy use up to 70% and enable smart sensors, Wi‑Fi, and EV chargers.
Adlershof LED-Außenbeleuchtung
Berlin, Germany

Cooling network uses ice storage and geothermal aquifer to cut primary energy by 30% by 2020.
Adlershof Smartgrid-Allianz
Berlin, Germany

Live lab tests real‑time building photovoltaics, battery storage, and demand‑response with residents.
Aspern Smart City Research (ASCR)
Vienna, Austria
Related Events

Decision‑makers, utilities, industry leaders, and investors learn practical solutions for resilient district heating.
Denmark | International District Heating Summit 2026
Aalborg, Denmark

Energy professionals and innovators gathering to discuss decarbonization, digitalization, and renewable integration.
Enlit Europe 2026
Vienna, Austria

Policymakers, industry, NGOs, and citizens gather to advance renewable energy and efficiency.
European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2026
Brussels, Belgium

City leaders and stakeholders gather to share climate‑action strategies and overcome barriers to decarbonization.
Cities Mission Conference 2026
Turin, Italy
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