The Energy Nexus Cluster is a dynamic collaborative platform designed to bring together diverse projects, stakeholders, and innovators in the energy sector. Our focus is on creating a synergistic network where members can share expertise, technologies, and strategies to drive the future of energy systems.
Objectives
Fostering Collaboration
Facilitate partnerships among energy-focused projects, researchers, and industry leaders.
Promoting Innovation
Encourage the development and implementation of cutting-edge technologies and solutions in the energy sector.
Facilitating Knowledge Exchange
Create opportunities for learning and sharing of best practices and the latest trends in energy systems.
Supporting Sustainability
Drive efforts towards more sustainable and renewable energy sources and practices.
Projects participating in the Energy Nexus Cluster
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The GLocalFlex project aims to scale flexible local energy systems (LES) by enabling easy access to energy flexibility markets, thereby increasing consumer participation across all energy sectors. The project will develop interoperable solutions and products at all levels of the grid (consumers, producers, retailers, aggregators, and market) by selecting modular standards and tools. GLocalFlex's concept can be adopted to any LES size, availability of local resources, and regulations. It will demonstrate near real-time, large-scale flexibility trading in six different field locations in Europe. GLocalFlex will push forward the overall integration of disruptive renewable technologies while enhancing the stability of the grid.
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The RESONANCE project is creating a software framework for plug-and-play development of solutions for demand-side flexibility management of distributed and small-scale assets. The RESONANCE Framework constitutes 3 catalogues of software libraries as well as marketplace services and tools that provide means for rapid, cost-efficient development & customization of standard-compliant Resource Manager and Customer Energy Manager solutions as well as their aggregation services into different sectors. The results are populated to the Framework and used to replicate the services in other pilot settings (France, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Sweden, Finland) with different stakeholders and constraints.
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The EU-funded STREAM project aims to create an innovative and robust flexibility ecosystem on the low voltage grid side of existing power markets. The project recognizes the disruption caused by the continuous addition of various prosumers, aggregators, and other service providers, which has made the traditional power market structure more complex.
STREAM project is coordinated by the University of Ljubljana (Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Laboratory of Energy policy), and involves 20 partners from 6 different EU countries. It started on the 1st of October 2022 and will run for 48 months. In the scope of the project, 6 different tools in 4 pilot sites will be demonstrated and will cover the geographical, economic, size and type of diversity of the customers. The pilot sites are located in Crevillent (Spain), Terni (Italy), City (Finland) and Ajdovščina (Slovenia).
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SENERGY NETS aims at demonstrating the technical and economic capability of existing multi-energy systems to decarbonise the heating and cooling, electricity, and gas sectors. These multi-energy systems will integrate as much as possible renewable energy sources produced locally and will be structured according to a sector integration approach, focusing also on promising infrastructure and business models.
To do so, SENERGY NETS will develop a set of tools and platforms aimed to optimise, with sector coupling, the planning of district heating & cooling and distribution grids and allow the provision of flexibility services to Distribution and Transmission System Operators.
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Launched in January 2023, the REEFLEX project aims to boost consumer participation in energy markets through interoperable solutions. Its core is a central platform connecting stakeholders and acting as an energy marketplace. Users access diverse flexibility markets and services tailored to their needs. REEFLEX emphasizes interoperability by testing its solutions in seven countries with varied energy situations.
Four key demonstrators across Europe (Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Bulgaria) showcase and cross-test the solutions spanning different sectors like homes, businesses, and data centres. Three additional replicators (Turkey, Portugal, Denmark) ensure wider coverage and adaptation. This 7-country project uses 8 diverse use cases to enable participation in up to 12 flexibility services, catering to various consumer groups.
To do so, SENERGY NETS will develop a set of tools and platforms aimed to optimise, with sector coupling, the planning of district heating & cooling and distribution grids and allow the provision of flexibility services to Distribution and Transmission System Operators.
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The European Commission’s clean energy legislation requires flexible electricity markets to be established together with active customers, consumers, citizens and energy communities. The EU-funded BeFlexible project aims to increase the flexibility of energy systems, improve cooperation among Distribution System Operators (DSOs) and Transmission System Operators (TSOs), and encourage all energy-related stakeholders to participate. This will be done by validating and demonstrating (with twelve pilots in 4 countries: Italy, Sweden, Spain and France) adapted and proven cross-sectoral services as well as interoperable platforms for smart grid operation. The project will also further develop previously demonstrated solutions and build a system architecture framework to create new business models offering extra value in meeting consumer needs.
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The ENFLATE project aligns with the European Commission’s Clean Energy Package and aims to decarbonise the energy system by promoting electrification in heat and transport and integrating more clean energy sources. It focuses on accelerating electricity markets and smart grid digitalization to maximize asset utilization across various sectors, such as electricity, water, heating, and mobility.
ENFLATE will replicate existing data-driven energy solutions in Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, engaging local consumers and stakeholders. It will develop consumer-centric flexibility platforms, innovative smart grid technologies, and peer-to-peer market platforms, integrating energy services with health and mobility. The project will be
interoperable with Horizon 2020 data platforms, evaluating the impact of multi-vector flexibility services at local, regional, and pan-European levels.The developed ENFLATE project will be interoperable with existing data platforms in Horizon 2020, like ONENET, CoordiNET, SmartNet and INTERRFACE, leveraging the benefits of data exchange and adaptive middleware architectures. ENFLATE will evaluate the impact of the proposed multi-vector flexibility services to local, regional and pan European level.
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INDEPENDENT is developing an integrated software platform for seamless deployment of standard-compliant Customer and Aggregator Energy Management Systems (CEMS & AEMS) in buildings and industrial facilities. The platform consists of two main packages dedicated to the development of CEMS and AEMS, and a package to support efficient deployment and secure operations of the systems, with data spaces and tools for planning investments. The platform will be developed and qualified by four European pilots, involving energy service companies, aggregators, smart appliance manufacturers as well as their customers.
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The GEOFLEXheat project aims to transform Europe’s geothermal energy sector by enhancing heat extraction, efficiency, and application across industries. Led by a consortium of experts, it develops innovative technologies like a Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger, a High-Temperature Heat Pump, and a Digital Twin for real-time optimization. The project supports carbon capture integration, promotes Europe’s leadership in renewables, and ensures commercialization through a spin-off company, policy engagement, and social acceptance strategies to drive sustainable, affordable energy solutions.
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The OPENTUNITY project aims to support energy actors, such as grid operators, prosumers, market players, and others, by using innovative methodologies backed by advanced and interoperable software modules to provide them with new features and services. This includes technologies to increase flexibility in prosumer environments and technologies to help grid operators better manage grid operations. The ecosystem proposed by OPENTUNITY can be seen as a digital environment where different actors in the energy sector improve the energy efficiency of the electricity system. These improvements apply to both the electricity grids themselves and to active consumers – regardless of their size – who will benefit from reduced energy costs.
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MASTERPIECE aims to establish a digital coordination and cooperation arena to support the creation and operation of energy communities across Europe. Its participative-by-design approach will enable community members to actively contribute to services and developments, ensuring strong citizen engagement. The project will deliver technical and social innovations that empower consumers to become active participants in collaborative energy communities, fostering a new energy market paradigm.
Key objectives include: developing user-centric, co-created solutions to accelerate citizen involvement; designing innovative business strategies and incentives for energy cost reduction and market participation; and implementing robust cyber-security and privacy frameworks aligned with GDPR and the revised EPBD. MASTERPIECE will follow a staged implementation approach, applying and validating innovations through four diverse pilot cases in France, Italy, Sweden, and Turkey. These pilots, set in varied socio-economic and regulatory contexts, will demonstrate the applicability, replicability, and scalability of the proposed methodologies, technologies, and business models.
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The STUNNED project develops and demonstrates innovative solutions to reduce energy demand in buildings aggregated within energy communities and districts. By integrating renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, and diverse energy management systems, STUNNED ensures grid stability while enabling advanced ancillary services such as demand response, peak shaving, load shifting, balancing, and congestion management.
At its core, STUNNED applies a Stackelberg Game optimization approach to align the interests of key actors: aggregators, building owners/industrial sites, and electricity markets. This three-layer model facilitates optimal trade-offs, reducing costs and carbon footprints for local actors while unlocking new flexibility services for the wider grid.
The project will validate its techno-economic and legal feasibility through demonstration campaigns in Italy, Spain, and France, involving DSOs and TSOs. By comparing centralized, decentralized, and distributed market schemes, STUNNED will identify scalable pathways for energy communities to participate effectively in energy and flexibility markets. Beyond technology, the project will provide recommendations to adapt regulatory frameworks, supporting replication and market uptake across Europe.