Comunità Energetica di Città Studi (Italy)
The Italian site is located in Milan’s Città Studi district, centered around the Renewable Energy Community established in 2024. This community integrates PoDs from Politecnico di Milano, with municipal and private users expected from 2025. At its core is PoliGrid, a campus-scale multi-energy microgrid combining a medium-voltage electrical grid and district heating, powered by a CCHP plant achieving over 90% self-generation. It already provides diverse flexibility services, including voltage control and islanding. Through pilots like MindFlex with the DSO Unareti, the site tests cutting-edge grid-forming and frequency services.
Tamarinden Energy Community (Sweden)
Tamarinden Energy Community in Örebro, Sweden, is a pioneering smart district developed by Örebro Municipality, ÖrebroBostäder, and E.ON to demonstrate how local energy systems can drive Sweden’s energy transition. The project integrates buildings as “prosumers” — capable of producing, storing, consuming, and sharing energy—within a local, intelligent ecosystem. Key infrastructures include a planned DC microgrid for electricity sharing and a low-temperature district heating network (approx. 65°C) to reduce heat losses and support renewable sources like solar thermal and waste heat.
Serafejo Complex (Greece)
Located in central Athens, the Serafeio Complex serves as a municipal testbed for smart grid integration. Connected to the medium-voltage grid, the site features a three-floor office building with rooftop solar PV panels and a public swimming pool with high-efficiency thermal systems. At its core is an advanced Energy Management System that uses IoT-enabled smart meters and actuators to coordinate HVAC, lighting, and non-critical loads. The complex also integrates smart EV charging stations optimized for grid support. By responding to real-time market signals and demand-side participation, Serafeio demonstrates how urban municipal infrastructure can provide the flexibility needed for modern energy markets.
Genk Living Lab (Belgium)
Located in Genk, the Nieuw Texas Living Lab consists of 27 housing units being outfitted with smart control and monitoring infrastructure. These units feature a diverse architectural mix of single-family homes and multi-family buildings, with the latter utilizing shared infrastructure such as collective heat pumps for groups of two or four households. An extensive network of meters and sensors continuously tracks operations, streaming the data directly into VITO’s SmarThor database for third-party analysis. The daily coordination is managed by VITO’s Building and District Energy Management System, which is designed to optimally balance energy production and consumption at both the individual building and district levels.