CRETE VALLEY aims to create a Renewable Energy Valley 'Living Lab' (REV-Lab) in Crete. It is envisioned as a decentralised renewable energy system that combines leading-edge ICT technologies, interoperable and open digital solutions (including data sovereignty), social innovation processes, and sound business models that are easy to adopt. CRETE VALLEY will demonstrate a digitalised, distributed, renewable, low carbon landscape that is affordable for all and fully covers the local energy needs on an annual basis, utilizing multiple renewable energy carriers and leveraging energy storage technologies. The REV-Lab will integrate four Community Energy Labs (CELs) located in distinct sites across CRETE VALLEY, conceived as Innovation Hubs. An integrated social, technological & business approach will be deployed, providing: A Social Science Framework for REV-Labs & CELs, innovative multi-level governance models & social-driven mechanisms for involving citizens in the co-design, implementation and exploitation of RES; AI-based market segmentation algorithms, MCDA methods and consensus analysis for REV configuration; Interactive tools for REV planning (REV Readiness Assessment & computation, Augmented Reality applications, decision support tool); Energy Data Space compliant digital backbone for consumer and REV-level data-driven ‘activation’; P2P DLT/Blockchain digital marketplace for tokenised energy and non-energy assets valuation and reciprocal compensation; Data-driven operational analysis, advanced AI/ML tools and flexibility modelling services for optimal operation & resilience of the local energy grid; System-of-system Dig. Twin for multiple carrier grid management & operation; Data-driven services and apps for energy efficiency and activation performance management towards energy autonomy; Enabling RES technologies to increase the power production; REV Business Sandbox and blueprints for REV-Lab setup, upscaling and replication (including 4 Follower Communities).

SolAqua will increase the share of renewable energy in Europe by facilitating market uptake of solar irrigation (SI). By combining photovoltaic and hydraulic technology with high efficiency irrigation, SI can provide energy for irrigation with 0 emissions and at a cost of up to 70% lower than existing fossil-fuel based solutions. The potential of SI to change the energy model of European farming is huge as irrigation demands large amounts of energy for pumping water to crops. Alongside a €4 bn energy bill, the current fossil-fuel based energy model of irrigation also has a high environmental cost; it produces 16 million tons of CO2 every year, approximately 15% of the EU’s total CO2 emissions from agriculture. Nevertheless, despite its potential benefits, market uptake of SI is being prevented by a number of non-technological barriers. Also, there is a lack of awareness and skills regarding SI among irrigators and other stakeholders, such as local SMEs and public authorities. SolAqua is the answer from a coalition of relevant stakeholders to overcome this situation. In a first stage, SolAqua will produce 7 key enabling materials and tools needed for SI market uptake but which are currently missing, such as quality standards and economic and environmental assessment methodologies. In a second stage, SolAqua will carry out a far-reaching dissemination and communication plan in order to attract more than 300,000 stakeholders in Europe and North Africa to SI in general and, in particular, to SolAqua’s exploitation plan. This exploitation plan will allow for the triggering a well-functioning SI market by producing a joint SI promotion of at least 100 MW (more than €120 M in investments) which will act as a flagship for the solution. Also, in order to support SI investments, the public authorities within SolAqua will produce a SI-suited supporting instrument and will allow for its replication throughout Europe.

Within the EU, and particularly following the economic crisis; tourism will be, the ‘engine for economic growth’, particularly in the underperforming Mediterranean economies; where tourism has traditionally been a dominant economic sector. The world market of tourists continues to grow and Europe has unique selling points for further tourist growth from within and outside the EU (including China). The competitive market for tourism means that cities have to provide the high quality, sustainable environments desired by tourists, while providing local sustainable employment opportunities that overcome the seasonal and sometimes informal nature of tourist economies. Achieving sustainable mobility is a vital part of the growth equation for Europe’s tourist cities.DESTINATIONS will develop an innovative holistic approach to building sustainable urban mobility systems for both residents and tourists. The project impacts will make a positive contribution to demonstrating how this can achieve growth and therefore provide a benchmark for other EU tourist cities. DESTINATIONS will demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of innovative sustainable mobility solutions in 6 tourist cities with different characteristics but sharing common challenges. The solutions will address: • Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning for residents and visitors • Safe, attractive and accessible public spaces for all generations • Shared mobility and e-infrastructures towards zero emissions transport • Smart & clean urban freight logistics at tourist destinations • Mobility management & awareness for sustainable mobility • Attractive, clean, accessible and efficient public transport Achieving the objectives will increase the attractiveness of the city, both for tourists and for businesses in the sector and multiplier impacts in the economy for goods and services. All of these will contribute to better social cohesion (which attracts further investment). So sustainable mobility grows the economy.

The project TwInSolar aims at strengthening the research and innovation capacities of the public laboratory PIMENT of the University of La Reunion (UR), which is located in one of outermost regions of Europe. TwInSolar will create new opportunities inside and outside of Europe and more specifically in the zone surrounding Reunion Island and in insular territories that face similar challenges. This capacity building will be done through the establishment of effective partnerships with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer), which are internationally renowned research organizations. The dissemination and outreach of TwInSolar will be achieved with the support of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) and the regional R&I agency of Reunion Island (Nexa). Particular emphasis will be placed on issues related to the massive integration of solar energy production in insular territories.

Aiming at decarbonising the energy systems of geographical islands, MAESHA will deploy the necessary flexibility, storage and energy management solutions for a large penetration of Renewable Energies. Cutting-edge technical systems will be developed and installed, supported by efficient modelling tools and adapted local markets and business frameworks. A community-based approach will be adopted to ensure the constant consideration of local populations’ best interests throughout the project. Putting together 10 SMEs, 3 industrial partners, 2 universities and 6 public organisations from 9 countries, MAESHA gathers strong partners with the needed expertise to develop and disseminate relevant solutions for a universally beneficial energy transition on islands. After establishing the proper use-cases and architecture designs to ensure interoperability (WP1), MAESHA will develop modelling tools from real-time to long-term energy-economy observations (WP2) together with adapted business, market and regulatory frameworks (WP4). In parallel the community-based approach will be launched (WP3). All these activities lay the foundation for the technical development of management systems for aggregating flexibility (WP5) and devices based on synergies with assets of the territories (WP6), optimised together through a flexibility aggregating platform (WP7). After systems integration (WP8), the solutions will be fully demonstrated on Mayotte (WP10) and their replicabilities will be studied in five follower islands (WP10). Dedicated WPs for communication, dissemination (WP11) and management (WP12) will maximize the impacts. With its activities, MAESHA is expected to lead to at least 70% RE penetration and reach more than 90% of Mayotte’s population. Through its strong local implantation and the focus put on replication and dissemination activities, MAESHA will deeply modify insular energy features throughout Europe and its impacts will be felt far beyond the project’s framework.