On 14-15 January 2025, Warsaw hosted a successful peer review meeting under the framework of the HERCULES-CE project, aimed at enhancing Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) across Central Europe. The event was organised by the Mazovia Energy Agency (MAE), a regional leader in energy policy and sustainability initiatives.
Advancing renewable energy communities in Central Europe
The South Transdanubian Regional Innovation Agency (STRIA) participated actively in the meeting, represented by Ms Zsuzsanna Czinki, an expert in renewable energy communities, and Mr István Lábodi, the project manager. STRIA also invited a Hungarian stakeholder, Meter Solutions Ltd., whose representative, Mr Tamás Kenessey, presented their DECENT.EC platform, contributing to the discussions on innovative solutions for decentralised energy communities.
The two-day event gathered project partners to exchange knowledge and share experiences related to RECs. Sessions covered critical topics, including data-driven tools to support and monitor RECs, sustainable business models, and financial instruments that can facilitate REC development.
A central objective of the Warsaw meeting was to support the initial stages of developing the HERCULES-CE project’s data-driven tool (D.1.3.2). This tool will play a pivotal role in the project’s overarching strategy (D.1.3.1), designed to empower local public and private stakeholders, monitor RECs’ contributions to the energy transition, and assess their business models, environmental impact, and support for reducing energy poverty.
The forthcoming data-driven tool aims to simulate the creation of new RECs, offering valuable insights into energy efficiency and the environmental benefits of such communities. It will also enable the monitoring and comparison of REC performance, providing integrated functionalities for business model development, energy efficiency analysis, and assessing contributions to mitigating energy poverty.
The project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and Hungary within the Interreg Central Europe Programme.
