SiC4GRID is a 42-month innovation action project funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme. The project aims to optimise silicon carbide (SiC)-based technology for converter applications by driving threefold innovations across hardware, software, and IoT. Its objectives include reducing costs and size, as well as lowering CO2 emissions. Ultimately, SiC4GRID seeks to position Europe as a global leader in converter technology, facilitating the integration of renewable energy into the power grid.

The SERENE project aims to develop and demonstrate sustainable, integrated, and cost-effective energy solutions tailored for local communities. It focuses on integrating various energy carriers and renewable generation technologies based on the communities' current social and technical conditions to meet future energy needs. Active user involvement is central, ensuring they are informed about technical options and business models to support decision-making. Depending on the location, the project incorporates energy storage, demand response systems, electric transportation (e.g., EVs and buses), heat pumps, and photovoltaic energy sources to enhance flexibility and sustainability.

Superconducting medium-voltage cables, utilizing HTS and MgB2 materials, offer a promising solution for transmitting renewable energy to the grid. Onshore HTS cables offer a compact design, preserving the environment and minimizing land use. Offshore HTS cables reduce costs and eliminate the need for large converter stations. MgB2 cables, paired with liquid hydrogen transport, introduce a dual-energy approach. Both HTS and MgB2 MVDC cables will be developed and tested, along with fault current limiters, aiming to reduce LCOE for offshore windfarms by 30%, lower total costs by 15%, enable simultaneous transfer of 0.5 GW H2 and 1 GW electric energy with cables of 90 GW transmission capacity.

The RESONANCE project is developing a software framework for plug-and-play solutions to manage demand-side flexibility for distributed and small-scale assets. Its goal is to simplify the customisation of Customer Energy Manager (CEM) solutions for consumers and prosumers across various sectors. Additionally, it aims to make harnessing flexibility from distributed and small-scale assets in homes, buildings, and spaces cost-efficient.

The main objective of RESCHOOL is to catalyse the creation, growth and management of energy communities by leveraging the engagement of participants, facilitating the cooperation in collaborative initiatives within communities, and co-producing tools for the efficient management of energy and trading at individual and aggregated levels.

REEFLEX is focused on delivering higher participation of energy consumers in demand side flexibility markets and demonstrating niches of opportunities for new services provided by SMEs and start-ups, seeing a growing number of distributed energy resources (DERs) connected to the network. DERs come from an ample variety of energy carriers and sectors, accompanied by the introduction of new digitalized assets.

POCITYF is a smart city project that will help historical cities to become greener, smarter and more livable while respecting their cultural heritage. By implementing and testing Positive Energy District in its cities, POCITYF will support Europe in the race to become the first Carbon Neutral Continent by 2050.

PLOTEC aims to design, model and install a successful demonstration of a novel cylindrical ocean thermal energy conversion OTEC platform capable of withstanding the extreme weather effects of tropical oceans, with an economically viable cost model.

PARMENIDES aims to develop a new ontology focused on the electricity and heating domain for buildings, customers, and energy communities. The project seeks to support various use cases by creating a new generation of innovative Energy Management Systems (EMS). Additionally, it will define an information and communication architecture to enable interoperable, reliable, and secure data and instruction exchange.

NEXTFLOAT project will design an integrated system of lightweight floating platform with a proprietary PivotBuoy connection system. This new design reduces the structure’s weight and greatly improves mooring and installation techniques and costs. The project also proposes using aluminium as a conductor material for the dynamic cable. This innovative concept will be demonstrated at the MISTRAL site in the Mediterranean Sea.