The European Commission views energy communities as part of the solution for sustainable energy systems in Europe. Now, Ngenic, the City of Uppsala, and Sustainable Innovation—along with 16 partners from nine different countries—have been awarded 60 million Swedish kronor to promote the development and establishment of energy communities in a new project.

Citizens Energy Communities, or energy communities, have the potential to become a fundamental building block of the future European energy system and can be part of the solution for sustainable energy systems. An energy community represents a new way of sharing energy and enables smaller, non-traditional players to join forces and operate in the electricity market in the same way that larger players can.

The MASTERPIECE project aims to create a digital platform for coordination and collaboration that will facilitate the creation and operation of energy communities throughout Europe. The European Commission views the project as a key component in generating new insights into how energy communities can be enabled to establish themselves across the EU.

“Everyone must have the opportunity to participate in the transition of the energy system. Energy communities are the natural next step. Ordinary people and stakeholders should be able to find ways to contribute power and take on grid responsibilities, and we need to rethink who participates in the electricity market. That is our mission and the mission of this project.”
– Daniel Brandt, Senior Project Manager, Sustainable Innovation

The project will actively develop social and user-centered solutions to accelerate the establishment of energy communities throughout the EU. In this way, citizens will have the opportunity to participate as active players in the energy market. The project will also technically develop and build the tools needed to launch, operate, and evaluate energy communities over time, based on the local conditions in each country. The project will run from January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026.

“Ngenic is a major player in both Swedish homes and real estate, and we see it as an incredible strength to continue developing our aggregator and grid solutions for energy communities. We have been working with property owners and submetering for many years, and we view this as an opportunity to gain international experience as well.”
– Björn Berg, CEO, Ngenic AB

Ngenic, the City of Uppsala, and Sustainable Innovation will represent Sweden and, together with France, Italy, and Turkey, work on pilot projects to inspire, establish, and evaluate what is needed to create successful energy communities. Sustainable Innovation serves as the Swedish coordinator for the project.

“Within the City of Uppsala, we have already been working with energy communities. The City of Uppsala has a genuine commitment to and interest in solving the energy challenges of the future in a concrete and practical way, right here and now. This project will serve as a valuable building block in that effort, which is important in a region facing the kind of rapid expansion that Uppsala is experiencing.”
– Anders Hollinder, Energy Strategist, City of Uppsala

The project is funded by the EU. 60 million comes from the EU's Horizon program.

Learn more about the project here!