In the latest episode of the EU Energy Projects podcast series, our host, Areti Ntaradimou had the pleasure of discussing with Michael Villa, Executive Director of SmartEn, and Joachim Gruber, Staff Managing Director Technology at Netze BW GmbH. Our discussion centered around the evolving concept of flexibility in the energy system.

While both guests agree on its growing importance, especially considering increasing renewable integration, they approach the topic from different professional perspectives. Michael emphasizes the urgent need to activate demand-side flexibility through market-based mechanisms, whereas Joachim focuses on the physical and economic realities of grid infrastructure and the potential limitations of over-reliance on market solutions.

Our host, Areti Ntaradimou recently had the pleasure of speaking with Niccolò Fattirolli, COO of Olivo Energy and a key figure in the EU-funded Begonia project, which aims to prepare the ground for digital transformation across Europe's energy and transport sectors.

What makes the project so intriguing is its role as a preparatory action. Unlike many traditional EU-funded initiatives that focus on implementation, BEGONIA is about coordination, support and groundwork. It's not building entirely new technologies from scratch. Instead, it’s scanning existing ideas, selecting the most promising ones, and preparing them to be scaled across Europe through operational digital platforms (ODPs).

The ETIP SNET AI white paper explores the transformative potential of AI and generative AI in Europe's smart grids, incorporating industry insights to identify key uncertainties, challenges and opportunities.

Designed as a roadmap for stakeholders, the paper aims to unlock AI and GenAI’s potential in Europe’s energy transition. It is being developed with extensive stakeholder input to present a unified perspective on these evolving technologies.

To dive into this complex issue, Areti Ntaradimou sat down with Luis Cunha, chairman of ETIP SNET, during the Enlit Impact Circle in Bilbao.

European's ambitious energy transition goals hinge significantly on improving the energy efficiency of its building stock. The EU-funded EBENTO project is developing a comprehensive, one-stop-shop platform designed to streamline energy performance contracting and connect all stakeholders in the building renovation sector.

In this episode of the EU Energy Projects Podcast, project coordinator Alejandra del Valle spoke with guest host Ross Hastie about EBENTO’s mission and its potential to revolutionise building renovations across Europe.

When the European Commission announced its Clean Industrial Deal, accompanied by a hefty €100 billion investment in clean manufacturing, it sounded like a step in the right direction.

A major shift in policy, a renewed commitment to research and innovation (R&I), and a move toward energy independence. What’s not to like?

But here’s the catch: Is it enough? Can Europe’s industries truly benefit from this deal, or will bureaucracy and slow implementation stifle its potential before it even gets off the ground?

To dive into this complex issue, our host, Areti Ntaradimou sat down with Ivan Matejak, Director for the SET PLAN and Strategic programming at the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA).

In honour of International Women's Day, the podcast team decided to record a special episode with Aggeliki Aggeli to discuss co-creation and innovation in EU-funded energy projects.

Aggeliki Aggeli, Researcher at BUILD, Aalborg University, and member of the DECODIT project’s consortium, is an expert in participatory methodologies. As such, she provided valuable insights into the importance of co-creation, its challenges and the role of diversity in innovation.

In this episode of the EU Energy Projects Podcast Areti Ntaradimou had the opportunity to discuss with Giulia Conforto (Senior Researcher at e-think energy research) and Lorena Skiljan (Founder and CEO at Nobilegroup), key themes regarding Europe's strengths, challenges, and opportunities in shaping its future.

This episode covers:

In this episode of the EU Energy Projects podcast, project manager Tasos Tsitsanis discusses Project Synergies, which aims to create a reference energy data space that enables efficient data-driven optimization and coordination among stakeholders in the energy sector.

Recorded at Enlit Europe with guest host Ross Hastie, the conversation covers the need for interoperable systems, the role of AI in prosumer empowerment, the importance of data privacy, and the potential economic benefits of data sharing for both individuals and various stakeholders.

Tasos also highlights the project's approach to scaling and replicating the data space across different regions while adhering to regulatory compliances like GDPR.

In this episode, Professor Antonello Monti discusses Project Interstore, an EU-funded initiative aimed at integrating distributed energy storage and resources.

The project seeks to hybridize and monetize storage flexibility using technology-agnostic middleware to simplify energy storage integration.

Key points include addressing vendor lock-in, promoting investment, and leveraging IEEE 2030.5 standards to enhance interoperability.

Additionally, data space technology plays a crucial role in monetizing storage and data sharing. The conversation also covers the significance of open-source tools and preemptive maintenance in ensuring the success and safety of these integrations.

We explore Project Cognit, an EU-funded initiative focused on the cognitive cloud edge continuum and its potential to reshape computing.

Project Manager Tomasz Korniluk discusses the project's goals, which include introducing a function-as-a-service paradigm for edge applications, creating a framework for managing distributed resources, and optimizing data processing with AI.

The conversation covers the major challenges such as performance, security, and data sovereignty, and highlights how AI and automation can solve these issues.

The episode also delves into the impact of the SovereignEdge.eu initiative and the benefits of using open-source technologies to enhance data sovereignty in Europe.