The continuous increase of the share of renewable energy sources is redefining the electrical networks. In future infrastructures, an important number of agents (sources, storage devices and consumers) will have intelligent interfaces allowing the regulation of the injection and extraction of power into the grid. This context will create multiple alternatives to increase the efficiency in electricity generation and consumption, to reduce energy costs and to provide a more reliable operation of electrical grids. These future networks will be only possible with suitable control algorithms. INCITE is a multi-sectoral consortium gathering experts on control and power systems, from academia and industry with the purpose of providing innovative control solutions for the future electrical networks.

DISCOVER aims to develop an autonomous, synchronous, continuous and intelligent identification and data analysis system for materials and products in existing end-of-life built works. The proposed approach will provide key stakeholders, including academia research performers, along with construction industry representatives, with data-driven insights to make deconstruction more efficient, optimise the use of resources, improve the environmental footprints and enhance the circularity of construction and demolition, unlocking the potential of end-of-life built works, which will become material banks. The expected outcomes include an autonomous robotic platform coupled with continuous identification tools to scan built works and provide synchronous quantitative and qualitative data from different materials, including complex and concealed elements. Artificial intelligence algorithms will allow a rapid analysis of the properties and characteristics of components, and feed the automated scan-to-BIM model creation. The multi-dimensional BIM, including selective demolition processes, labour productivity, and technical planning, will become a Digital Twin of the demolition site optimised by social, economic, and environmental multi-criteria assessments. This approach will highly contribute to significantly increasing the supply of traceable and sustainable construction materials and products for enhancing their wider market acceptance, following the waste hierarchy. The social impacts of digital transformation in the construction sector will be considered, and also new professional development tools for the relevant stakeholders will be proposed. The system will be tested in 4 different real demolition sites (Spain, Portugal, Poland and Belgium), offering a complete range of built work typologies and wide geographical coverage to demonstrate the replicability potential of DISCOVER, increasing the project dissemination capacity and awareness among the construction sector.

The potential of agroecological farming systems to master many of todays challenges to the environment, economy, health, and society can be significantly promoted by coupling with digital tools and technologies. PATH2DEA is committed to unlocking digitalisations catalysing power to foster European agricultures transition towards enhanced sustainability. It will build on farmers competences and views and match them with the rich repertoire of digital solutions already available for agriculture, aimed at tailoring digital technologies to users needs and fostering wide-range adoption of digital agroecological farming in the EU and associated countries. Strategic engagement by multiple actors includes early adopters of digital agroecological farming represented by six Showcase farms located in different pedo-climatic regions, with hands-on experience for solid consensus validation of the projects conclusions. PATH2DEA is deeply rooted in the European Agroecology Innovation Ecosystem and will establish itself amidst key players and proven instruments to mediate and connect among disciplines and sectors with a clear ethical-societal perspective. Via interactive discussion rounds, specific situations regarding digital technology uptake and use will be explored and brought to consideration by actors and stakeholders for increasing awareness and understanding. PATH2DEA will deliver a robust knowledge base in the frame of an Open Source Repository of digital tools and technologies in agroecology with decision support functionalities and a well-aligned R&I Roadmap for guiding digital agroecology transition. Finally, PATH2DEA will use its results for bridging towards the upcoming European Agroecology Partnership.

The technical and economic viability of today’s district heating (DH) networks are undermined by transitions to highly efficient building stocks and ineffective business models which fail to benefit all stakeholders. TEMPO tackles this by 1) innovations to create low temperature (LT) networks for increased network efficiency and integration options for renewable and residual heat sources; and 2) new business models to boost network competitiveness and attractiveness for stakeholder investment. In TEMPO, six innovations related to networks, digitisation thereof and building optimisation undergo final development (TRL7-8). The innovations are combined into 3 solution packages suitable for 3 different application areas: new LT DH networks in urban areas, new LT DH networks in rural areas, and existing (HT) networks. The benefits of these solution packages to reduce network temperatures will be demonstrated in 3 selected representative demos. The Vattenfall demo is a new urban LT network whereby solution package 1 will be demonstrated to reduce temperatures and therefore to enable integration of a geothermal energy source and cooling. The Enerpipe demo is a new rural LT network whereby solution package 2 will be demonstrated to reduce temperatures and so can open up the possibility to integrate a renewable energy source at a later stage. The existing network of A2A currently operates at a very high supply temperature. By integrating solution package 3, with particular emphasis on end consumer engagement, reduction in network temperatures will be similarly demonstrated. A comparable monitoring approach will ensure optimal network performance (reliability and durability) assessment and to foster maximal replication options in other areas. Each solution package will be coupled to an innovative business model, which can leverage cost savings due to improved energy efficiency to offset the investment costs. Stakeholder engagement and consumer empowerment will be high pr

The transport sector contributes to almost a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Compared to other sectors, such as agriculture or energy industries, it is the only sector with emissions higher than that of 1990. Waterborne transport emissions represent around 13% of the overall EU greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. Moreover, waterborne transport emissions could increase between 50% and 250% by 2050 under a business-as-usual scenario, undermining the objectives of the Paris agreement. The challenge for a large-scale adoption and implementation of batteries for waterborne transport is mainly related to the high costs of the battery systems and cells. The Current Direct project addresses these challenges by proposing an innovative lithium-ion cell optimized for waterborne transport, using novel manufacturing techniques allowing for a consistent cost reduction compared to the current market prices. Additionally, a swappable containerized energy storage system optimized for cost and operation in the waterborne transport industry will be developed. The overarching aim of the Current Direct project is to develop and demonstrate an innovative interchangeable waterborne transport battery system and EaaS Platform in an operational environment at the Port of Amsterdam at TRL7 that facilitates fast charging of vessels, fleet optimization and novel business models. The Current Direct project is dedicated to (i) significantly reduce the total cost of waterborne transport batteries, (ii) cut GHG emissions of the marine transport sector through electrification of vessel fleets, (iii) increase the energy density of waterborne battery cells and (iv) trigger investments for innovation, job and knowledge creation in the European marine transport and battery sector.