mySMARTLife project aims at the development of an Urban Transformation Strategy to support cities in the definition of transition models, as a suitable path to reach high level of excellence in its development process, addressing the main city challenges and progressing to the smart people and smart economy concepts. The main instrument to achieve this very ambitious strategy will be the definition of the Advanced Urban Planning, consisting of an integrated approach of the planned city interventions on the basis of a rigorous impact assessment, an active citizen engagement in the decision-making process and a structured business approach, from the city business model perspective, to the economic framework for big companies and local SMEs and Start-Ups. Nantes (France), Hamburg (Germany) and Helsinki (Finland) are the lighthouse cities and Varna (Bulgaria), Bydgoszcz (Poland), Rijeka (Croatia) and Palencia (Spain) the followers. All of them will be involved in the overall project development assuming different and complementary roles. Energy and Climate mitigation plans in the lighthouse cities are completely compliant with the objectives of Covenant of Mayors initiative, as it is reflected; first regarding the early participation of the cities in Covenant of Mayors and second, considering the ambition of their SEAPs, that were submitted, evaluated, approved and are monitored by Covenant of Mayors. Aligned with these objectives, the commitment of the lighthouses is the deployment of a big set of large scale interventions and at least two years of data collection to make a depth analysis of the results, calculating standard KPIs, evaluating the associated impacts and disseminating the results. Followers will be very close to this demonstration, collaborating in the definition and deployment, analysing the problem from the point of view of their own city challenges and extracting knowledge, best practices and lessons learnt for a further replication.

The main goal of the eNeuron project is to develop innovative tools for the optimal design and operation of local energy communities (LECs) integrating distributed energy resources and multiple energy carriers at different scales. This goal will be achieved, by having in mind all the potential benefits achievable for the different actors involved and by promoting the Energy Hub concept, as a conceptual model for controlling and managing multi-carrier and integrated energy systems in order to optimize their architecture and operation. In order to ensure both the short-term and the long-term sustainability of this new energy paradigm and thus support an effective implementation and deployment, economic and environmental aspects will be taken into account in the optimization tools through a multi-objective approach. eNeuron’s proposed tools enable tangible sustainability and energy security benefits for all the stakeholders in the LEC. Local prosumers (households, commercial and industrial actors) stand to benefit through the reduction of energy costs while leveraging local, low carbon energy. Developers and solution providers will find new opportunities for technologies as part of an integrated, replicable operational business model. Distribution system operators (DSOs) benefit from avoiding grid congestion and deferring network investments. Policy makers benefit from increasingly sustainable and secure energy supply systems. eNeuron is a high TRL project in line with the Work Programme, by developing innovative approaches and methodologies to optimally plan and operate integrated LECs through the optimal selection and use of multiple energy carriers and by considering both short- and long-run priorities. Through optimally coordinating all energy carriers and vectors, cost-effective and low-carbon solutions will be provided for fostering the deployment and implementation of this new energy paradigm at European level.