The people behind the #WeForming project just had their final big in-person meeting. We gathered at the lovely Technoport SA in Belvaux, Luxembourg, to check on our progress and make some big plans for the future.
Our main goal is simple: we want to turn normal buildings into “smart energy hubs” that help the power grid, save money, and use clean, local energy.
Here is a simple breakdown of what we discussed during our two days together.
Getting the Technology Ready
Our technical teams shared some very exciting updates about our active test sites across Europe:
The “Brain” is Working: Our team at KIT shared that the smart digital system (the middleware) is now fully tested and working smoothly.
Germany: In Karlsruhe, we have successfully installed large battery storage units to help balance local power use.
Portugal: Our site is shifting heavy cooling systems to run during cheaper, off-peak hours to save energy.
Croatia: On the island of Krk, the team is tracking smart meters and even looking at how water and electricity can be managed together during busy tourist seasons.
Spain: Fornes has successfully linked up town hall devices and smart sensors to collect live energy data.
Focusing on People and the Planet
Technology is only good if it helps people. Our experts from Holistica shared how we are making sure these new tools are comfortable and easy for residents to use. We want normal householders to become active partners in saving energy, not just passive bystanders.
At the same time, partners like the LIST team are using digital tools to make sure everything we do is great for the circular economy and protects the environment.
Seeing the Sites in Person
We didn’t just sit in a meeting room! We went out into the field to see the technology with our own eyes:
- Belgium: We visited our site in Martelange to see solar panels, underground thermal storage, and a special “Carnot battery” system that turns power into heat.
- Luxembourg: We checked on the progress at our local site, looking at newly installed electric vehicle (EV) fast chargers and smart real-time controllers.
The Final Steps
Our project runs until the end of October, so we are now entering the final stage.
We talked about how we can share our data to help build a grand “EU data space” for smart buildings. We also looked at our growing social media channels, showing that more and more people across Europe are following our journey!
Stay tuned as we launch our upcoming video series and show you how these test sites are changing the face of European energy!
