As September 2026 came to a close, the Horizon Europe WeForming project officially concluded its three-year journey!
When we started three years ago, our goal was ambitious yet clear: to turn Europe’s buildings from passive energy consumers into active, intelligent nodes in our power grid – what we call intelligent Grid-Forming Buildings (iGFBs).
Today, as the project reaches its formal finish line, we are proud to share how our consortium transformed this vision into proven, real-world solutions.
Here is a look back at what we achieved together, how our technologies performed on the ground, and the lasting impact WeForming leaves behind.
Putting People and Real Needs First: From User Requirements to Viable Business Models
Before deploying hardware and writing code, successful innovation starts with understanding the people who actually use buildings and manage energy systems. Our team carried out an in-depth European analysis of stakeholder needs, technical barriers, and national regulations. Through extensive surveys, hands-on workshops, and co-creation sessions with residents, building managers, and grid operators, we shaped solutions directly around real-world expectations, usability, and trust.
To ensure these technologies can thrive in the market, we developed a comprehensive catalogue of 16 innovative business models tailored for both single buildings and entire energy communities. These models explore practical ways for consumers to lower electricity bills, share renewable resources, and unlock fresh revenue streams by offering flexibility services to the grid. Crucially, this work established the blueprint for seamless energy data sharing and produced the final WeForming Building Interoperability Reference Architecture (W-IBRA 3.0) – providing a standardised, open foundation that guided all technical developments across the project.
Making Energy Data Secure, Simple, and Accessible
Building upon this architectural blueprint, our technical teams tackled the challenge of getting different technologies, smart meters, and building management systems to communicate smoothly. We created a shared, secure energy data space powered by the W-IBRA framework.
Instead of getting locked into rigid, proprietary software, building owners and energy providers can now connect through a unified system. We developed an easy-to-use App Store and Service Catalogue, making smart energy applications as simple to discover and install as downloading an app on your smartphone. Most importantly, this was built with data privacy and sovereignty at its core: building owners and residents remain in total control of their data, deciding exactly what information to share, with whom, and under what conditions.
Tested and Proven Across Six Diverse European Communities
Technology is only as good as its real-world performance. WeForming deployed and validated its smart solutions across six diverse demonstrator sites in Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Spain.
These pilot sites covered an impressive variety of real-life settings – from apartment blocks and historic island communities to large commercial shopping centres and multi-energy districts. Each site tested different combinations of clean technologies, including solar panels, battery storage, electric vehicle chargers, and heat pumps.
Despite operating under very different local climates, energy prices, and regulations, the WeForming tools successfully proved that existing buildings can dynamically shift their energy use, store green electricity when it is abundant, cut peak loads, and support local grid stability. These trials demonstrated that smart building flexibility is both scalable and replicable across all corners of Europe.
Tackling Real Barriers & Guiding European Energy Policy
WeForming did not just look at technology; we looked at the real world in which buildings operate. Through detailed field evaluations, our team mapped out the regulatory, financial, and social hurdles that currently slow down the adoption of smart buildings.
Working closely with sister initiatives – most notably through a joint policy brief with the META BUILD project – we translated our pilot findings into clear, actionable recommendations for policymakers. We highlighted how national rules must adapt to support local energy communities, speed up smart meter rollouts, and rebalance taxation so that clean electricity can compete fairly with fossil fuels.
Inspiring the Community & Telling Our Story
Bridging the gap between complex engineering and everyday public understanding was one of our highest priorities. Over the project lifetime, we made sure our results were visible, clear, and open to everyone:
High-Quality Video Documentaries: We produced a flagship series of 22 videos, including 5 high-impact, documentary-style films captured on location at our pilot sites – taking viewers deep into the real stories, people, and engineering behind our demonstrators.
Technical Architecture Infographics: We created 10 clear, beautifully designed infographics that break down complex middleware, data flows, and pilot site layouts into simple, digestible visual diagrams.
Active Event Presence & European Synergies: Our team represented WeForming at dozens of major industry fairs, academic conventions, and policy forums across Europe (such as EUSEW, ENLIT Europe, and IEA workshops), while building strong collaborative links with over 70 sister Horizon Europe projects.
Open Science: Explore Our Results
While the project has formally ended, its outputs remain permanently available to support researchers, building operators, and clean-tech innovators.
You can explore all our peer-reviewed scientific publications, public deliverables, technical infographics, and pilot guides directly on the Resources Section or through our dedicated Zenodo Open Science Community.
A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Consortium & Community
None of these achievements would have been possible without the dedication, hard work, and spirit of collaboration shared across our multi-disciplinary consortium. We extend our warmest thanks to all our project partners, pilot site operators, local utilities, researchers, and technical teams for three years of outstanding teamwork.
We also want to thank you – our readers, subscribers, and social media followers – for following our progress, sharing our milestones, and supporting the transition towards a smarter, greener European energy system.
Thank you for being part of the WeForming journey!
