Multidisciplinary Approaches and Software Technologies for Engagement, Recruitment and Participation in Innovative Energy Communities in Europe

Project Information

MASTERPIECE

Grant agreement ID: 101096836

DOI

10.3030/101096836

EC signature date 13 December 2022

Start date 1 January 2023

End date 30 September 2026

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 6 781 740,39

EU contribution

€ 5 996 625,88

Coordinated by

UNIVERSIDAD DE MURCIA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MASTERPIECE (Multidisciplinary Approaches and Software Technologies for Engagement, Recruitment and Participation in Innovative Energy Communities in Europe)

Reporting period: 2024-03-01 to 2025-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In the evolving energy landscape of Europe, MASTERPIECE stands as a beacon of innovation and collaboration. Funded by the European Union, this project is a decisive step towards redefining the role of individuals in Energy Communities (ECs). By fostering the transition from passive energy consumers to active participants, MASTERPIECE is reshaping the European energy paradigm. The heart of MASTERPIECE’s mission is the creation of a digital arena, where the formation and operation of energy communities are not only possible but also efficient and user-friendly. This digital platform is the cornerstone of MASTERPIECE, ensuring that energy communities are not only about technology but also about people and collaboration. Within this context MASTERPIECE’s main goals are i) Empower consumers in the energy market.; ii) Implement user-centric, participatory solutions.; iii) Develop innovative business strategies and incentive mechanisms.; iv) Ensure robust cybersecurity and GDPR compliance.; v) Applicability testing and validation of the developments across diverse European pilots. The project’s significance is immense, given its potential to contribute to the EU's energy goals and to address broader societal needs for sustainable and inclusive energy communities. MASTERPIECE’s approach is poised to serve as a model for energy initiatives worldwide, demonstrating a balanced blend of technical, social, and business innovations.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

From M15 to M28, MASTERPIECE moved into a phase of consolidation and iterative validation, with progress advancing consistently across technical, strategic, and operational dimensions. Face-to-face plenary meetings were hosted at pilot locations in Italy, France, and Spain, reinforcing collaboration, aligning expectations, and enabling direct interaction with pilot stakeholders. WP2 reached its conclusion at M27, delivering key outcomes related to regulatory frameworks, behavioural drivers, EC maturity levels, and KPIs. These results directly informed the architecture and modular structure of the MASTERPIECE platform. WP3 and WP4 continued developing and testing the tools—such as COMPASS, Recomme, DR-FLEX, MEET, ECOOP, MAPS DEC and SIT tools—reaching beta versions through active cooperation with pilot managers. Tools were gradually refined, incorporating multilingual feedback and usability improvements. Integration with the central platform progressed, supported by robust identity and data access frameworks and enriched with pilot-specific datasets. WP5 oversaw the validation of use cases and KPIs, ensuring ongoing coordination between pilots and technical developers. After an initial testing phase with alpha tools, pilots began using improved beta versions in a second iteration. This continuous cycle of feedback and refinement helped optimise alignment with end-user needs. Complementary activities included DEMOs and Discovery & Validation workshops, which enabled tool feedback and co-creation with pilots. Dissemination and communication gained momentum through conference participation (ENLIT & SP24), BRIDGE engagement, and the creation of training and promotional materials. The groundwork was also laid for the upcoming exploitation plans , trainings and future public-facing deliverables that will help maximise impact and replication potential.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

MASTERPIECE is going one step further. It introduces a new way of looking at these communities, using what the project has called the "triangle" concept. Imagine an energy community as a puzzle. This puzzle has three main pieces: social dimension, technological dimension, and the business and regulatory dimension, all affected by policies. The "triangle" concept provides to the project an overview of how these pieces come together to build an energy community that's both sustainable, efficient and balanced, within the main objective of the community. MASTERPIECE isn't just about building these communities; it's also focused in new business models and ways to motivate people to join and contribute, which is essential for the ever-changing energy market. The project aims to create a kind of nosiness model analytical framework that helps not just the communities involved in the project but any energy community out there. Additionally, there is the designed idea of the EC journey. This concept bridges the gap between the practical steps of setting up an energy community and the more social, personal side of things. It is about understanding not just how these communities are formed and managed but also how the people in them grow and evolve.
As for the digital side of MASTERPIECE, the team is working on a range of user-friendly tools. These tools are designed to help manage energy communities, from figuring out how they work to getting people involved and optimizing energy use, among other functionalities. This tool forms the digital ecosystem of MASTERPIECE, which is meant to support the entire EC journey, offering everything needed to run an energy community or even start one from scratch. One of the key aspects of these tools is their focus on security and privacy. As the backbone of the digital platform, ensuring data protection and user privacy is crucial. It's all about building a safe and secure digital environment for energy communities.