Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PEDvolution (Interoperable solutions to streamline PED evolution and cross-sectoral integration)
Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30
While cities are essential to achieving Europe’s climate goals, turning urban areas into Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) is still a major challenge. PEDs aim to produce more renewable energy than they consume each year by combining energy-efficient buildings, local clean energy production, digital and smart systems, and citizen participation. However, most urban areas lack integrated tools, face limited coordination between sectors, and struggle to engage citizens in the co-development of flexible, scalable solutions. PEDvolution addresses these issues by developing a complete set of tools and methods that help urban areas plan, implement, and manage PEDs more effectively.
To achieve this, the project brings together 14 partners from 7 countries to co-create and test seven modular and interoperable solutions that can adapt to local needs and support PED development over time:
1. A PED Design and Planning Toolset based on digital energy models for district renovation strategies;
2. A PED Readiness Assessment to help PEDs evaluate their starting point and plan their next steps;
3. A Dynamic Decision Support Guideline that adjusts to changing technologies, markets, and user needs;
4. A PED Energy Manager to coordinate real-time, multi-sector energy operations;
5. A Data Exchange and Interoperability Platform to connect PEDs to external systems and energy marketplaces;
6. A Business Model Innovation Tool to support local value creation and financial sustainability;
7. A Social Innovation Tool to guide inclusive citizen engagement and co-creation.
These solutions will be tested and validated in three real-life PEDs: Wunsiedel (Germany), Kranj (Slovenia), and the Hard Community in Winterthur (Switzerland). These demonstrators will help shape the tools and demonstrate their use in practice. Towards the end of the project’s second year, a public Open Call will bring in new follower demonstrators (3-5 new PEDs) to replicate the solutions in different European contexts.
PEDvolution’s results will help cities reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, and involve citizens and stakeholders in shaping their energy future. By combining technical, social, and economic innovation, the project creates a flexible, people-centred approach to PEDs that is ready to scale. Experts in social sciences support the design of inclusive engagement tools and decision-making processes tailored to community needs. By doing so, PEDvolution contributes directly to the EU Green Deal, the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, and the New European Bauhaus, helping urban areas across Europe become cleaner, smarter, and more resilient.
To achieve this, the project brings together 14 partners from 7 countries to co-create and test seven modular and interoperable solutions that can adapt to local needs and support PED development over time:
1. A PED Design and Planning Toolset based on digital energy models for district renovation strategies;
2. A PED Readiness Assessment to help PEDs evaluate their starting point and plan their next steps;
3. A Dynamic Decision Support Guideline that adjusts to changing technologies, markets, and user needs;
4. A PED Energy Manager to coordinate real-time, multi-sector energy operations;
5. A Data Exchange and Interoperability Platform to connect PEDs to external systems and energy marketplaces;
6. A Business Model Innovation Tool to support local value creation and financial sustainability;
7. A Social Innovation Tool to guide inclusive citizen engagement and co-creation.
These solutions will be tested and validated in three real-life PEDs: Wunsiedel (Germany), Kranj (Slovenia), and the Hard Community in Winterthur (Switzerland). These demonstrators will help shape the tools and demonstrate their use in practice. Towards the end of the project’s second year, a public Open Call will bring in new follower demonstrators (3-5 new PEDs) to replicate the solutions in different European contexts.
PEDvolution’s results will help cities reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, and involve citizens and stakeholders in shaping their energy future. By combining technical, social, and economic innovation, the project creates a flexible, people-centred approach to PEDs that is ready to scale. Experts in social sciences support the design of inclusive engagement tools and decision-making processes tailored to community needs. By doing so, PEDvolution contributes directly to the EU Green Deal, the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, and the New European Bauhaus, helping urban areas across Europe become cleaner, smarter, and more resilient.
During its first 18 months, PEDvolution focused on building the foundation for an integrated PED innovation ecosystem. The project concentrated on the co-design and early development of seven core solutions, while preparing the demonstration sites for real-world testing.
Initial activities included a comprehensive stakeholder and context analysis across participating demonstrators. This informed the development of technical requirements and use cases, ensuring the solutions respond to local needs and are scalable across different urban environments.
Key technical progress included:
• Advancing the Digital Twin-based planning tool to support district-level renovation and energy modelling;
• Establishing the structure and logic of the PED Readiness Assessment framework;
• Designing the Dynamic Decision Support Guideline to support flexible, performance-driven PED planning;
• Developing the architecture for the PED Energy Manager and preparing for integration with flexibility services;
• Designing interfaces and semantic models for data exchange and system interoperability;
• Adapting the Business Model Innovation Tool to local conditions;
• Initiating community analysis and stakeholder engagement strategies via the Social Innovation Tool.
At the same time, the three co-developer PEDs, Wunsiedel, Kranj, and Winterthur, actively contributed data, local knowledge, and feedback to guide solution development. Site-specific planning for the upcoming demonstration phase also began, laying the groundwork for real-world deployment and validation.
PEDvolution has successfully transitioned from concept to implementation. Its solutions are converging into a cohesive system that will be tested, refined, and demonstrated during the next phase of the project.
Initial activities included a comprehensive stakeholder and context analysis across participating demonstrators. This informed the development of technical requirements and use cases, ensuring the solutions respond to local needs and are scalable across different urban environments.
Key technical progress included:
• Advancing the Digital Twin-based planning tool to support district-level renovation and energy modelling;
• Establishing the structure and logic of the PED Readiness Assessment framework;
• Designing the Dynamic Decision Support Guideline to support flexible, performance-driven PED planning;
• Developing the architecture for the PED Energy Manager and preparing for integration with flexibility services;
• Designing interfaces and semantic models for data exchange and system interoperability;
• Adapting the Business Model Innovation Tool to local conditions;
• Initiating community analysis and stakeholder engagement strategies via the Social Innovation Tool.
At the same time, the three co-developer PEDs, Wunsiedel, Kranj, and Winterthur, actively contributed data, local knowledge, and feedback to guide solution development. Site-specific planning for the upcoming demonstration phase also began, laying the groundwork for real-world deployment and validation.
PEDvolution has successfully transitioned from concept to implementation. Its solutions are converging into a cohesive system that will be tested, refined, and demonstrated during the next phase of the project.
PEDvolution introduces an innovative ecosystem that enables demonstrators to plan and manage ever-evolving Positive Energy Districts in a holistic and flexible way. The project goes beyond existing approaches by linking technological, social, market, and interoperability dimensions through a structured genotype–phenotype logic. This ensures that PEDs can adapt to changing local conditions and remain resilient over time.
Instead of isolated or static tools, PEDvolution offers interoperable solutions that support:
• Real-time energy management across multiple sectors;
• Automated local flexibility trading;
• Data-driven planning under uncertainty;
• Harmonised assessment of PED maturity and development pathways;
• Community engagement and inclusive value creation.
These advances are embedded in co-development with real demonstrators, making the solutions relevant, adaptable, and ready for replication across Europe. The SUPER-PED concept, a framework where districts collaborate and share energy across boundaries, represents a novel approach to collective optimisation that goes beyond individual PED performance.
To scale these results, the following enablers are essential:
• Further demonstration in diverse European contexts;
• Alignment with EU data, certification, and energy market frameworks;
• Financial models that support PED-as-a-service and long-term investment;
• IPR and commercialisation strategies suited to open and replicable tools;
• Policy alignment through active contribution to EU initiatives like BRIDGE, AIOTI and PED-EU-NET.
PEDvolution is setting a new benchmark for how cities can develop PEDs that are inclusive, integrated, and future-ready, helping unlock Europe’s pathway to climate-neutral urban living.
Instead of isolated or static tools, PEDvolution offers interoperable solutions that support:
• Real-time energy management across multiple sectors;
• Automated local flexibility trading;
• Data-driven planning under uncertainty;
• Harmonised assessment of PED maturity and development pathways;
• Community engagement and inclusive value creation.
These advances are embedded in co-development with real demonstrators, making the solutions relevant, adaptable, and ready for replication across Europe. The SUPER-PED concept, a framework where districts collaborate and share energy across boundaries, represents a novel approach to collective optimisation that goes beyond individual PED performance.
To scale these results, the following enablers are essential:
• Further demonstration in diverse European contexts;
• Alignment with EU data, certification, and energy market frameworks;
• Financial models that support PED-as-a-service and long-term investment;
• IPR and commercialisation strategies suited to open and replicable tools;
• Policy alignment through active contribution to EU initiatives like BRIDGE, AIOTI and PED-EU-NET.
PEDvolution is setting a new benchmark for how cities can develop PEDs that are inclusive, integrated, and future-ready, helping unlock Europe’s pathway to climate-neutral urban living.