Building Inclusive Energy Communities
Engreen’s Journey in HARMONISE
Turning Research into Real-World Impact
Across Europe, the transition toward sustainable energy systems is accelerating, but achieving meaningful and lasting change requires more than technology alone. It requires collaboration, community engagement, and practical solutions that address real local needs. Within the HARMONISE project, Engreen has been playing a central role in making this vision a reality.
As Pilot Leader for the Vallevignale site, Engreen is not only coordinating technical and operational activities, but also ensuring that communities, stakeholders, and local actors remain at the heart of the energy transition.
Federico Trezza from Engreen shared insights into the team’s journey so far, reflecting on the milestones, challenges, lessons learned, and the broader impact of the project.
Engreen’s Role in HARMONISE
Engreen serves as the Pilot Leader for the Vallevignale pilot site, acting as the primary liaison for the area while orchestrating the entire stakeholder engagement process.
The team is directly involved in several critical work areas across the project, including:
- WP1
- WP4
- WP5
- WP7
- WP8
Their responsibilities span technical advisory activities, pilot leadership, pilot site set-up, and stakeholder engagement coordination.
A major focus of Engreen’s contribution has been the operational establishment of pilot sites and the strategic organization of stakeholder engagement activities. Through these efforts, the team has worked to ensure that the project’s tools, solutions, and activities remain closely aligned with the actual needs of communities and end-users.
Reaching a Pivotal Phase in the Project
Now in its second year, HARMONISE has reached what Engreen describes as a “critical juncture.” While the final shape of the project is still evolving, a clear vision is beginning to emerge.
According to Federico Trezza, this phase represents the moment where the collective commitment of all partners is starting to generate visible and tangible results.
The consortium is now synthesizing the research, data, and insights gathered during the project’s initial stages. These early findings, although preliminary, have become essential building blocks for the project’s ongoing development and future success.
Engreen’s work has played a significant role in shaping this progress.
The team began by conducting extensive stakeholder mapping and a comprehensive analysis of emerging needs across the four pilot sites. This foundational work proved instrumental in tailoring the project’s tools and methodologies to directly address local requirements.
Importantly, many of the stakeholders who are now actively driving and benefiting from HARMONISE were identified during this early mapping phase.
In parallel, Engreen has led the Pilot Site Set-up Work Package, successfully establishing a robust framework for:
- Asset tracking
- Installation timelines
- Coordination of use cases across pilot sites
This operational structure has helped create stronger alignment between technical implementation and community needs.
Navigating Challenges Along the Way
Like many ambitious European innovation projects, HARMONISE has faced a number of challenges.
One of the initial obstacles involved the relatively limited stakeholder landscape associated with Positive Energy Districts (PEDs). To maximize the project’s impact, Engreen recognized the need to strategically expand and update stakeholder mapping activities.
Another major challenge emerged during the installation phase at the pilot sites. Local bureaucracy and the administrative specificities of each region introduced delays and operational complexities.
However, these challenges were addressed through proactive coordination and tailored problem-solving strategies.
To strengthen stakeholder engagement, Engreen expanded the stakeholder pool by updating the mapping framework and providing pilot sites with targeted guidelines. This ensured that engagement strategies remained aligned with the evolving needs and milestones of the project.
For pilot site implementation, the team adopted bespoke approaches for each location, leveraging the direct operational expertise and coordination capacities of individual pilot leaders.
Lessons Learned for the Consortium
Engreen’s experience has generated valuable lessons for the wider consortium.
One of the most important takeaways has been the necessity of establishing rapid feedback loops among project partners. Agile communication and continuous exchange have proven essential for:
- Timely adaptation to unforeseen challenges
- Faster problem-solving
- Improved coordination among partners
- More effective project implementation
The team also emphasized the importance of transparently sharing both lessons learned and obstacles encountered.
By openly discussing difficulties and solutions, consortium partners can leverage multidisciplinary expertise and gain access to a wider range of perspectives, ultimately creating stronger and more diversified solutions.
Collaboration Across Diverse Communities
Among the project’s highlights, Engreen points to the stakeholder analysis conducted across different pilot sites.
Working with diverse operational contexts beyond the team’s usual scope provided a highly rewarding experience and deepened their understanding of local energy realities.
Another major milestone has been witnessing the steady progress of HARMONISE itself.
Seeing how the contributions of each partner are converging into a cohesive, sustainable, and high-value outcome for the consortium has been both motivating and inspiring.
One particularly memorable example of collaboration emerged during stakeholder engagement activities in rural districts.
In these communities, meaningful participation required communication in local national languages rather than English. This made collaboration with local Pilot Leaders especially important.
Their ability to bridge linguistic and cultural gaps enabled the consortium to capture authentic grassroots insights that became fundamental to the project’s inclusive approach.
This experience reinforced a key principle of HARMONISE: successful energy transitions must be built together with communities, not simply implemented for them.
Supporting Europe’s Energy Transition
Engreen believes its work within HARMONISE is contributing to broader transformations in Europe’s energy landscape.
By streamlining stakeholder mapping and pilot site setup, the team has helped ensure that project solutions remain grounded in real-world energy needs.
At a wider level, HARMONISE demonstrates the transformative potential of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs).
PEDs can significantly strengthen Europe’s energy resilience by decentralizing energy generation and reducing pressure on transmission infrastructure.
At the same time, these systems deliver important social and economic benefits, including:
- Tackling energy poverty
- Supporting local resilience
- Expanding access to sustainable energy
- Providing more stable and cost-effective energy solutions for communities
Engreen’s contribution also emphasizes the social dimension of energy innovation.
Through district-level energy sharing and community collaboration, the project helps align stakeholders around shared environmental goals while fostering stronger local cohesion.
A particularly important aspect of the work involves ensuring that vulnerable end-users gain inclusive access to sustainable and economically viable energy systems.
This approach transforms the energy transition into a collective effort that generates tangible benefits for both communities and the environment.
Looking Ahead: Testing and Validation in Vallevignale
Looking toward the next stages of the project, Engreen is especially excited about the upcoming testing and validation phase at the Vallevignale pilot site.
For the team, Vallevignale has long represented an “open-air laboratory” for sustainability.
The opportunity to achieve concrete results through HARMONISE in this community is viewed as both professionally rewarding and personally meaningful.
According to Federico Trezza, seeing the project deliver tangible outcomes will represent the ultimate reward for the team’s dedication and a way to honor the trust and commitment demonstrated by the local community.
Beyond testing activities, Engreen is also eager to explore how the HARMONISE tool can be integrated into the objectives of the existing energy community in Vallevignale.
The long-term vision is for the platform to become a practical management resource capable of helping the community streamline operations and achieve collective energy goals more effectively.
HARMONISE at Events and Community Activities
Throughout the project, Engreen has actively promoted HARMONISE through participation in important industry and stakeholder events.
Key moments included:
- Presentation of HARMONISE at KeyEnergy EXPO Rimini 2026
- Participation of HARMONISE by Engreen at BRIDGE GA 2025
- Day-to-day collaboration and operational activities carried out by the Engreen team
These activities have helped strengthen visibility, collaboration opportunities, and stakeholder engagement across the wider European energy community.
A Shared Vision for Inclusive Energy Solutions
Reflecting on the project experience, Federico Trezza summarized Engreen’s perspective with the following statement:
“HARMONISE has been a concrete example of how collaboration can turn research into practical solutions. In Vallevignale, we are working with partners to test inclusive and sustainable energy sharing models directly at local level.”
As HARMONISE continues to evolve, Engreen’s work highlights the importance of combining technical innovation with strong community engagement.
By connecting research, operational implementation, and local participation, the project is helping shape a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable energy future for Europe.