Partner Spotlight
Hive Power Driving Intelligent Energy Management in HARMONISE
As Europe accelerates its transition towards cleaner and smarter energy systems, collaboration and innovation remain at the heart of this transformation. Within the HARMONISE project, Hive Power is playing a key role in ensuring that advanced energy management solutions are successfully adapted, integrated, and validated in real-world environments.
Laura Casolo Ginelli, R&D Programme Manager at Hive Power, shares insights into the team’s journey, the challenges they have overcome, and what lies ahead as the project enters its exciting pilot validation phase.
Supporting Smarter Energy Systems
At Hive Power, the team’s primary responsibility within HARMONISE is to support the Swiss pilot activities while helping adapt the project’s developed solutions to the local energy ecosystem managed by AEM. Their work focuses on aligning advanced algorithms and data models with existing energy assets, ensuring that the solutions can operate effectively under real-world conditions.
Beyond pilot support, Hive Power also works closely with technical partners to translate the needs of users and grid operators into clear system requirements. This collaborative effort contributes to defining the overall system architecture that underpins the HARMONISE platform.
Strong Progress Through Collaboration
Now in its third year, HARMONISE has demonstrated the value of close cooperation across a diverse consortium.
According to Laura, one of the project’s greatest strengths has been the constructive collaboration among partners. The willingness to openly share knowledge, solve technical challenges together, and continuously support one another has created an environment where innovation can thrive. Combining technical expertise with practical experience has enabled the consortium to keep the project moving forward while addressing complex energy challenges.
Turning Positive Energy Districts into Intelligent Energy Systems
Hive Power’s contribution directly supports HARMONISE’s ambition of transforming Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) into actively and intelligently managed energy systems.
By integrating the developed technologies and working closely with AEM during the Swiss pilot, the team is helping validate innovative solutions under real operating conditions. This practical testing is essential for demonstrating how intelligent energy management can improve energy efficiency, flexibility, and system performance.
Overcoming Technical Challenges Together
Like many ambitious innovation projects, HARMONISE has encountered technical challenges along the way.
For Hive Power, one of the main challenges involved coordinating the technical setup of the Swiss pilot, particularly regarding the integration of multiple components developed by different partners.
The team addressed these challenges through continuous collaboration, regular technical discussions, and careful planning. Close coordination with on-site activities ensured communication issues were resolved quickly, while joint investigations helped guarantee reliable data exchange and seamless interoperability between the different systems.
These experiences also highlighted valuable lessons for the wider consortium. One important takeaway is the importance of building flexibility into project timelines, as technical integration often requires more time than initially anticipated. Equally important is involving all partners early and maintaining regular communication to identify issues sooner and develop effective solutions together.
Building Relationships Beyond Technology
While technical achievements are important, Laura highlights that some of the most rewarding moments have come from meeting consortium partners in person during the HARMONISE General Assembly events.
These face-to-face meetings have strengthened team spirit, encouraged open discussions, and fostered constructive feedback and collaborative problem-solving. Most importantly, they have helped build mutual trust among partners—an essential ingredient for successful international research and innovation projects.
Creating Value for Europe's Energy Future
Hive Power believes its work extends far beyond the Swiss pilot.
By developing and validating solutions that optimise the operation of distributed energy assets, the team is contributing to energy systems that are more flexible, efficient, and better prepared to accommodate increasing shares of renewable energy.
For stakeholders and end-users, these innovations offer tangible benefits, including:
- Better utilisation of local energy resources.
- Greater operational flexibility.
- Reduced energy costs.
- Improved grid stability.
- A smoother transition towards a more sustainable energy system.
Looking Ahead to Real-World Validation
As HARMONISE moves into its next phase, Hive Power is particularly excited about testing the developed solutions within the project pilots.
Pilot validation represents one of the most rewarding stages of any research project, providing the opportunity to see months of development come to life in real operating environments.
Looking forward, the team aims to validate the pilot use cases and demonstrate how intelligent energy management can deliver measurable benefits, including:
- Supporting peak shaving.
- Increasing renewable self-consumption within energy communities.
- Creating more flexible and efficient energy systems.
These demonstrations will provide valuable evidence of how advanced digital solutions can support Europe’s energy transition.
A Shared Vision for Smarter Energy
Reflecting on the experience so far, Laura captures the essence of Hive Power’s contribution with a simple but powerful message:
“Projects like HARMONISE show how intelligent energy management can turn distributed resources into real value for both the grid and consumers.”
As HARMONISE continues towards pilot demonstrations and validation, Hive Power remains committed to helping transform innovative research into practical solutions that support cleaner, smarter, and more resilient energy systems across Europe.