The HARMONISE consortium convened for its third General Assembly on 10 June 2025, bringing together all partners to share progress, align strategies, and advance the development of integrated smart energy solutions. This comprehensive meeting marked the conclusion of the project’s first year, with the finalization of Work Package 1 and a detailed overview of the ongoing activities across other work packages. The discussion also set clear priorities and targets for the second year of implementation.
Strategic Overview by CERTH
The meeting opened with a strategic presentation by CERTH, providing an update on the project’s overall status and outlining the roadmap for the upcoming phases. The presentation emphasized the importance of continuous collaboration and integration across technical and non-technical work packages to realize the shared vision of smart, sustainable, and interoperable energy communities.
WP1 – Completion of Year One: Defining the Foundation
Led by TalTech, with contributions from EnGreen, MiWenergía, and CERTH
Work Package 1 successfully concluded its activities covering the first nine months of the project (June 2024 – February 2025), laying the groundwork for the platform’s technical development.
EnGreen and CERTH led the mapping of stakeholders across the four pilot sites, conducting surveys and structured interviews. These findings were consolidated in Deliverable D1.1, which outlines a comprehensive set of user needs. TalTech analyzed the regulatory and policy landscape in Deliverable D1.2, identifying key interoperability barriers affecting Positive Energy Districts.
MiWenergía defined Key Performance Indicators and evaluation metrics in Deliverable D1.3, ensuring alignment with the project’s use cases. TalTech also developed detailed use case scenarios and platform requirements in Deliverable D1.4. The final system architecture and interoperability framework, delivered by CERTH in D1.5, provides the essential technical foundation for the entire HARMONISE platform.
The outputs from WP1 now serve as critical inputs for Work Packages 2, 3, 4, and 5, ensuring consistency and technical coherence across all project activities.
WP2 – Architecture and Interoperability: Building a Robust Digital Backbone
Led by MAPS, with participation from TalTech, EnGreen, MiWenergía, and CIRCE
The WP2 team presented the ongoing development of the HARMONISE interoperability platform, highlighting its focus on scalability, standardization, and robust security.
A logical messaging hierarchy was introduced, structuring data flow from general to specific using the path: Tenant / Site / Area / AssetID / Property / MessageType. This hierarchy enables streamlined and accurate routing of information across the system.
To ensure flexible access control in complex, multi-tenant environments, the team developed a permissions model using MQTT wildcards. On the security front, a zero trust architecture has been implemented, incorporating micro-segmentation, enforced authentication, and containment strategies to minimize potential breaches.
In terms of context management, the team evaluated several NGSI-LD context brokers. After thorough assessment, Scorpio was selected due to its microservices-based architecture, Kafka-backed event bus, multi-tenancy, support for temporal queries, and alignment with the FIWARE ecosystem—all of which meet HARMONISE’s deployment needs.
WP3 – Smart Tools and Applications
Led by CERTH, with contributions from DUTH, HEXERGY, CIRCE, and MAPS
Work Package 3 presented early-stage developments of intelligent energy services. These include AI-based forecasting tools, advanced decision-making support systems, and a user-facing interface that delivers real-time feedback and behavioral nudges to promote efficient energy consumption. These tools aim to optimize both individual and network-level energy performance.
WP4 – Pilot and Stakeholder Preparations
Led by EnGreen, SIN, and pilot owners
Progress in pilot site preparation was reviewed, including hardware selection, site readiness assessments, and the definition of tailored deployment plans. A dedicated Interoperability Working Group has been established to lead software integration planning and guide the development of the implementation roadmap. Key deliverables are expected by August 2025.
WP6 & WP7 – Dissemination, Exploitation, and Impact Boosting
Led by KINNON, with support from ECD, EnGreen, and UNE
KINNON presented the communication and dissemination achievements for Year 1, including Deliverables D6.3 and D6.4. The strategy integrates scientific dissemination, storytelling, digital outreach, and targeted messaging tailored to diverse audiences including citizens, policymakers, and industry stakeholders. KINNON also introduced the exploitation roadmap for Year 2, which focuses on aligning dissemination with strategic use case development and real-world impact.
UNE introduced the standardization approach developed under Task 6.6. The strategy maps out relevant technical committees and existing standards across smart cities, energy systems, and ICT domains. The goal is to ensure HARMONISE innovations are aligned with global standardization efforts. UNE is preparing to engage with key international bodies such as ISO, IEC, and CEN/CENELEC, aiming to contribute to and shape emerging interoperability standards.
WP9 – Project Management and Administrative Coordination
Presented by CERTH
The meeting concluded with a project management session led by CERTH, covering administrative, legal, and financial obligations. Emphasis was placed on accurate cost tracking, proper effort reporting, and timely submissions through the EU portal. These processes are essential for compliance and preparing for the upcoming project review.
Conclusion
The General Assembly reinforced HARMONISE’s commitment to delivering an interoperable, scalable, and secure energy platform. With the first year completed and foundational work packages finalized, the consortium is now fully focused on platform integration, testing, and pilot deployment. The collective expertise, dedication, and coordination across partners continue to drive the project forward toward its mission of empowering the energy communities of tomorrow.
