ADEPORTO - AGÊNCIA DE ENERGIA DO PORTO

Their core work

AdEPorto is Porto's municipal energy agency, working to improve energy efficiency, combat energy poverty, and accelerate renewable energy adoption across the city and its metropolitan area. They serve as a bridge between EU-funded research and local implementation, translating project outputs into concrete urban energy solutions — from positive energy districts to waste heat recovery. Their practical role is helping Porto's buildings, communities, and industries use energy more intelligently, with a strong civic mandate to ensure the energy transition reaches vulnerable populations.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

AdEPorto's early H2020 involvement (2018–2019) centred on industrial energy audits, waste heat recovery, and energy efficiency project financing — practical, infrastructure-heavy topics. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward citizen-facing smart city solutions: positive energy districts, energy poverty, peer-to-peer energy transactions, EV charging, and second-life batteries. This evolution mirrors Porto's broader ambition to become a climate-neutral city, moving AdEPorto from behind-the-scenes energy auditing toward visible, community-scale energy transformation.

AdEPorto is positioning itself as Porto's go-to agency for deploying positive energy districts and tackling energy poverty through renewable energy hubs — expect continued focus on community-scale, socially inclusive energy solutions.

How they like to work

AdEPorto operates primarily as a local implementation partner rather than a consortium leader, with 2 projects as third party, 2 as participant, and only 1 as coordinator (PEER). Their 104 unique partners across 22 countries indicate they are well-networked despite their modest project count — a sign they join large, ambitious consortia where cities serve as demonstration sites. Working with them means gaining access to Porto as a living lab for urban energy solutions, with a reliable local partner who handles on-the-ground deployment.

Despite only 5 projects, AdEPorto has built a broad European network of 104 partners across 22 countries, reflecting their participation in large smart city and energy demonstration consortia. Their network likely clusters around Southern European cities and energy agencies with similar climate and urban profiles.

What sets them apart

AdEPorto brings something many consortia need but struggle to find: a credible municipal energy agency with political mandate and local authority access in a major Southern European city. Porto serves as a real-world testbed for energy innovations, and AdEPorto is the organisation that makes pilot deployments happen on the ground. For any project needing a Portuguese demonstration site for urban energy, district heating, or energy poverty interventions, they are the natural partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PEER
  Their only coordinator role (EUR 289,925) — a flagship project directly focused on Porto's energy transition, addressing energy efficiency, energy poverty, and renewable energy hubs.
• ATELIER
  A major smart city project (running until 2026) with Amsterdam and Bilbao as co-cities, positioning Porto as a leading European positive energy district demonstrator.
• SO WHAT
  Expanded their profile beyond urban buildings into industrial waste heat recovery, thermal storage, and smart contract-based energy exchange — their most technically diverse project.