EUROPEAN RENEWABLE ENERGIES FEDERATION-FEDERATION EUROPEENNE DES ENERGIES RENOUVELABLES

Their core work

EREF is a Brussels-based federation representing the European renewable energy sector, advocating for policy frameworks and market conditions that support renewables deployment. In H2020 projects, they contribute sector-wide expertise on renewable energy policy, market analysis, and capacity building — acting as the voice of the renewables industry within research consortia. Their work spans from EU prosumer energy markets to exporting hydropower solutions to developing countries in Africa and Latin America.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

EREF's early H2020 work (2017-2018) focused on EU-internal renewable energy topics: prosumer grid integration and building a hydropower research roadmap. From 2019 onward, their focus broadened significantly — both geographically (hydropower export to Africa and Latin America) and thematically (island decarbonization, hydrogen economy, virtual power plants). The shift suggests a move from pure policy advocacy toward applied deployment support, especially in international and off-grid contexts.

EREF is moving from European renewables advocacy toward global deployment support, with growing interest in hydrogen and integrated island energy systems — signaling readiness for projects combining policy expertise with real-world implementation in emerging markets.

How they like to work

EREF participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as an industry federation that contributes policy knowledge and sector representation rather than leading technical research. They operate in medium-to-large consortia (69 unique partners across 4 projects), connecting with a wide range of organizations rather than repeating partnerships. This makes them a broad network connector: useful for consortia that need a credible renewables sector voice and access to industry contacts across Europe.

EREF has collaborated with 69 unique partners across 19 countries, reflecting strong pan-European and international reach. Their network spans universities, SMEs, utilities, and public bodies involved in renewable energy across the EU and developing countries.

What sets them apart

As a European renewables federation based in Brussels, EREF occupies a rare position: they are not a research lab or a company, but a sector-wide representative body with direct access to industry players and policymakers. This makes them valuable for projects that need dissemination to the renewables industry, policy analysis, or market uptake strategies. Their combination of EU policy proximity and growing international deployment experience (Africa, Latin America) is hard to replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HYPOSO
  Largest budget (EUR 243K) and most distinctive scope — exporting European hydropower expertise to five developing countries with concrete tools like GIS maps and business case studies.
• IANOS
  Most recent project (2020-2025) combining decarbonization, virtual power plants, geothermal hydrogen, and local energy communities — signals EREF's future direction.
• PV-Prosumers4Grid
  Highest single funding (EUR 257K) and earliest project, focused on prosumer aggregation models that have since become central to EU energy policy.