SciTransfer
IRIS · Project

Smart City Energy and Mobility Systems Tested Across 7 European Cities

energyPilotedTRL 7
irissmartcities.eu

Imagine seven cities across Europe agreeing to be living laboratories for smarter energy and transport. Utrecht, Gothenburg, and Nice each installed real solar panels, battery storage from retired electric buses, EV charging networks, and digital platforms to tie it all together — then four more cities learned how to copy those setups. The whole point was to prove these combinations actually work in real neighborhoods with real people, not just on paper. Think of it like a recipe book for cities that want to cut energy bills and pollution at the same time.

By the numbers
7
Cities tested (3 lighthouse + 4 follower)
57
Consortium partners
9
Countries represented
16
Integrated smart city solutions developed
5
Transition Tracks covering energy, mobility, ICT, data, and citizens
350
Volt DC microgrid demonstrated in Gothenburg
6
Buildings connected to low-temperature district heating system
28
Industry partners in consortium
89
Total project deliverables produced
The business problem

What needed solving

Cities across Europe are spending heavily on separate energy, mobility, and digital systems that don't talk to each other — leading to wasted investment, higher operating costs, and slow progress on emission targets. Municipal leaders and district developers need proven, integrated solutions they can deploy with confidence, not one-off experiments that work in a lab but fail on the street.

The solution

What was built

Physical smart city infrastructure deployed across 3 European cities: solar PV and BIPV installations, geothermal heating, a 350 V DC microgrid, 2nd life battery storage from electric buses, PCM thermal cooling storage, low-temperature district heating for 6 buildings, V2G electric vehicle integration, a City Innovation Platform with FIWARE-based reference architecture and open APIs, and citizen engagement tools — all documented across 89 deliverables with replication guides for 4 additional follower cities.

Audience

Who needs this

District energy companies designing integrated renewable heating and cooling networksMunicipal smart city offices planning digital infrastructure and data platformsEV fleet operators exploring vehicle-to-grid and 2nd life battery storageUrban real estate developers building near-zero energy districtsCity Innovation Platform vendors seeking validated reference architectures
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Urban energy services
enterprise
Target: District energy companies and utilities managing city-level heating and cooling networks

If you are a district energy provider struggling with balancing renewable supply and demand — this project demonstrated a 350 V DC microgrid, low-temperature district heating for 6 buildings, PCM thermal storage for cooling, and 2nd life battery storage from electric buses in Gothenburg. These tested configurations can help you design flexible energy districts that absorb more renewables without grid instability.

Smart city technology
mid-size
Target: City Innovation Platform vendors and urban data integration companies

If you are a technology company building digital platforms for municipalities — this project created a reference architecture for City Innovation Platforms using FIWARE components and open APIs, tested across 3 lighthouse cities and 4 followers. The technical specifications and governance models from 57 partners across 9 countries give you a validated blueprint for smart city data infrastructure.

Electric mobility
mid-size
Target: Fleet operators and EV charging infrastructure companies

If you are a fleet operator or charging network company looking to integrate vehicle-to-grid storage — this project piloted V2G solutions and 2nd life battery reuse from electric buses in real urban districts. With 28 industry partners validating the business models, you get proven integration patterns for combining EV charging with building energy management.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to replicate these smart city solutions in my district?

The project data does not include specific per-unit costs or budget breakdowns. However, the 16 integrated solutions were designed as mix-and-match modules, meaning cities can adopt individual components (e.g., just solar PV + storage) rather than the full package. Contact the coordinator for cost benchmarking data from the 3 lighthouse deployments.

Can these solutions scale beyond demonstration districts?

Yes — the entire project was structured for replication. Three lighthouse cities demonstrated the solutions, then four follower cities adapted them to their own conditions across different climates and regulatory environments. The 5 Transition Tracks with 16 integrated solutions were specifically designed so cities can select what fits their needs.

What is the IP situation — can I license these technologies?

IRIS was a publicly funded Innovation Action with 57 partners. The City Innovation Platform reference architecture uses open standards including FIWARE components and open APIs. Individual hardware solutions (solar PV, battery storage, geothermal) use commercially available technologies. Specific IP arrangements would need to be discussed with the coordinator GEMEENTE UTRECHT.

Has this actually been tested in real conditions?

Yes — extensively. Gothenburg demonstrated solar PV installations, geothermal bore holes, a 350 V DC microgrid, low-temperature district heating for 6 buildings, PCM thermal storage, and 2nd life battery integration. Nice deployed citizen engagement platforms and city data infrastructure. Utrecht served as overall coordinator. All ran in real neighborhoods with real residents over a 5.5-year project period.

What regulations or standards does this comply with?

The City Innovation Platform was built on FIWARE standards with documented API specifications and a published reference architecture. The project addressed EU smart city standards and interoperability requirements under the SCC-1 call. Specific regulatory compliance details for energy installations would vary by national jurisdiction.

How long did deployment take in the pilot cities?

The project ran from October 2017 to March 2023 — approximately 5.5 years total. This included design, physical installation, testing, citizen engagement, and replication planning. Individual solution deployments like the Gothenburg microgrid or Nice data platform were subsets of this timeline.

Is there ongoing support or a community around these solutions?

The project website irissmartcities.eu was maintained during the project. With 57 consortium partners including 28 industry players and 7 universities across 9 countries, there is a substantial knowledge network. The follower city replication model means documented deployment guides exist for adapting solutions to new contexts.

Consortium

Who built it

The IRIS consortium is unusually large at 57 partners across 9 European countries, with a strong industry presence — 28 industry partners making up 49% of the consortium, plus 8 SMEs. This signals real commercial intent, not just academic research. The coordinator is the City of Utrecht (a public body), which means municipal decision-makers drove the project rather than researchers. With 7 universities and 7 research organizations providing technical depth, and 15 other organizations (likely including city administrations and NGOs) ensuring practical relevance, this consortium was built to deploy real infrastructure in real cities. For a business considering these solutions, the diversity of partners means battle-tested interoperability across different national regulations, climates, and city governance models.

How to reach the team

GEMEENTE UTRECHT (City of Utrecht, Netherlands) — a public administration. Search for IRIS Smart Cities project coordinator at Utrecht municipality for the responsible contact person.

Order a report on this consortiumSee GEMEENTE UTRECHT profile →
Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to access the tested smart city configurations, reference architectures, or connect with IRIS consortium partners for your city or district project? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the right technical contact.

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