NRG2peers · Project

Gamified Platform Helping Neighborhoods Trade Energy and Cut Bills Together

energyPilotedTRL 6

Imagine your neighborhood could buy and sell solar energy to each other like trading cards — except it saves everyone money and cuts CO2. NRG2peers built a platform that does exactly that: it helps groups of residents figure out if they're ready to become an energy community, then optimizes how they share electricity, and uses game-like rewards to keep everyone motivated. Think of it as a fitness app, but instead of tracking steps, it tracks how well your street shares clean energy. They tested it with real households in the Netherlands and ran simulations in Italy, Spain, and Slovenia.

By the numbers

consortium partners developing the platform

countries with pilot sites (BE, ES, IT, NL, SI)

platform levels (readiness assessment, demand-response, P2P trading)

readiness dimensions assessed (Organisational, Institutional, Market, Technological, Social)

project deliverables produced

47%

industry ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Residential energy communities sound great in theory — neighbors sharing solar power, cutting bills, reducing emissions. In practice, most communities never get off the ground because nobody knows if they're legally ready, technically capable, or financially viable. Even those that start often struggle with low engagement and inefficient energy sharing among members.

The solution

What was built

A 3-level gamified platform: Level 1 assesses community readiness across 5 dimensions (organisational, institutional, market, technological, social); Level 2 provides smart demand-response optimization for community-level energy consumption; Level 3 uses behavioural nudging for peer-to-peer renewable energy trading. Validated at Dutch pilot sites with real operational data and at Italian, Slovenian, and Spanish sites through simulations and feasibility studies. 25 deliverables produced in total.

Audience

Who needs this

Energy cooperatives looking to launch or scale peer-to-peer trading among membersProperty developers building energy-positive residential districtsMunicipal utilities wanting to offer community energy productsESCOs (Energy Service Companies) expanding into residential community servicesLocal governments implementing Clean Energy Package provisions for citizen energy communities

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Residential energy cooperatives

SME

Target: Energy cooperatives and community energy initiatives

If you are an energy cooperative struggling to get residents engaged and trading energy efficiently — this project developed a 3-level gamified platform that assesses your community's readiness across 5 dimensions (organisational, institutional, market, technological, social), then optimizes demand-response to cut peak loads, and uses behavioural nudges to maximize local renewable energy use. Validated with real households across 5 countries.

Real estate and property development

mid-size

Target: Housing developers building new residential districts

If you are a property developer planning a new residential district and want to offer built-in energy sharing as a selling point — this project created readiness assessment tools and a peer-to-peer energy trading platform tested in Dutch pilot sites with measured operational data. It gives you a turnkey approach to make your development energy-smart from day one, attracting eco-conscious buyers.

Energy services and utilities

enterprise

Target: Municipal utilities and ESCOs looking to offer community energy products

If you are a municipal utility or energy service company looking to launch community energy products but unsure where to start — this project mapped the legal, financial, and technical viability of peer-to-peer energy communities across 5 EU countries. Their platform includes smart demand-response mechanisms targeting financial savings, CO2 reduction, and local energy self-reliance for residential customers.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this platform in our community?

The project data does not include specific licensing or deployment costs. As a Coordination and Support Action with 15 partners, the platform was developed for pilot validation rather than commercial sale. Contact the coordinator to discuss potential licensing or partnership arrangements.

Can this scale beyond small neighborhoods to entire districts or cities?

The platform was designed with 3 levels that can serve communities at different maturity stages — from initial readiness assessment to full peer-to-peer energy trading. It was tested across 5 countries (BE, ES, IT, NL, SI) in both real and simulated environments, suggesting it can adapt to different regulatory and market contexts. Scaling to city-wide deployment would likely require additional infrastructure integration.

Who owns the IP and can we license this technology?

The consortium of 15 partners across 5 countries developed this platform collaboratively. IP is likely shared among consortium members. The coordinator HUYGEN INGENIEURS & ADVISEURS B.V. (Netherlands, SME) would be the first point of contact for licensing discussions.

Does this comply with EU energy community regulations?

Yes — the project explicitly designed its assessment schemes to be compliant with national and EU legislation. Level 1 of the platform collects experiences from operative P2P energy communities whose frameworks are already legally compliant, and delivers readiness indicators to support policy at member state and EU level.

How long does it take to set up an energy community using this platform?

Based on available project data, the platform operates in 3 progressive levels: readiness assessment, demand-response optimization, and peer-to-peer trading. The project ran for over 3 years across pilot sites, but actual community setup timelines using the finished tools are not specified in the data.

Can this integrate with our existing smart meters and energy management systems?

The platform includes smart demand-response mechanisms to optimize energy consumption and peak demand at community level, and uses privacy-aware learning mechanisms. The Dutch pilot sites used real measured and operational performance data, suggesting integration with existing metering infrastructure is feasible. Specific technical integration requirements are not detailed in the objective.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a well-balanced consortium of 15 partners from 5 countries, with a strong industry presence at 47% — unusually high for an EU project. The 7 industry partners and 5 SMEs signal genuine commercial interest, not just academic exercise. The coordinator HUYGEN INGENIEURS & ADVISEURS is a Dutch engineering consultancy (SME), which means the project was led by a company that understands both technical delivery and business needs. The geographic spread across Belgium, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, and Slovenia provides diverse regulatory testing grounds for energy community models. With only 2 universities in the mix, this consortium was built to do, not just to study.

HUYGEN INGENIEURS & ADVISEURS B.VCoordinator · NL
COMITE EUROPEEN DE COORDINATION DE L'HABITAT SOCIAL AISBLparticipant · BE
AUG.Eparticipant · BE
Inovacijsko-razvojni institut Univerze v Ljubljaniparticipant · SI
INSTITUTO VALENCIANO DE LA EDIFICACION FUNDACIONparticipant · ES
GECKOTECH BVparticipant · NL
DUNEWORKS BVparticipant · NL
ALGINET DISTRIBUCION ENERGIA ELECTRICA SOCIEDAD LIMITADAparticipant · ES
COMUNE DI MILANOparticipant · IT
SPECTRAL ENTERPRISE BVparticipant · NL
UNION INTERNATIONALE DE LA PROPRIETE IMMOBILIEREparticipant · BE
POLITECNICO DI MILANOparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PERUGIAparticipant · IT

How to reach the team

HUYGEN INGENIEURS & ADVISEURS B.V. (Netherlands) — Dutch engineering SME, likely reachable through their company website or LinkedIn

Order a report on this consortium See HUYGEN INGENIEURS & ADVISEURS B.V profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the NRG2peers team to discuss deploying their energy community platform? SciTransfer can arrange a direct meeting with the coordinator and relevant technical partners.

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