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How can neighbours come together to produce, share, and manage their own energy using solar panels, batteries, and smart software? That’s the challenge being tackled by RENvolveIT, an ambitious European research project that is developing modular digital tools for energy communities.

From rural villages to sprawling hospital complexes, energy communities across Europe are exploring ways to generate and share renewable energy locally. But navigating the technical, social, and legal complexity of such efforts can be daunting. RENvolveIT supports these communities with a “digital assistant” – a flexible toolbox of software solutions tailored to their specific needs.

Lego blocks for energy communities

“Think of it as LEGO blocks for energy communities,” says Luis Ramirez Camargo from Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��’s Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, one of the project partners. “Each community selects exactly the tools they need, whether it’s for planning solar power plants, managing members, or fairly distributing the energy they generate.”

Think of it as LEGO blocks for energy communities. Each community selects exactly the tools they need, whether it’s for planning solar power plants, managing members, or fairly distributing the energy they generate

The team has gathered input from over 45 community representatives across Europe. These insights have led to the definition of more than 240 functional requirements and over 30 user personas, forming the foundation for the platform’s development. A unified login system is currently under development, and a set of pilot tools – including energy optimization algorithms and smart integration systems – is in progress. Testing will soon begin in real-world communities in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

Supporting communities across Europe

In the Netherlands, two energy communities are participating in the pilot phase: Endona and Energie Coöperatie Loenen (ECL). Endona, based in Heeten, is building toward an energy-neutral Salland region by 2030, aiming to return profits to the local community through affordable, locally generated energy. ECL, founded in 2019 in the village of Loenen, focuses on community-driven sustainability, empowering residents to co-invest in renewable energy projects and tackle challenges like grid congestion and heating solutions.

International collaboration

On 24 June 2025, the RENvolveIT consortium held its second in-person meeting in Vienna, hosted by the Vienna ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� of Technology. The event brought together 25 researchers and practitioners from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. With the project six months underway, the meeting served as a key checkpoint to assess progress and coordinate the next development phase.

Diversity is both a feature and a strength of RENvolveIT. This heterogeneity is crucial to designing tools that truly support Europe’s transition to sustainable, community-led energy systems

“Diversity is both a feature and a strength of RENvolveIT,” says Luis Ramirez Camargo. The project brings together a wide range of energy communities – urban and rural, large and small – as well as researchers and practitioners from more than ten countries across the globe. “This heterogeneity is crucial to designing tools that truly support Europe’s transition to sustainable, community-led energy systems”.