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Deploying innovative positive energy districts

Objective

DEPLOY-PED accelerates the transition from isolated Positive Energy District (PED) pilots to municipality-wide Positive Energy Municipalities (PEMs). Building on the PED Framework 3.0 and lessons from Europe’s “100 PEDs” movement, it addresses the “piloting trap”: many PEDs remain small experiments (often relying on virtual boundaries) with limited contribution to municipal climate targets and possible unequal benefits. DEPLOY-PED integrates PEDs into city and regional energy planning by combining territorial capability assessment and PED zoning, co-creation and governance innovation (effectiveness, legitimacy, justice), and deployment-ready solutions for multi-carrier integration (electricity, heating/cooling, mobility) and flexibility.

The project validates a replicable PED-to-PEM blueprint across six demonstrators in Europe plus Canada, spanning diverse contexts (brownfield redevelopment, district-heating housing areas, renewable-island municipality, and villages outside district heating). Five replicator cities/regions adapt and stress-test the approach. In each case, Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) are empowered as delivery partners.

DEPLOY-PED delivers seven interoperable digital solutions spanning planning and readiness assessment, digital twins, IoT monitoring, immersive VR engagement/training, and AI-based forecasting and optimisation. These are packaged with open-access toolkits, an operational collaboration hub, investment and policy instruments, and targeted capacity building. Outcomes include stronger ability to achieve net-positive annual district energy balances and export excess renewables, measurable gains in inclusiveness and public acceptance, and scalable pathways for municipalities to institutionalise PED principles within planning and governance—supporting an efficient, inclusive and resilient European building stock and energy system.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL5-2026-02

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Coordinator

EIMUR
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 049 500,19
Address
BREKKUGOTU 1 B
600 AKUREYRI
Iceland

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Region
Ísland Ísland Landsbyggð
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Participants (19)