The Horizon Europe project marks its first year with two key milestones: a successful webinar exploring the motivations and barriers influencing citizen participation in Renewable Energy Communities, and a consortium meeting beginning on 14 October at Empa, where partners will visit the project’s Swiss demonstration facilities.
Brussels, 12 October 2026. The European project SOCIAREM (Solar Open Community Instruments for All Residents in Europe and the Mediterranean region), funded by the Horizon Europe programme, celebrates its first anniversary with two important milestones highlighting the progress achieved during its first year.
Following the successful organisation of its webinar “Designing Renewable Energy Communities Around People”on Thursday, 24 September, the SOCIAREM consortium will meet this Wednesday, 14 October, at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, in Switzerland.
The meeting will bring together project partners to assess the progress made since SOCIAREM’s launch in October 2025, strengthen collaboration across its different work packages and discuss the next steps towards the development and demonstration of its innovative solutions.
Together, these activities reflect SOCIAREM’s approach to the energy transition: combining technological innovation with a deeper understanding of citizens’ needs to make Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) more accessible, efficient and inclusive.
Understanding the people behind the energy transition
On 24 September, SOCIAREM held the webinar “Designing Renewable Energy Communities Around People”, bringing together representatives of the European Commission, researchers and innovation experts to explore the social factors influencing participation in Renewable Energy Communities.
The session featured Katharina Hartmann, Policy Assistant at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER), who discussed the European policy context for energy communities, and Francisco Martín Martínez, SOCIAREM Project Coordinator at Universidad Pontificia Comillas, who introduced the project’s objectives and progress.
One of the webinar’s central contributions was the presentation of SOCIAREM’s citizen research by Sonia Etxebarría, Founder and CEO of Akuyari.
The findings revealed that citizens approach energy communities from different perspectives. While some are primarily motivated by reducing their electricity bills, others
prioritise sustainability, energy independence, or the opportunity to participate in collective initiatives.
To better understand these differences, the research identified a series of user archetypes representing distinct needs, behaviours and motivations. The profiles provide valuable insights into how Renewable Energy Communities can be designed to respond to different types of users, rather than assuming that everyone shares the same priorities.
These findings will inform the development of SOCIAREM’s digital and social tools, helping ensure that technological solutions respond to the practical needs of citizens.
SOCIAREM partners gather at Empa to mark the project’s first year
Building on this first-year progress, SOCIAREM will hold its upcoming consortium meeting at Empa, Switzerland, beginning on Wednesday, 14 October 2026.
The meeting represents an opportunity for the consortium to review the achievements of the project’s first 12 months and coordinate the next stages of its implementation.
Partners will discuss developments across SOCIAREM’s different work packages, covering social research, digital tools, energy technologies, business models and demonstration activities.
A key highlight of the meeting will be the visit to Empa’s demonstration facilities, where consortium members will gain insight into the environment in which SOCIAREM’s solutions will be tested.
The Swiss demonstration site forms part of SOCIAREM’s wider approach to validating innovative solutions in real-world environments. Alongside demonstration activities planned in Cyprus, Portugal and Italy, it will contribute to assessing how the project’s tools can support the development and operation of Renewable Energy Communities under different conditions.
The visit will also provide an opportunity to connect the project’s social research findings with its technological developments, ensuring that the solutions being designed address both technical requirements and citizens’ expectations.
One year of progress towards more inclusive energy communities
Since its launch in October 2025, SOCIAREM has been working to address the challenges that can prevent citizens from participating in Renewable Energy Communities.
The project combines research into citizens’ motivations and behaviours with the development of innovative technological solutions, including tools for photovoltaic planning, energy management, optimisation and citizen engagement.
By integrating these different perspectives, SOCIAREM seeks to support energy communities that are not only technically efficient but also financially sustainable, socially inclusive and accessible to a wider range of participants.
As SOCIAREM enters its second year, the consortium will continue advancing its technological developments, strengthening cooperation between partners and preparing its solutions for demonstration across Europe and the Mediterranean region.
About SOCIAREM
SOCIAREM (Solar Open Community Instruments for All Residents in Europe and the Mediterranean region) is a European project funded by the Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101235482.
Launched on 1 October 2025, the project brings together 15 partners over 42 months to develop innovative social and technical instruments supporting the creation, management and participation of citizens in Renewable Energy Communities.
Coordinated by Universidad Pontificia Comillas (Spain), SOCIAREM combines expertise in renewable energy, digital technologies, social sciences, business models and citizen engagement to contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable European energy transition.