Decarbonising industry requires more than cleaner technologies. It requires new ways for companies to produce, share and manage energy together.
ENERGIZE is a LIFE Programme project that demonstrates how Industrial Renewable Energy Communities (IRECs) can become a practical solution for reducing emissions, improving energy resilience and accelerating industrial decarbonisation. Through four pilot industrial zones across Europe, the project validates cooperative energy models that enable businesses to collectively invest in renewable generation, flexibility and shared energy resources.
By combining technical innovation, business model development and stakeholder collaboration, ENERGIZE aims to make collaborative energy management a scalable reality for European industry.
Total project cost: 1.8M €
Why it matters
European industry remains one of the continent’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions while facing increasing energy costs and growing pressure to remain competitive. Although Renewable Energy Communities have proven their value in municipalities and residential settings, their adoption within industrial areas remains limited due to regulatory, financial and organisational barriers.
ENERGIZE addresses this gap by demonstrating that industrial companies can work together—not only to consume renewable electricity, but to jointly plan investments, optimise energy use and create new governance models that strengthen both competitiveness and sustainability.
The project shows that the energy transition becomes more effective when industries cooperate rather than act independently.
What the project does
ENERGIZE develops and validates cooperative energy models in four industrial pilot regions:
- Manresa (Catalonia, Spain)
- Valsesia (Italy)
- Zlín Region (Czech Republic)
- Upper Austria
Across these demonstration sites, the project:
- designs and tests Industrial Renewable Energy Community models;
- develops innovative governance, financial and business frameworks for industrial collaboration;
- demonstrates real-life renewable energy sharing solutions;
- creates digital training and capacity-building tools through a community-based Digital Hub;
- delivers an acceleration programme to support future industrial energy communities across Europe.
By validating these approaches in operational industrial environments, ENERGIZE creates practical pathways that other industrial parks can replicate.
Expected impact
ENERGIZE aims to prove that cooperative energy models can become a cornerstone of Europe’s industrial decarbonisation strategy.
The project is expected to:
- accelerate the creation of Industrial Renewable Energy Communities across Europe;
- reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions and increase renewable energy deployment;
- unlock new investments in sustainable industrial energy systems;
- strengthen technical skills through large-scale capacity building;
- provide validated governance and business models that can be replicated beyond the pilot regions;
- support policymakers with evidence-based approaches for scaling collaborative industrial energy solutions.
Ultimately, ENERGIZE demonstrates that collaboration can become a competitive advantage for European industry.
Engreen’s role
At Engreen, we bridge innovative energy community concepts with practical implementation.
Within ENERGIZE, we lead the analysis of business models that enable Industrial Renewable Energy Communities to operate successfully, identifying the most effective governance and participation frameworks for industrial stakeholders. At the same time, we coordinate the implementation of the Italian demonstration activities in Valsesia, transforming the territory into a real-world laboratory where collaborative industrial energy solutions are tested, validated and prepared for replication.
By connecting businesses, local stakeholders and Renewable Energy Communities, Engreen helps demonstrate how cooperation can become a practical tool for industrial decarbonisation.
Consortium
Coordinator
- IRIS Technology Solutions (Spain)
Project Partners
- Institut Català d’Energia (ICAEN) — Spain
- Estrats Consultoria Estratègica SL (ESTRATS) — Spain
- Three O’Clock — France
- Simbiosy Simbiosi Industrial SL (SÍMBIOSY) — Spain
- Energetická Agentura Zlínského Kraje OPS (EAZK) — Czech Republic
- Engreen Srl — Italy
- Federation Européenne des Agences et des Régions pour l’Énergie et l’Environnement (FEDARENE) — Belgium
- Energieinstitut an der Johannes Kepler Universität Linz Verein (EI-JKU) — Austria
Official website: https://www.energizecommunity.eu/
Funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101167570. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
