LUMENS (Leading Utility-scale RES Market Expansion towards Next-generation Energy Systems) is a Horizon Europe project focused on accelerating the integration of utility-scale renewable energy plants into the European energy system.

The project addresses one of the key bottlenecks of the energy transition: moving from installed capacity to real market integration—ensuring that large-scale solar and wind plants are not only built, but effectively operated, accepted, and economically viable.

Total project cost: € 1,999,506.25

Why it matters

Europe is scaling renewable energy, but not fast enough.

Grid constraints, regulatory complexity, limited flexibility, and growing local opposition (“Not In My Backyard” and “Not In My Grid”) are slowing down deployment and undermining project viability.

At the same time, uncertainty around market dynamics and investment frameworks makes large-scale projects harder to finance and operate.

Without addressing these structural barriers, renewable energy cannot fully deliver on its role in achieving net-zero targets.

What the project does

LUMENS works on three interconnected levels:

• Stakeholder engagement
  Building a multi-actor ecosystem involving TSOs, DSOs, market operators, developers, and local stakeholders to align technical, regulatory, and social perspectives.
• Knowledge and tools
  Developing an open-source toolkit with analytical and decision-support tools for:
  • plant location and sizing
  • hybridisation strategies
  • market performance prediction
  • operational optimisation
• Market and policy framework
  Producing actionable insights on:
  • financial models and risk mitigation
  • regulatory frameworks
  • grid integration and flexibility
  • social acceptance strategies

The project focuses primarily on utility-scale photovoltaic and wind plants, as key drivers of decarbonisation.

Expected impact

LUMENS contributes to making large-scale renewable energy:

• More competitive
  by improving planning, operation, and market integration of RES plants
• More bankable
  through clearer financial and regulatory frameworks
• More accepted
  by addressing social and environmental concerns early in the process
• More integrated
  by improving grid flexibility and system resilience

Ultimately, the project supports the transition toward a cost-effective, secure, and scalable renewable energy system in Europe, aligned with 2030 net-zero targets.

Engreen’s role

Engreen leads stakeholder engagement activities within LUMENS.

The focus is on understanding and addressing the factors that influence the social acceptance of utility-scale renewable energy projects, through:

• advanced analytics and behavioural studies
• participatory co-design processes
• direct interaction with local and sector stakeholders

This work ensures that technical solutions are aligned with real-world conditions and can be effectively implemented.

Consortium

Coordinator

• Fundación CIRCE – Centro de Investigación de Recursos y Consumos Energéticos

Partners

• Instytut Ochrony Środowiska – PIB
• White Research SRL
• Engreen SRL
• ERG S.p.A.
• EDP CNET
• ELES
• Hellenic Energy Exchange (HEnEx)
• CLERENS

Target countries

Spain, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Greece

Official website: https://www.lumens-project.eu/