On 16 December , SmartCORE was presented at the Interreg NWE Annual Event in Kirchberg, Luxembourg, bringing together projects, policymakers and practitioners united by a shared ambition: advancing community-led energy transitions across North-West Europe.
SmartCORE was featured in Track 4, “Community-led energy transitions”, concluding a series of four project pitches. The project was presented by Ben Scheitler, from the Luxembourg SmartCORE partner Energiepark Réiden, who outlined SmartCORE’s vision for empowering local energy communities in an increasingly complex and fast-changing market environment. The presentation was closely tailored to the Luxembourg pilot of the energy community in Beckerich, grounding SmartCORE’s approach in local realities and practical experience.
It highlighted the growing challenges faced by citizen energy initiatives today: mounting pressure from evolving market rules and declining support schemes, alongside the urgent need to reduce grid curtailment, strengthen local energy sharing and energy matching, and enable participation in balancing activities. These challenges were framed not only as obstacles, but as opportunities for communities to play a more active role in shaping the energy system.
SmartCORE was presented as a concrete and forward-looking response, developing data-driven services that support smarter energy management, informed decision-making and stronger local control - helping energy communities remain resilient, autonomous and future-ready.
Beyond the pitch session, SmartCORE was also
present in the exhibition area, where the project poster sparked inspiring
exchanges with fellow Interreg projects and stakeholders, reinforcing
the value of collaboration and shared learning in driving the energy transition
forward.