Sustainability targets and climate change objectives cannot be met without addressing buildings and the built environment at the building, district and urban scale to include our transport and energy infrastructures. Renowned for showcasing results coming out of the EU Horizon 2020 and EU Horizon Europe Framework Programme via the participation of cutting-edge research and innovation projects, the scope of the Sustainable Places Conference is captured directly in its name. Sustainable Places prides itself on being an ideal platform for the dissemination of research, the conduct of workshops, EU project clustering and networking between stakeholders of all types.

We are happy to announce that the SINERGY project was presented at the SUSTAINABLE PLACES 2023 Conference (Madrid, Spain) by Luis Miguel Blanes Restoy and Marcus M. Keane from University of Galway, as part of the "energy communities" session. The presentation titled: "SINERGY: Three living laboratories strengthening research capacity in smart energy management." focused in the 3 project pilots of the SINERGY project. After the presentation a long discussion took place on the particular measurement equipment of the Galway Pilot.

Recording of the conference session is available in the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVG2aoxEFYo&t=1s

Abstract: The SINERGY project aims to strengthen the research capacity of the Institute Mihajlo Pupin (IMP) as a regional Centre of Excellence in smart energy management. By achieving this recognition, IMP will advocate for the value of smart energy management technologies, coordinate research endeavours, and consolidate limited research resources in the Southeast Europe region. IMP seeks to foster collaboration with leading external entities within the EU to fully integrate into the European Research Area (ERA). Through these efforts, the project aims to effectively disseminate outcomes, including strategies, policies, training courses, and webinars, while supporting regional companies and institutions in enhancing their competitiveness. Collaborations with the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GMBH and University of Galway will enable IMP to enhance its research potential in advanced smart grids and building operational efficiency. Strengthening IMP's human resources, engaging young researchers, and fostering networking channels with distinguished researchers from abroad are crucial components of this vision. Additionally, the project aims to establish a knowledge and technology transfer platform equipped with the necessary infrastructure and equipment. This communication for Sustainable Places 2023 provides updates on the three living laboratories incorporated in the SINERGY project. These pilot initiatives serve as living laboratories for the purpose of testing and validation: The first pilot at AIT, known as "Smart Grid Technologies," aims to demonstrate grid-level techniques and technologies, including relevant smart grid concepts and the integration of distributed smart grid elements. This pilot utilizes the facilities of the AIT, specifically the EnergyBase and TechBase buildings, as well as the laboratory facilities within AIT, such as the AIT SmartEST Laboratory. The second pilot involves several installations at IMP campus such as newly installed PV plant. The surveillance and control system for this power plant includes miniature RTU pAtlas units produced by IMP Automation & Control Systems, meteorological sensors, communication interfaces with the inverter and power meter, and SCADA View 4 software developed by IMP Automation & Control Systems. Real-time and archival data on the power plant's operation, as well as meteorological data, are accessible through a web browser. The third pilot is the Alice Perry Engineering Building at the University of Galway campus, designed as a living laboratory. It boasts an extensive database comprising more than 1,800 sensors that collect near real-time minute data. Recent developments are a PV 50.32kW array Trina Solar PV system generating 41,101kWh of renewable energy, and offsetting 57,426kg of CO2. and a ground source heat pump project, part of H2020 project GEOFIT recently completed, with innovative distributed temperature sensing (DTS) technology and smart model-based operation.