Overview:
The world is facing a rapid shift toward renewable energy, but many regions still struggle with outdated infrastructure and limited access to sustainable solutions. Energy poverty remains a major issue, especially in rural and underserved areas. At the same time, fostering innovation in the energy sector is essential for a successful transition. To overcome these challenges, collaboration between local communities, governments and industries is key. In this context, the EU-funded ECHO project will set up energy community and energy services excellence hubs in Greece, Portugal and Turkey. These hubs will help speed up the energy transition by building innovation networks. ECHO will create pilot projects to demonstrate new energy solutions, focusing on community-driven models and sustainable practices.Project ID: 101185725
Programme: Horizon Europe
Duration: 1 December 2024 – 30 November 2028
EU Funding: ~€5 million
Coordinator: Yildiz Technical University (Turkey)
Website: Official page
Funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, ECHO is a four-year journey to rethink how we design and support energy communities. Spanning Türkiye, Greece and Portugal, ECHO sets out to build Excellence Hubs: locally rooted, cross-sectoral spaces where public institutions, researchers, innovators, and citizens come together to change the game of energy transition from the ground up. These hubs will become more than coordination platforms they are instruments of capacity, of trust-building, of structural change.
At a time when Europe needs both speed and fairness in its green transition, ECHO focuses on what truly makes the difference: equipping local ecosystems with the tools, networks, and autonomy to shape their own energy futures.