On 27 November, HEDGE-IoT consortium partners CEVE and INESC TEC hosted the first dissemination session of the Vale d’Este Living Lab, marking an important step in bringing energy innovation directly to local communities.
The session gathered around 45 invited customers, carefully selected based on their consumption profiles. While a smaller group of around 10 participants attended, their engagement was exceptionally high—demonstrating genuine interest, curiosity, and motivation to take part in shaping next-generation energy solutions.
A Living Lab Designed for Long-Term Innovation
The Vale d’Este Living Lab is being developed as a continuous experimental environment, enabling CEVE and its partners to test multiple innovative energy solutions over time, directly with real consumers.
This long-term approach allows:
continuous evaluation of emerging technologies,
testing in real-world scenarios,
and direct involvement of citizens in co-creating smarter and more sustainable energy practices.
HEDGE-IoT: Bringing Digital Energy Innovation to Households
During the event, Vasco Campos, researcher at INESC TEC, presented the HEDGE-IoT project and explained how participating households will contribute to the development of energy flexibility services.
Through simple shifts or optimisations in their daily energy consumption, households in the Living Lab will help:
test new digital tools,
enhance grid stability,
and support more efficient energy management across the system.
Participants expressed strong interest, asked insightful questions, and showed readiness to be involved in the upcoming testing phases of HEDGE-IoT.
Empowering Citizens Through Innovation
For CEVE, this session highlights how innovation can be brought directly to citizens—ensuring energy users are not passive recipients of new technologies but active contributors to the energy transition.
“The HEDGE-IoT project offers a valuable opportunity to involve real users in shaping future energy solutions. Working closely with the community allows us to better understand needs, opportunities, and how to support a more flexible and sustainable energy system.” — CEVE
Moving Forward Together
The successful first session marks the beginning of a collaborative journey between CEVE, INESC TEC, and the local community as part of the HEDGE-IoT project.
Together, they are building a more flexible, sustainable, and participatory energy future, powered by digital innovation and citizen engagement.