Boosting urban solar revolution for Central Europe

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B Central Europe

Date of latest update: 2025-10-08

Description

Description (EN):

Solar4CE-Cities aims to response the recent energy crisis pressures on CE region having a heavy dependence on natural gas import. Volatile energy prices and growing energy bills evenly affect all actors, such as public bodies, municipalities, institutions, citizens and businesses. Combatting this can be best achieved by a swift solar power penetration in cities. Widescale deployment of PV panels on rooftops, also set as a key intention by EU Solar Strategy, are impeded by administrative, technological, financial, and knowledge barriers faced by citizens and other end-users in lack of supportive policy frameworks. To tackle this joint transnational challenge, 3 local public authority and infrastructure service provider partners from Budapest, Udine and Maribor, supported by 2 higher education and research organisations partners from Austria and Germany, will commonly develop replicable solutions, focusing on the novel concept of prosumption. To bring a real change, transnational cooperation is central because cities joining forces can elaborating efficient transferable tools and strategies, as well as stimulate national governances to take effective steps to clear policy obstacles, while also providing a bottom-up support. To achieve this, Solar4CE-Cities will jointly assess the feasibility of complementary collective and cross-sectoral prosumer schemes, establish innovative business models and pilot communities adopting them, co-developing a transnational strategy promoting urban prosumerism and translate it to tailored local actions via an overall active involvement of stakeholders including citizens. Solar4CE-Cities Mission alliance formed by PPs and APs will bring forward the results also after the project lifetime. In three years of cooperation efficient policy tools set up are expected to lead to wide-spreading of urban solar power which will contribute to both strengthen energy security of CE cities and regions, and reach climate neutrality targets.

Actual Achievements (EN):

Project outputs: Solar4CE-Cities Mission founded(EN)
Transnational Solar4CE-Cities Strategy(EN)
Collective prosumer pilot actions(EN)
Solar4CE-Cities Handbook of collective and cross-sectoral solar prosumer business models(EN)
City action plans on solar penetration boosted by a prosumption enabling framework(EN)

Thematic information

Evaluation systems and results Renewable energy

Priority: (VI-B_CE_2) Cooperating for a greener central Europe

Priority specific objective: RSO2.1. Promoting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO2 A greener, low-carbon transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe by promoting clean and fair energy transition, green and blue investment, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk prevention and management, and sustainable urban mobility

Type of intervention: 044 Energy efficiency renovation or energy efficiency measures regarding public infrastructure, demonstration projects and supporting measures

Partners (5)

Lead Partner: Budapest Főváros Önkormányzata

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 959102439

Partner’s ID if not PIC: HU15735636

Department: Department for Climate and Environmental Affairs, Department for Public Procurement and Project Management

Address: Városház utca , 1052 Budapest, Hungary

Department address: Városház utca , 1052 Budapest, Hungary

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: https://budapest.hu

Total budget: EUR 465 500.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 372 400.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 93 100.00

Technische Universität Wien

Name: Technische Universität Wien

Department: Institute of Energy Systems and Electrical Drive – Energy Economics Group

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 999979888

Partner’s ID if not PIC: ATU37675002

Address: Karlsplatz, 1040 Wien, Austria

Department address: Karlsplatz, 1040 Vienna, Austria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.eeg.tuwien.ac.at

Total budget: EUR 211 610.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 169 288.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 42 322.00

Öko-Institut – Institut für angewandte Ökologie e.V.

Name: Öko-Institut – Institut für angewandte Ökologie e.V.

Department: Energy & Climate

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 999519817

Partner’s ID if not PIC: DE142117254

Address: Merzhauser Strasse, 79100 Freiburg, Germany

Department address: Merzhauser Strasse, 79100 Freiburg, Germany

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.oeko.de

Total budget: EUR 162 400.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 129 920.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 32 480.00

Javni holding Maribor

Name: Javni holding Maribor

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 892363917

Partner’s ID if not PIC: SI56143028 | 8709459000 | (registration number) (EN)

Address: Zagrebška cesta, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Infrastructure and (public) service provider

Website: http://www.jhmb.si

Total budget: EUR 196 434.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 157 147.20

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 39 286.80

Comune di Udine

Name: Comune di Udine

Department: EU Funding Office

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 989937769

Partner’s ID if not PIC: IT00168650307 | 00168650307 | Fiscal number (codice fiscale) (EN)

Address: via Lionello , 33100 Udine, Italy

Department address: via Lionello , 33100 Udine, Italy

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: http://www.comune.udine.it

Total budget: EUR 350 145.20

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 280 116.16

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 70 029.04

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

TU Wien

Boosting urban solar revolution for Central Europe

Partners and Projects info

Oeko-Institut – Institute for Applied Ecology

Boosting urban solar revolution for Central Europe

Partners and Projects info

Public Utility Holding Company of Maribor

Boosting urban solar revolution for Central Europe

Partners and Projects info

Comune di Udine

Boosting urban solar revolution for Central Europe

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Budapest

Boosting urban solar revolution for Central Europe

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Boosting urban solar revolution for Central Europe

Project acronym: Solar4CE-Cities

Project ID: CE0200700

Project start date: 2024-06-01

Project end date: 2027-05-31

Project status: ongoing

Relevant linked projects:

Budapest CARES, Net Zero Cities - 100 Climate-neutral Cities Mission (EN) | In the frame of the project (2023-2025) as a NZC pilot city, Budapest (LP) will develop a comprehensive, large-scale, multi-actor energy efficiency incentive programme that offers a lasting institutional solution. It aims setting up a Climate Agency in the form of a Super ESCO and develop financial models in cooperation with commercial banks and international financial actors. The Agency will be responsible for ensuring that the financial products reach the end-users and smart technical solutions are deployed in the refurbishments. Solar4CE-Cities will provide excellent opportunity to broaden the function of the Agency, aimed to be developed as a one-stop-shop, with services on solar PV installation and launching collective consumption schemes, on the other hand, it will largely capitalize on the financial models and established cooperation with financial actors delivered by CARES. (EN), ASCEND, Horizon Europe (EN) | The project, running between 2023-2028, seeks to accelerate the implementation of positive, clean energy districts (PVED) in cities from 14 European countries. BP as a multiplier city partner, together with the city-owned BKK Centre for Budapest Transport, will implement a PCED pilot action including a.o. PV installations in public facilities close to each other (elderly care homes, schools, church, cemetery and the North-Pest Wastewater Treatment Plant); e-mobility stations and smart bus stops. Vivid cross-learning activities are foreseen, a field visit to PCED site is planned for Solar4CE-Cities PPs to capitalize on the pilot results, and experts working on ASCEND will be invited to the Solar City Lab of LP. (EN), SCCALE 203050, H2020 (EN) | This project running till late 2024 also aims to support the set-up and operation of energy communities, and strengthen the collaboration between energy cooperatives and local authorities. Synergy is aimed to build via the shared Energy Cities membership of its PPs and that of the LP, in order to channel good practices into incentive schemes to be developed in Solar4CE-Cities action plans (O.3.1). (EN), ATELIER, H2020 (EN) | The project, ending in late 2024, demonstrates Positive Energy Districts within 8 European cities, 3 from CE, including Budapest as a fellow city. It applies innovative approaches for integrating buildings with smart mobility and energy technologies to create a surplus of energy and balance the local energy system. LP will replicate and adapt successful solutions, and ensure a two-way learning across Solar4CE-Cities and ATELIER, particularly related to the pilot action concepts. (EN), HungAIRy, LIFE IP (EN) | In the 8 years long (2019-2026) project, aiming to improve air quality in 10 Hungarian settlements, including Budapest, being the city a PP, many experiences will be gathered on citizens’ attitude development and awareness raising a.o. related to environmentally friendly modes of transport. Managed by BP, a continuous two-way learning is expected, also supported with coordination meetings, with conveying good practices for the partnership. (EN), SolarPower Europe’s Grids Workstream (EN) | Solar4CE-Cities aims to build synergic contact with SolarPower Europe’s (SPE) Grids Workstream which aims to create a dialogue with grid operators and EU policymakers within relevant institutions so as to foster integrating more solar PV in the energy system, and will formulate policy recommendations for a future-proof European electricity grid and solar-based energy system. PPs will seek opportunity to take part at interactive SPE events. (EN), JETforCE, Interreg CE (EN) | Solar4CE will explore synergy options with this new project (2023-2025) too, as it targets future energy policies’ and investments’ co-creation with citizens via digital citizen involvement tools, which might be utilized within our project’s participatory processes as well. (EN), MISSION CLIMATE, Interreg CE (EN) | The project started in 2023 will develop climate resilience action plans with a cross-sectoral approach and strong citizen participation, including investment portfolios, and set up durable local participatory governance systems, a.o. in Maribor, being a PP. A knowledge exchange of the engagement and collaboration methodologies is foreseen across the two projects. (EN)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 386 089.20

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 108 871.36

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 80.00%

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 1 108 871.36. Co-financing rate, 80.00%.

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

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Deliverables:

Local-regional-national stakeholder landscapes report
Solar City Missions (SCMs) foundation report
Transnational Solar4CE-Cities Mission Manifesto
EU policy baseline survey
National level policy scoping studies
Solar4CE-Cities Vision
National policy recommendations
Solar4CE-Cities Strategy
Good practice collection on innovative collective prosumer business models in the EU
Good practice collection on innovative technology solutions for prosumer schemes in the EU
Joint report on pilot co-creation activities
Report on the external study visits
Summary report on the 3 pilot feasibility assessments and the local prosumption communities set up
Joint report on cross-national evaluation of the pilot actions
Solar4CE-Cities digital Handbook
Animated video and fact cards on collective and cross-sectoral prosumer models
Report on synergy building and dissemination events
Summary report on the national knowledge transfer and capacity building workshops
Solar4CE-Cities Final Conference
Comparative local baseline surveys
Cookbook of good practices for community and stakeholder engagement
Harmonized kick-start community social media campaign promoted by Solar Ambassadors
Report on rooftop solar potential analysis and GIS-based mapping good practices of CE cities
Summary report on the guided local GIS mapping processes
Interactive GIS-based potential maps as online applications
Joint manual for solar potential analysis and mapping
Community activation campaign with Prosumer Launchpad Call
Prosumer project portfolios co-designed at community events
City concepts on prosumption enabling framework
Solar City Labs' participatory action planning summary report
Co-designed city action plans on facilitating urban solar penetration through collective prosumerism

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

EuropeanGreenDeal The project supports reaching the climate neutrality goal of the European Green Deal for 2050, and the 2030 EU emission reduction target through offering CE cities a set of enabling tools to accelerate solar power deployment and thus increasing the share of renewables. The long-term objective of the project is to develop self-sufficient and resilient solar power supported urban electricity systems which contributes to the Green Deal’s key principle of ensuring a secure energy supply.
TerritorialAgenda2030 By facilitating the increase of solar power share in urban energy mix and offering solutions for future power distribution challenges, the project contributes to achieve Sustainable Development Goals of the Territorial Agenda 2030. By fostering the enhanced use of PV technology and solar powered e-mobility, it also contributes to reach a healthy environment that is a key to build a Green Europe which is an overarching objective of the Agenda.
EUStrategyDanubeRegion By addressing solar energy to increase energy independency and launching a multipurpose cross-border RES utilization project, Sustainable Energy (PA2) as one of the priority areas of EUSDR is supported. Energy efficiency goals and use of renewable energy contribute to find alternative solutions for fuel-based local transport systems which are targets of PA2. Exchange of innovative solutions between PPs improves regional cooperation and creates synergies which is also at the heart of EUSDR.
EUStrategyAdriaticIonianRegion By analysing the policy practices, costs and benefits as well as modelling the expected impacts of future urban electricity demand and additional solar power generation on the grid capacity, the project contributes to the implementation of the EUSAIR Action Plan. The Strategy fosters the development of energy networks and by assessing the possibilities of a well-functioning electricity market within the project it adds to the targets of EUSAIR.
EUStrategyAlpineRegion Cross-sectoral stakeholder groups with wide-scale expertise to be engaged in the project will have a high potential of contributing to the Alpine Energy Efficiency Cluster through co-developing novel technical solutions also able to improve energy efficiency performance. The GIS-based solar potential and demand mapping tool to be developed and tested in Solar4CE-Cities might be replicated by cities in the Alpine Region with integrating it into the energy efficiency and decentralised RES monitoring systems as set forth in the Action Plan.
Other As part of the REPowerEU plan, EU Solar Strategy aims to bring online over 320 GW of solar photovoltaic by 2025 and almost 600 GW by 2030, via the European Solar Rooftops Initiative which promotes quick and massive PV deployment by making permitting procedures shorter and simpler through adoption of an EC legislative proposal, recommendation and guidance. It sets forth MSs establishing robust support frameworks for rooftop PV systems, including in combination with energy storage and heat-pumps, and strives for energy poor and vulnerable consumers having access to solar energy e.g. through social housing installations. Solar4CE-Cities is fully in line with and supports these ambitions by furthering CE cities to co-design and implement enabling schemes for rolling-out collective prosumer schemes operating joint PV plants.
Other CEP sets an ambitious, binding target of 32% for renewable sources in the EU’s energy mix by 2030. Within the package the recast of the Electricity Directive and the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) defined the term of renewable energy community (REC) providing legal background to develop such communities and increase the role of citizens in EU’s energy transition. Transposition to national laws has happened, though not yet the implementing regulations ensuring the support schemes required by REDII have been enacted in the PP countries, which hampers to launch and operate RECs on the ground. Conveying Solar4CE-Cities pilot experiences in developing REC-like collective prosumer business models, and the linked policy recommendations to national decision-makers enable to facilitate the compliance of national requirements set forth by CEP.
Other Energy Union Strategy (EUS) aims at building an energy union that gives EU consumers (households and businesses) secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy. It strengthens energy communities ensuring effective implementation of the EU's energy, environment and competition acquis, energy market reforms and incentivising investments in the energy sector. The analysis in Solar4CE-Cities on supporting frameworks for prosumerism and energy community schemes based on the energy union reports contributes to the aims of the EUS by fostering citizens’ participation in the energy market.
Other The ultimate objective of Solar4CE-Cities is to support the transformation towards climate neutrality of the participating cities by 2030 which is also the aim of the 100 Climate-neutral Cities Mission, which City of Budapest (LP) participates in. By tackling not only political actors, but also users, producers, consumers, owners within cities to raise awareness about the benefits of SP systems it adds to engage all relevant actors giving answer to some of the main challenges the cities face when trying to put transformations in motion.

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 084 - Pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects, Measurement unit:
RCO 116 - Jointly developed solutions, Measurement unit:
RCO 083 - Strategies and action plans jointly developed, Measurement unit:
RCO 087 - Organisations cooperating across borders, Measurement unit:

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 084 - Organisations cooperating across borders after project completion, Measurement unit:
RCR 104 - Solutions taken up or up-scaled by organisations, Measurement unit:
RCR 079 - Joint strategies and action plans taken up by organisations, Measurement unit:

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSALP

EUSALP Priority (Policy) area / Horizontal action:

EUSALP Degree of compliance:

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSDR

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSAIR

EUSAIR Priority (Policy) area / Horizontal action:

EUSAIR Degree of compliance:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B Central Europe

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2025-10-08

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

100 / 100 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

1 013 / 1 011 (100.2%)

Notes on the data

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Boosting urban solar revolution for Central Europe

Description

Thematic information

Partners (5)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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