We are proud to announce our participation in SOCIAREM, a new European project that officially kicks off this week.

SOCIAREM kicks off under Horizon Europe to accelerate solar adoption and citizen-driven energy solutions.

SOCIAREM brings together a multidisciplinary consortium of 15 partners from 9 countries to drive the clean energy transition in a 42-month project with a total budget of €5,572,687.50, co-funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme at 70.1%.

In these 42 months we will combine research, technology, and community engagement to boost social acceptance of renewables and foster innovative solutions for large-scale adoption of photovoltaic (PV) systems and renewable energy communities across Europe.

SOCIAREM will officially kick off with a consortium meeting on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd October 2025 in Madrid, Spain.

The project aims to accelerate the uptake of photovoltaic (PV) systems and energy-sharing models by addressing social, regulatory, technical, and economic barriers. It will deliver innovative tools and services tested in real-world settings to simplify photovoltaic adoption for citizens, renewable energy communities, and grid managers. Gamification strategies will be explored for energy education, open-source models for energy communities, unbiased guidance tools for consumers, while engaging policymakers to streamline permitting processes and regulatory frameworks.

The consortium is coordinated by Comillas Pontifical University (Spain), leading the project's energy and social research, PV optimisation tools, and serious game development. The partnership gathers 15 organisations with complementary expertise: SMEs such as AKUYARI (Spain) and 8D-Games (Netherlands) contribute innovation in user engagement and gamification; research centres including R&D Nester (Centro de Investigaçao em Energia Ren), Watt-IS and CEVE (Cooperativa Eléctrica do Cale d’Este, Portugal) bring strong technical know-how in renewable energy and P2P exchange; while Phoebe Research & Innovation Ltd (Cyprus) and EMPA (Switzerland) advance monitoring, optimisation, and planning tools for PV adoption. Academic partners such as the University of Cyprus, the University of Deusto (Spain), and the University of Aswan (Egypt) contribute leading research in smart energy systems, social sciences, and network planning. Civil society and community actors like FMES (Fondazione dele Comunità del Mediterraneo Sostenibili e Solidali per l’Inclusione e l’Accoglienza - Ente Filantropico) and Sinloc (Italy) ensure close collaboration with local energy communities, while Finnova Foundation (Belgium) drives communication and dissemination, and Zabala Innovation Consulting (Spain) manages exploitation and innovation. Together, this diverse consortium combines research excellence, technological innovation, and strong outreach capacity to maximise the project’s impact.

About PHOEBE
Phoebe Innovations Ltd (PHOEBE) is a Cyprus-based innovation SME. PHOEBE plays a central role in SOCIAREM by bridging advanced digital infrastructures with community-driven energy solutions. Within the project, PHOEBE leads the implementation of IoT infrastructure in the Cyprus Energy Community (CEC) demonstration, deploying cutting-edge sensors and data acquisition systems to monitor and optimise energy flows.

The company is also responsible for developing the energy monitoring and management platform, enabling real-time data collection, integration, and analysis across PV installations, storage, and demand-side systems. Through these contributions, PHOEBE ensures that REC participants can make informed energy decisions, fostering efficiency, profitability, and resilience.

Its expertise in IoT and digital platforms underpins the technological backbone of SOCIAREM, allowing the project’s innovative tools, such as smart controllers, optimisation algorithms, and engagement applications, to function effectively in real-world conditions.