Newsletter #3 | September 2025

Welcome to the CRETE VALLEY newsletter! 

The CRETE VALLEY journey toward a more sustainable and fair energy future continues with great achievements. We recently reached an important milestone with our first review meeting, receiving positive feedback that confirms we are on the right path.

Renewable Energy Days

The review meeting took place in Crete, where Community Energy Labs (CELs) managers presented the innovations implemented at each site and how these solutions are addressing the energy needs of local communities.

The meeting coincided with the Renewable Energy Days, organised by our project as part of the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW). The event showcased renewable energy solutions and hosted discussions on energy justice, diversity, and sustainability.

Spreading the Word

To share our progress with key stakeholders, CRETE VALLEY partners have joined several conferences, workshops, and webinars — including the HAEE Energy Transition Symposium, the EEEIC Conference, an ETIP SNET workshop, a closed session of the E.DSO Innovation & Research Committee (IRCO), the International Conference on Information, Intelligence, Systems and Applications (IISA) and the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW).

At the local level, our partner Minoan Energy has actively engaged the community in Crete on multiple occasions to introduce the project and highlight its benefits. It also presented CRETE VALLEY at the Pan-Cretan Agricultural and Livestock Exhibition, raising awareness among residents about the district heating system being developed in Arkalochori.

Advancing the System-of-Systems Digital Twin

We’ve launched the first wave of data-driven applications and services supporting the System-of-Systems Digital Twin (D4.1). Once fully deployed, this platform will support informed decision-making for energy community managers, enable stakeholder coordination, and empower citizens to adopt more sustainable energy behaviours.

What’s Next

We’re proud to be making progress toward our mission of transforming Crete into Europe’s first Renewable Energy Valley. Beyond this, our goal is to make these solutions replicable. The next phase will test this potential in our project’s Follower Communities — contributing to the wider European green transition. To plan this and other upcoming steps, we will meet on November 26-27 in Valladolid, Spain, for our General Assembly.

Stay connected - visit our website and watch our video to learn more about CRETE VALLEY!

Prof. Vaggelis Marinakis
Project Coordinator
ICCS

Elissaios Sarmas
Project Manager
ICCS

Organised within the framework of the European Sustainable Energy Week, the event gathered policymakers, experts, businesses, students, and citizens to spotlight renewable energy innovations and citizen engagement and dive into the opportunities of the energy transition.

The event opened with the kick-off meeting of the Atherinolakkos Community Energy Lab and a session focused on the current state of hydrogen production, storage and end-use technologies in the region of Crete. 

The next day shifted the spotlight to schools and universities, with students joining games and activities to show how CRETE VALLEY is shaping a more sustainable future.

A “Living Lab” invited participants to explore the social dimension of energy, with a focus on how collaboration among stakeholders can ensure a successful energy transition.

The journey concluded with a hands-on business session, where participants worked with tools and models to design innovative pathways for growth.

Scientific papers:

• Hybrid short-term wind power forecasting model using theoretical power curves and temporal fusion transformers.

Deliverables:

• D4.1 - CRETE VALLEY Digital Twin, data-driven services & apps (first wave)