Register

INITIATE Hackathon

Energy Communities for a Clean Energy Transition

A two-phase hackathon for university students and early-stage startups. Help energy communities take root in Widening countries, then pitch your idea in Brussels.

Register your teamExplore the tracks
8,000+
energy communities across the EU
2
challenge tracks: technical or socioeconomic
3–5
members per team, all 18+
Brussels
final pitch at the INITIATE Final Conference

About

Closing the energy community gap

The INITIATE Hackathon builds green energy transition scenarios for Widening countries, with energy communities as the vehicle for decarbonising their energy systems.

Energy communities let citizens act collectively on energy. They can increase public acceptance of renewable projects and make it easier to attract private investment. They also let citizens drive the transition locally and benefit directly: better energy efficiency, lower bills, less energy poverty and more local green jobs.

According to the 10th State of the Energy Union report, more than 8,000 energy communities exist across the EU. They are not evenly spread, however: Widening countries lag behind other Member States. This hackathon aims to close that gap and speed up a green, just transition.

Challenge tracks

Two tracks, one transition

Each local hackathon runs on one track. Whichever track you compete in, your solution has to hold up on both the technical and the social side.

Track 01

Technical

Smart energy communities need careful technical planning and deployment.

Every country has its own national and local rules for energy communities, so each community has to adapt to local circumstances. They all face similar challenges, though. In the coming decades, data centres will be a major energy consumer. Energy communities could ease part of that load on national grids, but at the cost of trade-offs with what citizens consume.

Key challenges

  • Integration in the electricity grid
  • Optimised daily operational generation-mix schedules
  • Optimised dispatching of hybrid renewable sources with battery storage (RES-BESS)
  • Optimised dispatching of electricity and heat from cogeneration units with alternative storage
  • Synergies between energy communities and data centres

Your solution is technology-led, but you must show how it fits into society.

Track 02

Socioeconomic

Solving the technical barriers does not guarantee that an energy community will last.

Energy communities are concentrated in countries with well-established welfare societies. In Widening countries, grassroots movements and socially driven innovation are often missing or have little power to shift policy. To last, communities must deliver tangible, fairly shared benefits: lower energy costs, less energy poverty, local jobs and economic value that stays local.

Key challenges

  • Limited public awareness, promotion and acceptance
  • Adoption of household hybrid RES-BESS systems and competition for land
  • Profitability, business models and operating in the electricity market
  • Transparent governance and trust between stakeholders with different motivations
  • Ongoing communication, training and member engagement

Your solution is socioeconomic, but you must show that it is technically feasible.

How it works

From local win to Brussels

  1. 01

    Phase 1

    Local hackathons

    Across Widening countries

    Teams compete in local hackathons, each run by a local organiser on one of the two tracks.

    PrizeFunded travel and accommodation to Brussels for the INITIATE final event.
  2. 02

    Phase 2

    Final pitch

    INITIATE Final Conference, Brussels

    Local winners pitch in English to an international jury from the European energy innovation ecosystem, joined by INITIATE partners and the European Commission.

    PrizeAn immersive experience at Climate KIC in the Netherlands, as part of the ClimateLaunchpad bootcamp.

Local hackathons

Find an event near you

Local events are being announced

Each local hackathon will be listed here with its host, dates, track and a link to its website. Local events can run in the local language and host 5 to 10 teams each.

Register

Enter your team

You will need:

  • A team of 3–5 people, all over 18
  • A motivation statement
  • A technical proposal
  • The expected impact of your idea
  • Short bios for every member

All teams must attend their local hackathon in person. If needed, organisers pre-select teams, giving priority to multidisciplinary and gender-balanced teams.

1. Your hackathon

Local events are still being announced. Tell us where you would like to compete.

Track
2. Your team

3 to 5 members, all over 18. Multidisciplinary and gender-balanced teams are given priority.

  1. Member 1 (team contact)
  2. Member 2
  3. Member 3
3. Your idea

Why does your team want to take part, and why this challenge?

What will you build or design, and how does it work?

Who benefits, and how would it scale across Widening countries?

A few lines per member: background, skills and what they bring.

4. Confirmations

FAQ

Good to know

Who can participate?

University students at any level, and early-stage startups up to 3 years old at the date of registration.

Teams may have worked on their idea before, but they must show innovation and the work done during the hackathon.

What are the ground rules?

Each local hackathon organiser selects one challenge track: technical or socioeconomic.

Each local organiser sets up a local website that advertises the event and hosts online registration, using the templates provided by INITIATE.

Teams have 3 to 5 members, all over 18 years old.

Each local hackathon has between 5 and 10 competing teams. If needed, local organisers pre-select teams, with priority for multidisciplinary and gender-balanced teams.

How do teams register?

Registration links for each local hackathon are published on its website. You submit a motivation statement, a technical proposal, the expected impact and short team bios.

Do all teams have to be physically present?

Yes, all teams must attend in person.

What is the language of the hackathon?

Local hackathons can run in the local language. The final event is held entirely in English, so local winners must present their idea in English.

How are the local and final winners selected?

At each local hackathon, a jury of local experts evaluates teams using templates provided by INITIATE and published on this website. Jury members ensure fair evaluations, avoid conflicts of interest and keep evaluations confidential.

An international jury picks the final winner at the final event in Brussels. Its members represent the wider European energy innovation ecosystem and include INITIATE partners and the European Commission. A dedicated template assesses how scalable each idea is and what impact it could have across Europe.