EU project on fair and energy-efficient cities

In the “NEEDS Repowered” project, researchers and urban stakeholders develop approaches for a just transformation to climate neutrality. In Karlsruhe, ITAS, the Karlsruhe Climate and Energy Agency (KEK), and Karlshochschule collaborate on this.
NEEDS Projekt Gruppe
Partners of the “NEEDS Repowered” project from Austria, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, and Germany met in Karlsruhe in November. (Source: ITAS)
NEEDS Projekt Gruppe

Karlsruhe is one of six European pilot sites of the “NEEDS Repowered” project. Researchers work together with local authorities and energy agencies to address the many challenges of the transformation toward climate-neutral cities. Technological solutions for buildings are addressed just as much as behavioral and equity aspects and sustainable business and financing models.

The project, co-financed by the European partnership “Driving Urban Transition” (DUT), aims to put people at the center of the transformation process.

At the Karlsruhe pilot site, ITAS collaborates with the Karlsruhe Climate and Energy Agency (KEK) and Karlshochschule to support the city in achieving its climate neutrality targets. The focus is on the Energy District initiative. This includes, among other things, deployments of the KIT’s mobile participation laboratory (MobiLab) and transdisciplinary research into practical solutions, such as balcony PV systems and PV upcycling. The aim is to make the local energy transition more inclusive and community-oriented – and to make the knowledge gained available to other European pilot sites. (18.12.2025)

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