Danube Indeet – Integrated and decentralised concept rethinking energy and transport systems based on renewable energy in the Danube region
The Danube Indeet project (DRP0200088) aims to support the transition of the Danube Region towards a more sustainable and inclusive economic model by promoting innovation, circular economy approaches, and transnational cooperation among public authorities, private stakeholders, and research institutions.
The Danube Indeet project (DRP0200088) aims to support the transition of the Danube Region towards a more sustainable and inclusive economic model by promoting innovation, circular economy approaches, and transnational cooperation among public authorities, private stakeholders, and research institutions. The project addresses common regional challenges related to unbalanced economic development, inefficient use of resources, and the limited capacity to adopt innovative solutions. Through the testing and implementation of pilot solutions, the exchange of good practices, and the development of improved tools and policy frameworks, Danube Indeet contributes to strengthening regional innovation ecosystems and enhancing the institutional capacity of the involved partners. The project encourages cross-regional and cross-sector collaboration, facilitating knowledge transfer and the creation of synergies across the Danube Region. Expected results include practical tools for decision-makers, replicable cooperation models, and policy recommendations aimed at supporting long-term sustainable and resilient economic development in the Danube Region. The transition to renewable energy and zero-emission mobility is not only a question of replacing fossil-fuel technologies. It requires energy production, storage, transport and consumption to be planned as one interconnected system. Danube Indeet explores how renewable energy, electric mobility, energy storage and green hydrogen can be combined to create more flexible, resilient and locally integrated energy systems across the Danube Region. The project brings together municipalities, regional agencies, research institutions and technical organisations from Romania, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia, creating a transnational framework for testing how integrated energy and transport solutions can work under different territorial, economic and regulatory conditions. Rather than proposing a single technological solution, Danube Indeet focuses on understanding which combination of technologies works, where it works, under which conditions, and how it can be financed and implemented. FROM RENEWABLE ENERGY TO INTEGRATED SYSTEMS. At the centre of Danube Indeet is the idea that renewable energy and clean mobility should no longer be developed as separate sectors. Solar photovoltaic production can supply electric vehicle charging. Batteries can store surplus renewable electricity. Electric vehicles can potentially become mobile storage units through Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technologies. Renewable electricity can also be converted into hydrogen through electrolysis, creating another pathway for energy storage and clean transport. The project therefore investigates integrated configurations combining: renewable energy generation; electric vehicle charging infrastructure; battery energy storage; smart and bidirectional charging; Vehicle-to-Grid applications; green hydrogen production and storage; hydrogen-based mobility; energy management and grid integration. The objective is to understand how these elements can work together to increase renewable-energy utilisation, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and create economically viable local energy systems. One of the key technical components of Danube Indeet is the Danube Indeet Model, developed as a decision-support tool for exploring different configurations of integrated energy and transport systems. The model allows different territorial and investment scenarios to be tested by changing parameters such as location, energy demand, mobility demand, renewable-energy potential, infrastructure, technology options, investment conditions and financial support. This makes it possible to ask practical questions before an investment is made: What infrastructure is needed? What combination of technologies is optimal? How does the solution change between urban, peri-urban and rural environments? What happens in 2030 or 2050? How important are subsidies? When does an investment become economically viable? The model was tested through a structured set of scenarios in six pilot regions in Romania, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, generating practical feedback for further development and refinement of the tool.
