INTERSTORES Consortium Meets in Cluj-Napoca for the 2026 General Assembly
On 22–23 September 2026, the INTERSTORES consortium gathered in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, hosted by WIZ Research at FSPAC for its annual General Assembly, bringing project partners together for two full days of technical exchange, progress updates, strategic discussions and planning for the next phase of the project.
The meeting provided an important opportunity to connect and discuss various ongoing activities and topics, from technology development and demonstration to environmental assessment, market uptake, communication, capacity building and transfer potential, ensuring alignment across project activities.
From project progress to market and outreach
The first day opened with organisational updates and welcome words from coordinators prof. Peter Bayer (MLU), Dr Christoph Bott (MLU) and Dr Alex Butean (WIZ Research), followed by a dedicated session on WP7 – Dissemination, Communication & Outreach, led by Dr Maja Sremački (InoSens). The discussion focused on ongoing communication and dissemination activities and the next steps for engaging stakeholders and supporting the wider visibility and uptake of INTERSTORES results.
The programme then moved towards the market perspective under WP6, presented by Nicolas Weiller Boule (GreenFlex) and progress within WP2 – Demonstrator, discussion led by Rainer Strobel (PGMM), connecting technological development with the conditions needed for future deployment and exploitation.
A major part of the afternoon was dedicated to technical sessions focused on the project’s demonstration activities. Partners discussed the Reno-sTES demonstration at incampus, presented by Rainer Strobel (PGMM), as well as the CTES sites Varanto and Vaasa, presented by Mia Roslund (Vantaa Energy) and Dr Miika Rämä (VTT), creating space for more detailed exchanges among the teams directly involved in implementation. The discussions were steered toward the identified and potential transfer site’s location and how best to present the INTERSTORES solutions to new potential site owners, led by Challoch Energy and GreenFlex team.
Connecting technology, environmental performance and transferability
The second day continued with discussions covering several key technical areas of INTERSTORES. Partners exchanged updates on WP3 – Storage, presented by Dr Abdulrahman Dahash (AIT); WP4 – System, presented by Dr Curtis Mester and the HSLU team; and WP5 – Environment, presented by Dr Christoph Bott (MLU), strengthening the links between storage technology development, system integration, and environmental considerations.
The afternoon sessions shifted the focus towards integration and future application. Parallel sessions opened the door to discussions on simulations and digital twins, and workshops on commercialising end-user software, alongside evaluation and transfer, helping partners connect individual technical results with the broader objective of making INTERSTORES solutions applicable beyond the project demonstrators.
Two days of collaboration and alignment
Beyond individual Work Package updates, the General Assembly served as an important working meeting for the consortium. The combination of plenary presentations, focused parallel sessions, workshops and joint discussions enabled partners to address interfaces between activities, identify upcoming priorities, prepare for review and coordinate the work required as INTERSTORES moves further into implementation, validation, transfer and exploitation.
The meeting in Cluj-Napoca once again highlighted the collaborative nature of INTERSTORES. By bringing technical, environmental, market, communication and transfer perspectives into the same discussion, the consortium continues to work towards the project’s common goal: advancing innovative large-scale seasonal thermal energy storage solutions and supporting their future integration into sustainable energy systems.
Thank you to all INTERSTORES partners for the productive discussions and active participation in the 2026 General Assembly, and to our hosts in Cluj-Napoca for welcoming the consortium. Special thank you to our hosts from WIZ Research, and specialy Dr Alex Butean for organisation, and on a personal note, for gomboti.
