RE/SOURCED envisages the realization of a medium-sized and self-sufficient energy system at Transfo, a multifunctional heritage site of 10 hectares in Zwevegem (West-Flanders).

The Intercommunal Leiedal leads the project which is supported by Urban Innovation Actions, an initiative of the European Union to face urban challenges with new and unproven solutions. RE/SOURCED is realized at Transfo, a former power station from 1912. The 10-hectare site has been protected as a monument for 20 years and is exceptional due to its scale, the state of the industrial heritage and the opportunities offered by the site.

The three structural partners – Zwevegem, the Province West-Flanders and Leiedal – work together to give the site its earned repurposing: a reconversion of industrial heritage with a regional, national and even international look. Meanwhile, Transfo has developed as a multifunctional site including (social) homes, offices, a microbrewery, leisure and sports facilities and event spaces.

Transfo is the perfect setting for RE/SOURCED due to the mix of energy profiles and the historical link with electricity production. The goal of RE/SOURCED is the realization of a Citizen Energy Community (CEC) at Transfo. The basis is a medium-sized and self-sufficient energy system.

• The backbone of the system is a local power grid on direct current that saves both energy and material (more capacity with the same amount of metals/materials). The direct current network connects a set of renewable sources (solar panels and medium-sized wind turbine) and energy storage
(batteries, hydroelectric storage and vehicle-to-grid). The optimally integrated network is designed and developed with minimum losses. The power, capacity and location of the cables are identified and the renewable energy sources and storage systems are selected and dimensioned.

• An energy community of citizens, in which all users on Transfo will participate, will manage the shared infrastructure and cooperation. The establishment of a legal entity that fits into the definition of Europe’s targeted energy communities is supervised and the results will be spread to the network of energy communities and EU policymakers.

• Models are developed in which circularity is also applied to the renewable energy sector. This sector is, after all, very material-intensive. RE/SOURCED also realizes an educational course for citizens, schools and local authorities, along with a training package for professionals.