HY4RES Open Day & Workshop at the Moinho do Salto Pilot Site

The HY4RES Project successfully held its Open Day & Workshop on 25 June 2026 at the Moinho do Salto Energy Community pilot site, in Paredes, Portugal. The event brought together 22 participants from nine nationalities—Portugal, Spain, Colombia, Germany, Poland, China, Brazil, the Czech Republic and Italy—to explore innovative solutions for renewable energy integration and sustainable local energy systems.

The workshop provided participants with the opportunity to visit the Moinho da Senhora do Salto pilot site, one of the flagship Portuguese living laboratories of the HY4RES project. Located along the Sousa River, the site demonstrates how hybrid renewable energy systems can support local energy autonomy while preserving cultural heritage and the surrounding natural landscape.

The pilot combines multiple renewable energy technologies within a decentralised micro-grid, including a 3 kW micro-hydropower unit, a 2.3 kWp photovoltaic solar system, a 1 kW low-speed wind turbine, and an intelligent battery storage and energy management system capable of optimising electricity production and storage according to local conditions.

The programme featured presentations by Helena M. Ramos (Instituto Superior Técnico), Ignac Gazur (IG Energy) and Francisco Piqueiro (FEUP), who shared insights into the project's objectives, the integration of renewable energy technologies and the development of innovative solutions for local energy communities.

One of the highlights of the event was the guided technical visit to the pilot site. Walking along the historic weir and levada, participants closely observed how solar, hydropower and wind technologies operate together within a fully functional hybrid renewable energy system. During the visit, Ignac Gazur provided a detailed explanation of the operation of the different energy generation systems and the monitoring equipment responsible for collecting real-time data from all components of the installation.

Participants also experienced a 360° Virtual Reality (VR) tour, offering an immersive perspective of the pilot site and its technological infrastructure.

The Open Day and Workshop provided an excellent opportunity for researchers, students, stakeholders and professionals to exchange knowledge and discuss the role of hybrid renewable energy systems in accelerating the energy transition. By combining research, technological innovation and real-world demonstration, the HY4RES project continues to promote sustainable energy solutions capable of increasing resilience, improving energy efficiency and supporting the development of local energy communities.

CERIS is proud to contribute to the HY4RES project and to initiatives that advance research and innovation towards a more sustainable and climate-resilient energy future.

The Project

The project contributes to the specific objective of energy transition and decarbonization, promoting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the community energy, agriculture, aquaculture and port sectors. The HY4RES Project includes 4 EU countries (Ireland, Portugal, Spain and France) where four Pilot Plants are being developed in the aforementioned areas.

There are nine project partners, namely: Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), University of Córdoba (Spain), University of Oviedo (Spain), Técnico – University of Lisbon (Portugal), Vertigo Lab (France), Ig Energy (Portugal), AC3A (France), Feragua (Spain) and EasyHydro (Ireland).

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This work was supported by FCT, UID/06438/2025 CERIS, in the Hydraulic Laboratory, and the project HY4RES (Hybrid Solutions for Renewable Energy Systems) EAPA_0001/2022 from the INTERREG ATLANTIC AREA PROGRAMME.