ThumbsUp Project Holds Its 7th General Assembly in Gothenburg
On 22–23 April 2026, the ThumbsUp project successfully held its 7th General Assembly (GA) in Gothenburg, Sweden, hosted by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. The meeting brought together project partners both on site and online to review progress, align on upcoming activities, and strengthen collaboration as the project moves forward.
The first day of the General Assembly took place at the HSB Living Lab, a unique testbed for sustainable living solutions. Participants had the opportunity to visit the facilities and see firsthand how the FractLES thermal energy storage solutions are being demonstrated for domestic hot water and heating applications in a real building environment. The visit highlighted the potential of these technologies to enhance district heating networks and electric grid balancing, while supporting sustainable and efficient energy use in buildings.
Following the site visit, the consortium engaged in joint discussions covering the overall project status and key achievements. Dedicated sessions focused on project coordination and management (WP7), dissemination, communication and exploitation activities (WP6), and impact and replication assessment (WP5). These discussions enabled partners to align on strategic priorities and ensure that project results are effectively communicated and prepared for future uptake.
The second day of the General Assembly was held at A Working Lab at Chalmers Johanneberg Campus. The agenda concentrated on the project’s core technical developments, including daily thermal storage solutions (WP2), long-duration thermal storage solutions (WP3), and the ongoing demonstration campaign (WP4). Partners shared updates from laboratory research, prototype development, and demonstration sites, followed by in-depth discussions and interactive Q&A sessions.
As the project advances into a mature phase of implementation, particular emphasis was placed on fine-tuning control strategies, validating long-term performance, and preparing the systems for extended automatic operation across upcoming seasonal periods. Simulation results and experimental findings presented during the GA further confirmed the strong potential of ThumbsUp technologies to improve energy efficiency, reduce peak energy demand, and contribute to lower operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions at system level. The General Assembly concluded with a wrap-up session summarising key outcomes and outlining next steps, including upcoming milestones and future meetings.
Beyond the formal agenda, the event also fostered valuable informal exchanges and networking opportunities, reinforcing the strong collaboration within the ThumbsUp consortium. Some informal and optional activities included visits to RISE research and testing facilities and a guided tour at Göteborg Energi, where participants learned more about the city’s district heating and cooling network, as well as innovative approaches to thermal and cooling storage in an urban energy system context.
The next General Assembly will take place in Valladolid and will continue building on this momentum as ThumbsUp moves closer to delivering impactful, scalable thermal energy storage solutions for Europe’s energy transition.