Energy Informatics.Academy Conference 2026 (EI.A 2026)
14-17 October 2026, Sino-Danish College (SDC), Beijing, China
Welcome to the EI.A 2026 Special Session & Calls
The Special Session & Calls section of EI.A 2026 highlights several specially curated special sessions that explore emerging themes and critical challenges in energy informatics across diverse contexts. Each special session offers a unique platform for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to engage in focused discussions, present cutting-edge research, and foster international collaboration.
We invite paper submissions that address the scope of each special session and contribute to advancing knowledge and innovation in the field of energy informatics. Each special session features its own call for papers.
The EI.A 2026 Special Sessions
Special Session
EI.A 2026 Special Session on
Digital Transformation of Buildings into Active Energy Prosumers
Overview
Buildings are undergoing a fundamental transformation from passive energy consumers into active participants in the energy system. This shift is driven by the integration of renewable energy technologies, advanced digital infrastructures, and intelligent control mechanisms. The EnergyBuilder concept represents a holistic, lifecycle-oriented approach to this transformation, leveraging artificial intelligence, digital twins, and virtual power plant technologies to enable buildings to dynamically manage energy production, consumption, storage, and exchange.
This special session focuses on the digital transformation of the built environment into interconnected, intelligent energy ecosystems, where buildings operate as active energy prosumers and contribute to system-level flexibility, resilience, and decarbonization. The session emphasizes the integration of digital technologies across the entire building lifecycle—from design and construction to operation and adaptation—enabling continuous optimization of energy performance.
Contributions are invited that explore AI-driven energy management systems, digital-twin-based simulation and optimization, decentralized energy sharing, and energy community formation, as well as the broader socio-technical and regulatory implications of these transformations. The session particularly welcomes research that bridges building-level intelligence and system-level energy integration, including real-world implementations, living labs, and scalable frameworks.
This special session is organized in the context of the EnergyBuilder project (CETPartnership Joint Call 2024), which develops a lifecycle approach for clean energy integration through the digital transformation of buildings into active energy prosumers. The session aims to provide a platform for advancing the vision of digitally enabled, energy-flexible, and community-integrated buildings, supporting the transition toward sustainable and decentralized energy systems.
The special session is part of Energy Informatics.Academy Conference 2026 (EI.A 2026), to be held on 14–17 October 2026 at the Sino-Danish College (SDC), Beijing, China. The conference is also accessible from within China at https://energyinformaticsacademy.org/summerschool2026/.
Topics
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
Digitalization and Lifecycle Intelligence
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Digital twins for building lifecycle energy optimization
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Integration of BIM, BEM, and real-time data for energy management
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Data-driven modeling of building energy behavior across lifecycle stages
Active Energy Prosumers and Smart Buildings
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Transformation of buildings into active energy prosumers
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Integration of renewable energy technologies (PV, storage, heat pumps)
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Grid-interactive efficient buildings and flexibility provision
Scalability, Interoperability, and System Integration
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Scalable digital solutions across building types and climates
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Interoperability between BMS, IoT platforms, and energy systems
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Integration of buildings into multi-energy systems and sector coupling
Policy, Market, and Business Models
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Regulatory frameworks for energy prosumers and communities
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Market mechanisms for decentralized energy trading
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Business models for digital energy services and building ecosystems
AI-Driven Energy Management and Optimization
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AI-based energy management systems (EMS) for buildings
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Predictive analytics for demand, generation, and storage
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Real-time optimization of energy flows and self-consumption
Energy Communities and Decentralized Energy Systems
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Building-to-building energy sharing and peer-to-peer trading
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Virtual Power Plants (VPP) for aggregated building energy systems
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Design and operation of energy communities
Human-Centric and Socio-Technical Perspectives
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User-centric energy systems and behavioral integration
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Inclusivity, accessibility, and social acceptance of smart energy systems
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Digital interfaces and decision-support tools for occupants
Case Studies and Living Labs
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Smart campus, smart city, and building living lab implementations
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Cross-regional and climate-adaptive solutions
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Validation and benchmarking of digital energy systems
Organizing Committee
Bo Nørregaard Jørgensen (University of Southern Denmark, Denmark)
Zheng Grace Ma (University of Southern Denmark, Denmark)
Alfonso Capozzoli (Politecnico di Torino, Italy)
Zita Vale (ISEP/GECAD, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal)
Pedro Faria (ISEP/GECAD, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal)
Suk-Hwan Lee (Dong-A University, South Korea)
Dr. Park (K-water, South Korea)
EI.A 2026 Special Session on
From Living Labs to Virtual Testbeds: Experimentation and Validation in Energy Informatics
Overview
The transition toward sustainable, intelligent, and decentralized energy systems increasingly depends on the ability to develop, test, and validate solutions in realistic and controlled environments. While theoretical models and simulations remain essential, they are no longer sufficient to address the complexity of modern energy systems, which involve tightly coupled interactions between physical infrastructure, digital technologies, human behavior, and market mechanisms.
In response, living labs and testbeds have emerged as critical infrastructures for energy informatics research and innovation. These environments enable the deployment and evaluation of digital solutions in real-world contexts, supporting iterative development, user engagement, and system-level validation. At the same time, advances in digitalization have introduced new forms of experimentation, including digital twins, simulation platforms, and virtual or hybrid test environments, which extend the capabilities of traditional living labs.
This special session focuses on the evolving continuum from physical living labs to virtual and hybrid testbeds, emphasizing their role in enabling experimentation, validation, and scaling of energy informatics solutions. The session bridges real-world deployment and controlled experimentation, physical infrastructure and digital environments, local testbeds and scalable system-level insights, and human-centric interaction with automated system intelligence.
A representative example of this approach is the SDU BuildIQ Lab, a large-scale, IoT-enabled smart campus living lab developed by the SDU Center for Energy Informatics. The BuildIQ Lab integrates real-time sensing, digital platforms, and data-driven experimentation across multiple buildings, enabling continuous monitoring, control, and validation of energy solutions in operational environments. Such infrastructures illustrate how living labs function as cyber-physical experimentation platforms, supporting both research and practical implementation. Beyond physical infrastructures, the session also addresses virtual living labs and energy testbeds, where simulation environments, digital twins, and data-driven models are used to design, test, and evaluate energy systems before real-world deployment. This special session invites contributions that advance the understanding and design of experimental infrastructures for energy informatics, including their methodologies, architectures, applications, and role in supporting the energy transition. This session is supported by the SDU BuildIQ Lab (SDU Center for Energy Informatics, University of Southern Denmark).
The special session is part of Energy Informatics.Academy Conference 2026 (EI.A 2026), to be held on 14–17 October 2026 at the Sino-Danish College (SDC), Beijing, China. The conference is also accessible from within China at https://energyinformaticsacademy.org/summerschool2026/.
Topics
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
Living Labs and Real-World Testbeds
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Smart campus and building living labs
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Industrial and community energy testbeds
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Large-scale IoT-enabled experimentation environments
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Deployment and validation of energy informatics solutions in real-world settings
Experimentation for Energy Communities and Industry
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Validation of energy community solutions in testbeds
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Industrial pilot systems and demonstration platforms
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Cross-domain experimentation linking buildings, industry, and grids
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Scaling insights from local pilots to system-level applications
Hybrid Physical–Virtual Experimentation
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Coupling of physical systems with digital twins
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Hardware-in-the-loop and cyber-physical testing
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Hybrid living labs combining real and simulated environments
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Cross-scale experimentation from component to system level
Methods for Experimentation and Validation
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Experimental design and evaluation methodologies
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Performance metrics and validation frameworks
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Comparative studies across testbeds and environments
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Bridging simulation results and real-world performance
Digital Twins and Virtual Testbeds
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Digital twin platforms for energy system experimentation
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Simulation-based validation of energy solutions
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Virtual environments for system design and scenario analysis
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Integration of real-time data with simulation models
Data Infrastructure and Experimental Platforms
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Data collection, integration, and management in living labs
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IoT architectures and edge-cloud systems for experimentation
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Interoperability and standardization of testbed platforms
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Reproducibility and benchmarking in experimental research
Human-Centric and Behavioral Aspects
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User interaction and engagement in living labs
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Behavioral experiments and occupant-centric energy systems
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Decision support tools for users and operators
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Socio-technical evaluation of energy solutions
Scaling, Transferability, and Impact
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Generalization of results from living labs
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Replication of testbed solutions across regions and contexts
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Integration of experimental insights into policy and practice
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Role of living labs in accelerating the energy transition
Organizing Committee
Zheng Grace Ma, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Bo Nørregaard Jørgensen, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
EI.A 2026 Special Session on
Industrial Systems Under Climate and Energy Uncertainty: Adaptation Readiness, Energy Resilience, and Digital Intelligence
Overview
Industrial systems are entering a phase in which stability can no longer be assumed as the default operating condition. Climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of extreme events, while energy systems are undergoing rapid transformation driven by electrification, renewable integration, and evolving policy frameworks. As a result, industries must operate under simultaneous and interacting uncertainties, including climate-related disruptions, volatile energy prices, changing market rules, and shifting regulatory conditions.
These developments fundamentally challenge traditional approaches to industrial energy management and decarbonization. Historically, industrial optimization focused on efficiency under relatively predictable conditions. Research within IEA IETS Task XXII demonstrates that such approaches are no longer sufficient: industrial systems are increasingly required to maintain continuity, competitiveness, and flexibility under conditions that are uncertain, dynamic, and structurally evolving. Climate adaptation in industry remains underdeveloped, with limited frameworks available to assess readiness and guide decision-making under uncertain future conditions.
This special session addresses this emerging challenge by positioning uncertainty as a central organizing principle for industrial systems research and practice. It brings together two complementary perspectives: climate adaptation readiness, focusing on how industrial systems anticipate and prepare for climate-related risks; and energy resilience under uncertainty, focusing on how industries maintain robust operation amid volatile energy conditions and system transformations. Rather than treating these as separate domains, the session emphasizes their integration within a broader framework of adaptive industrial systems, encompassing physical infrastructure, operational strategies, digital technologies, and market mechanisms.
A central focus of the session is the role of digitalization and AI in enabling this transition. Digital tools such as AI, data analytics, and digital twins are increasingly applied in industrial contexts, but their role in supporting decision-making under uncertainty remains insufficiently structured. This session therefore seeks contributions that develop integrated approaches grounded in real-world constraints, in the context of IEA IETS Task XXII (IEA Technology Collaboration Programme – Industrial Energy-Related Technologies and Systems). The goal is to advance industrial systems from efficiency-driven optimization toward uncertainty-aware, adaptive, and decision-centric operation.
The special session is part of Energy Informatics.Academy Conference 2026 (EI.A 2026), to be held on 14–17 October 2026 at the Sino-Danish College (SDC), Beijing, China. The conference is also accessible from within China at https://energyinformaticsacademy.org/summerschool2026/.
Topics
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
Climate Adaptation Readiness in Industry
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Frameworks and indicators for assessing industrial adaptation readiness
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Methods for evaluating climate-related risks in industrial systems
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Operational, infrastructural, and supply chain adaptation strategies
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Interaction between climate adaptation and decarbonization pathways
Digitalization and AI for Adaptive Industrial Systems
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AI-based decision support under uncertain operating conditions
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Digital twins for scenario analysis and resilience evaluation
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Forecasting, monitoring, and data-driven adaptation strategies
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Robustness, explainability, and limitations of AI in industrial contexts
Integration of Physical, Digital, and Market Layers
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Co-design of industrial systems and digital intelligence
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Interaction between operational strategies and market participation
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Integration of energy systems, industrial processes, and digital platforms
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Multi-layer approaches to industrial system design under uncertainty
Cross-Sector and Comparative Perspectives
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Comparative analysis across industries, regions, and energy systems
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Industrial clusters and system-level resilience
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Case studies from real-world industrial implementations
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Lessons learned from pilot projects and international collaborations
Energy Resilience Under Uncertainty
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Industrial strategies for managing energy price volatility and supply risks
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Flexible operations, energy diversification, and storage integration
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Resilience in electrified and renewable-integrated industrial systems
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Continuity planning and adaptive response under energy disruptions
Industrial Flexibility and Adaptive Operations
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Demand response and real-time operational adaptation
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Adaptive production scheduling under uncertainty
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Integration of flexibility into industrial processes and systems
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Trade-offs between efficiency, flexibility, and resilience
Policy, Market, and Governance Dimensions
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Regulatory uncertainty and industrial adaptation strategies
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Market design for flexibility, resilience, and participation
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Barriers and incentives for industrial transformation
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Governance of uncertainty in energy and climate transitions
Organizing Committee
Zheng Grace Ma, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (Task Manager, Subtask 2 Manager)
Qian Wang, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden (Subtask 3 Manager)
Zhipeng Michael Ma, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
