The actions of mySMARTLife in Hamburg are segmented into three main categories: energy, mobility, and communication. The initial objective was to develop an Urban Transformation Strategy, serving as a guide for cities to transition towards the smart energy system of the future. This strategy was designed to lay out a clear pathway for cities, demonstrated and exemplified by the adoption and execution of smart, innovative technologies in the Bergedorf district.

To facilitate this pathway, the project aimed to consider the network character of the energy system in two aspects. Different nodes had to be integrated concerning the supply chain and the involved actors.

Firstly, the plan involved facilitating the energy's journey from its source to its point of use. This included generating power through renewable energy systems (RES), producing hydrogen (H₂), distributing and storing energy with battery systems, and promoting efficient consumption habits through monitoring.

Secondly, the actions intended to involve all stakeholders instrumental to the transformation: local government and city administration, universities with relevant research capabilities, technology providers, private investors, citizen-owned cooperatives, property owners, and energy consumers.

The overall goal, therefore, was to establish actions that connect as many nodes as possible and encompass the complete value chain, from technological aspects to administrative regulations to behavioural patterns. Specifically, the project aimed at identifying legal impediments, understand the efficacy of incentives—factors such as ease of technology use, values, financial return, and communication—and demonstrate how a collaborative framework involving government, the ICT sector, and citizens could be established to facilitate transformative dynamics.

The projected impact included cost reduction, minimization of financial risk for investment in decentralized energy systems, mobilization of investments, and the influence of behavioural patterns.

More specifically, the project sought improvements in:

Three specific initiatives particularly embodied the project's focus on sustainable energy:

Firstly, a district heating system based on hydrogen (H₂) was implemented in a newly constructed building in the Schleusengraben-Schilfpark area. This building, housing 273 units, features a central heating system connected to a local district heating network. The project partner, Gasnetz Hamburg (GNH), established a Hydrogen feed-in station and modified the local district heating network's gas boilers for hydrogen use. A blend of green-certified Hydrogen and natural gas, developed using the EI&C technology, was then injected into the fuel gas for heat supply, with the hydrogen component constituting up to 30%.

Secondly, the installation of Photovoltaic (PV) systems with battery storage was carried out, based on tenant-lease agreements in collaboration with a local grid cooperative (PV & batteries in Kampweg; PV in high-performance area & Ice Cooling). The PV initiative intended to install 300kwp of PV plants on suitable roofs, with direct power supply concepts and complete systems featuring battery storage for self-consumption. ENH Energienetz Hamburg Genossenschaft led this implementation, as a citizen cooperative focused on transitioning the grid ownership from the private sector back to the public sector. They support Hamburg's energy transition, develop electricity direct delivery concepts, and promote local, decentralized energy supply. They operate on a lease-based model, either leasing rooftops from private house owners for long-term PV use or having the owners lease the PV technology for personal maintenance and use. During this initiative, seven PV systems were installed, three of them with a battery storage. Among the equipped buildings were a bakery, a construction yard with open air stock, and an apiary with a cooling storage.

Thirdly, the project aimed to develop a Smart Energy Control system. The goal was to create an innovative energy controller concept to smartly regulate the various energy resources installed in the district (e.g., CHP, PV, batteries, ice storage, heat pumps). This would facilitate local energy management, aiming at a CO2-neutral energy supply within the area as far as possible.

Given today’s scarcity of accessible energy data sources from public or private buildings, project partners connected different facilities of the Hamburg University of Applied Science (HAW) Energy Campus Building. This aimed to monitor energy consumption and production, analyze trends, calculate forecasts, and support the power and energy balancing of a smart building by maximizing locally generated energy.

A user interface was developed to display information from the installed energy resources, including the electricity house connection, the photovoltaic system, and the combined heat and power plant. The interface reveals operational status, energy production, power purchased from the grid, and also provides details such as current throughput, reactive power, daily power generation, CO2 and cost savings, and predictive data, among other parameters. The goal now is to obtain the necessary data from actual plants – the monitoring capacity for smart use is ready.

Innovative governance hinges on the perspective and needs of citizens. Engaging citizens is crucial because they incentivize the government and businesses to introduce green solutions in the market. To further propel the transformation, it's necessary to disrupt existing behavioural patterns, which requires an understanding of people's opinions and technology perceptions. Therefore, the project aimed to amplify the impact by educating citizens on smart city solutions, converting them into project advocates. This was achieved through various citizen engagement activities to facilitate implementation.

MySmartLife engaged citizens in green energy production through tenant agreements for PV and by making ENH, the cooperative, a significant partner. Citizens also played a crucial role in the implementation of smart home technologies, from initial information sessions to follow-up surveys.

Achieving sustainable management of the energy crisis entails promoting active buildings, provision of renewable energy, establishment of decentralized energy systems, and fostering efficient usage. MySMARTLife addressed these areas through initiatives like district heating, hydrogen utilization, photovoltaic installations, and wind energy deployment.

However, more crucial to sustainable management is the creation of a durable network from energy generation to consumption. While MySMARTLife did not provide a complete ready-to-build template, it excelled in considering this viewpoint - enlightening and expanding our understanding. The project was successful in providing answers to critical inquiries, such as the investment propensity of individuals and businesses, the technical and legal boundaries, CO2 reduction strategies, and an analysis of the potential for battery storage systems.

Challenges arose throughout the process, stemming from factors such as the reliability of investors, intricate and limiting legal stipulations, the usability of smart products, and obstacles in aligning peak electricity consumption periods with self-generated electricity, among others.

Implementation difficulties concerning low-ex district heating arose when the investor and building owner opted for the least costly energy application. The original plan was to amalgamate diverse energy sources for a carbon-neutral heating solution. This action was partially actualized via the aforementioned hydrogen-based district heating system.

This experience highlighted how the current market's cost structure, which provides substantial electricity price discounts for large consumers, renders photovoltaic (PV) systems uneconomical for these clients.

As for the PV installation, German energy law posed a significant barrier. The legal uncertainty created by frequent changes in legislation emerged as the primary risk factor, including varying EEG surcharges based on lease agreements, roof size, and whether the system is designed for feed-in or self-consumption. This unstable environment does not inspire confidence among citizens to invest in PV systems. Furthermore, stringent data protection laws make it difficult to establish contact with homeowners who have suitable roofs. Additionally, roof leasing was not profitable during the project implementation due to the low return, leading to reluctance in entering long-term leases. Also, when considering PV and smart technology, it became evident how challenging it can be to incorporate new technology into old structures - issues with roof structure and outdated electronic control system hardware/wire systems were notable hurdles.

The framework for evaluating key performance indicators has been effectively implemented, leading to a comprehensive assessment. The goal was to gain valuable insights about the progress of innovative, sustainable solutions in the environment, economy, citizen engagement, and governance, and to gauge the efficacy of these solutions. Consequently, cities can determine the suitability of such solutions and can establish plans for expansion or replication, drawing from the results and experiences documented in this deliverable.

In terms of policy, Hamburg is now poised to advocate for legislative change on the state level in its capacity as a federal state. These changes pertain to laws around renewable energy and H2 technology, as well as addressing the real-world issue of inadequate investment incentives for businesses and residents.

When it comes to the deployment of smart home technology, SAGA, one of the largest housing cooperatives in Hamburg, has expressed an interest in following suit.