Rural neighborhood
2 public buildings & ~20 dwellings
First smart community in Sardinia
1.5 MW existing PV capacity
Benetutti is a small rural municipality in the province of Sassari, Sardinia. While it is a pioneer in renewable energy adoption, the village faces unique infrastructural and social challenges typical of isolated rural areas.
Poor connectivity to the national power grid and no access to natural gas pipelines.
Water distribution systems are characterized by high losses.
A high average age among the population leads to skepticism towards new technologies and a need for digital literacy.
BLUEPRINT aims to transform Benetutti into a fully integrated, resilient energy community that leaves no one behind.
The pilot focuses on integrating public and residential buildings into a cohesive smart energy system.
⚡ Integrated rural energy community: connecting the primary school, town hall, and residential dwellings to optimize energy flows and storage (batteries).
🤝 Participatory energy management: using inclusive digital tools to allow vulnerable groups to co-design and manage their energy consumption.
📊 Real-time energy optimization: deploying IoT devices and smart meters to enable dynamic energy planning and demand response mechanisms.
👓 Public awareness & digital literacy: utilizing immersive tools to educate citizens, build trust in new technologies, and bridge the digital gap.
🧱 Energy efficiency upgrades: renovating aging public buildings with energy-efficient technologies to serve as demonstration models for the wider community.
👵👶 Intergenerational collaboration: organizing workshops where youth and elderly residents collaborate on the energy transition, strengthening social ties.
The implementation in Balla is driven by a strong collaboration between technical experts and local community actors:
Comune di Benetutti (lead pilot partner)
The municipality, acting as a testbed for rural smart community policies.
STAM
Multidisciplinary engineering SME providing high-tech solutions for energy optimization and simulation tools.
Local stakeholders
Residential property owners, schools, and local SMEs engaging in the energy community.
