The international RESPED project develops the concept of energy-resilient districts.

The DUT RESPED project brings together partners from several European countries (the Czech Republic, Austria, Finland and Italy) to develop methodologies and tools supporting the concept of energy-resilient residential districts. Last week, on 12–13 May 2026, the project consortium meeting took place.

Now in its second year, the project has already delivered a methodology for assessing the energy resilience of residential districts from both investor and operator perspectives. It focuses primarily on the ability of buildings to adapt to short-term and long-term energy shocks. The approach includes diversification and backup of energy sources, stress-testing through crisis scenario simulations, and ensuring thermal comfort during outages.

We are developing the concept together with the company NOHO, which is building the first carbon-neutral district in the Czech Republic in the Kukleny area of Hradec Králové. Three buildings have already been completed at the site, and the company is currently preparing wind power plants to further strengthen energy self-sufficiency.

The Renewable Energy team at CTU UCEEB models energy shock scenarios and evaluates how the development performs under conditions such as sudden increases in energy prices or supply outages. Within the project, UCEEB is also responsible for coordinating cooperation among partner cities (including Graz, Hradec Králové, Tampere and Prague) and mapping the co-innovation process involved in developing energy concepts for larger building complexes.

The project builds on the concept of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs), further extending it towards resilience and adaptability through the RESPED approach.

The consortium consists of JOANNEUM RESEARCH (Graz), VTT (Helsinki), Suite5  Data Intelligence Solutions (Kypr), Università degli studi di Palermo Università della Calabria.

The programme also included a meeting at UCEEB and a visit to the Kukleny site in Hradec Králové. Representatives of the municipal authority, the Technology Centre Hradec Králové and the Centre for Investment, Development and Innovation also attended the workshop.