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In the first phase, the collective identified five sites and projects very different operating environments and needs for the demonstrations: industry (an airport/industrial complex), offices, an all electric residential district, a combined gas and electric network district and a district heating area.

Pier Nabuurs, chairman of the Smart Energy Collective, put it this way: "We all know that we are globally evolving towards an energy system in which the share of sustainable energy will be many times higher, and in which electricity generation will be far more decentralized than it currently is." He also said the demand for electricity will in part because of countries experiencing a new prosperity and high economic growth, like India and China – and a shift in fuel consumption patterns with the continued adoption of EVs and heat pumps.

"In order to make this possible, an intelligent energy system is required that uses a combination of innovative technologies and services, and in which the consumer is central. This will enable to keep the costs of our energy supply at a reasonable level with a comparatively high level of reliability, Nabuurs said.

The collective also will focus on the more than 6,000 standards that are a part of the new technologies, and are expected to be brought into the market in the years to come. The group also is working to create a common market for energy services that is large enough to be effective.

It's a high-powered group, and includes collaborators like ABB, DNV KEMA, Eaton, IBM, Philips and Siemens.