The jury was happy to award this practice for its innovative response to the growing challenges of grid stability in a high-renewable environment. Amprion’s STATCOM pioneers’ large-scale grid-forming capabilities, essential for maintaining voltage stability in critical scenarios. Its ability to stabilise without energy storage sets it apart as a technological breakthrough. In response to receiving the award Dr. Moritz Mittelstaedt, Team Lead System Dynamics at Amprion said,

 “Amprion is honoured to receive recognition from the jury, RGI, and the European Commission for our pioneering STATCOM with Grid-Forming capabilities. The STATCOM Opladen is the proof to the viability of Grid-Forming technology on a large scale. This innovation is crucial for higher penetration of renewables and inverter-based generation. Moreover, this technology is the basis for providing synthetic inertia with inverter-based units, which is essential to overcome future stability challenges in Continental Europe and Germany in particular.”

The jury recognised the Moonshot project for its groundbreaking inclusion of circularity in wind sector tenders, fostering collaboration across diverse stakeholders. Its innovative, inclusive approach led to measurable impacts in policy and practice, setting a strong precedent for industry-wide adoption. The project’s broad engagement and transformative potential earned it the top accolade. In response to receiving the award Nina Vielen-Kallio, Lead of Circularity at ECHT regie in transitie said,

“As an impact-driven company in the crucial theme of accelerating Energy Transition, one of our biggest wins was to see circularity and sustainability being included to the offshore wind tenders in the Netherlands as an outcome of our Moonshot practice. However, by getting this prestige recognition from the jury, RGI and European Commission for this collaborative practice, we hope to encourage all sectors and stakeholders related to Energy Transition and Circular Economy to collaborate for impactful, ambitious, but still feasible, positive change. We as ECHT are honoured and humbled to receive this award, but this award equally belongs to all the frontrunners in ministries, industry and knowledge institutes who were part of the open process where we together created a shared vision and together are taking the practical steps towards more sustainable and circular society!"

The jury awarded this practice due to its innovative integration of biodiversity restoration within large-scale energy infrastructure. By adopting a co-creation process with conservation experts, Elia’s approach showcases a unique, scalable ecosystem model. The practice addresses climate and biodiversity crises simultaneously, making it a leading example for future projects. In response to receiving the award Nicolas Beck, Head of Community Relations at Elia Transmission Belgium said,

“We are very proud to have won this award in recognition of the nature-inclusive design of our flagship project, the Princess Elisabeth Island. Our innovative approach will mean that the artificial energy island will further enable Europe’s climate goals whilst boosting biodiversity in the North Sea. We would like to thank all the public and private institutions, academics and NGOs who have collaborated with us on the project so far. We very much hope that the island and its design will contribute to knowledge building about marine biodiversity and serve as an example for other actors in the sector as we work on transforming Europe’s seas into the power plants of the future.”

The jury recognised the Open Energy Modelling Initiative for its decade-long, collaborative approach to open science and energy system decarbonisation. Openmod stands out for its innovation in creating an inclusive, volunteer-led platform, advancing open data and modelling standards worldwide. The initiative’s scale, impact, and alignment with modern energy challenges make it deserving of recognition, setting a benchmark for future collaborative efforts. In response to receiving the award Robbie Morrison, Significant Contributor at Openmod said,

“This award reflects the decade-long collective effort of the openmod community to promote open, transparent, and reusable energy system modelling. It underscores the importance of openly sharing data and research to explore rapid decarbonization pathways, to support public policy and to bridge the global north-south divide in energy transitions. We [Open energy modellers] hope that this recognition by the award  jury will inspire others to join and contribute to the development of transparent and clean energy futures using open and collaborative methods from open science.”