On October 2023, the Horizon Europe project ECOLOOP has officially launched, setting the stage for a four-year effort to transform how renewable energy is integrated into the agricultural and forestry sectors across Europe. With a total budget of €9.1 million and a strong consortium of 14 partners from Spain, Slovenia, Estonia, and Bulgaria, ECOLOOP is coordinated by ETRA I+D and aims to make a lasting impact on sustainability, climate resilience, and rural development.

At its core, ECOLOOP seeks to empower farmers and foresters by providing them with innovative tools, knowledge, and business models to improve land and waste management, while reducing their carbon footprint through the use of distributed renewable energy sources. These sources include biogas, biomass, agri-photovoltaics (agri-PV), and geothermal energy, adapted to meet local needs for electricity, heating, cooling, transport, waste treatment, and land use.

In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, ECOLOOP places strong emphasis on improving soil biodiversity and health, protecting groundwater from contamination, and promoting the self-consumption of clean energy in rural areas. The project also contributes to building a circular economy, creating green jobs, tackling gender inequalities, and strengthening the resilience of rural communities to climate change.

To ensure its solutions are practical, scalable, and replicable, ECOLOOP will test its innovations in four pilot sites located in Spain, Slovenia, Estonia, and Bulgaria. These pilots represent a wide variety of climatic conditions, crop and forest systems, energy infrastructures, and socio-economic contexts, offering a rich foundation for experimentation and validation. The Spanish pilot, for instance, is embedded in the Horta Sud Energy Community in Picassent (Valencia), which will serve as a real-life testbed for integrating renewable energy in agriculture.

ECOLOOP is not just a technological project—it is a holistic approach to rural sustainability. By aligning environmental, economic, and social dimensions, the project aims to provide a model for a greener and fairer transition in Europe’s rural areas.

As ECOLOOP takes its first steps, it builds on the shared expertise and commitment of its partners. Through collaborative research, demonstration, and community engagement, ECOLOOP will pave the way toward a more sustainable and resilient future for Europe’s agricultural and forestry landscapes.

On October 18–19, 2023, all ECOLOOP partners gathered in Valencia for the project’s Kick-off General Assembly, hosted by ETRA and INDEREN. This key event marked the first in-person opportunity for the consortium to align on the project’s vision and define concrete steps for the months ahead.

The meeting was especially crucial for Work Package Leaders, who began shaping their tasks, identifying project targets, refining expected innovations, and clarifying the needs of each pilot site. It also laid the groundwork for effective collaboration and task distribution across the international consortium.

A visit to the Spanish pilot site in Picassent (Valencia)—home to the Horta Sud Energy Community—offered participants a first-hand look at the setting where some of ECOLOOP’s solutions will be tested.

With clear goals and strong commitment from all partners, ECOLOOP is now fully underway—ready to deliver innovative, replicable models for a more sustainable and resilient rural Europe.

ECOLOOP is driving the green transition in the agroforestry sector through seven key innovations, also referred to as Key Exploitable Results (KERs). These solutions are currently being demonstrated in Spain, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Estonia, across a variety of environmental, climatic, and socio-economic conditions.

The project delivers a combination of three tools and four processes designed to enhance sustainability, circularity, and energy efficiency in rural areas:

Biogas Production: transforming agricultural waste into renewable energy and organic fertilizers.

Renewable Energy Sources (RES) Integration: optimising the mix of bioenergy, solar, and geothermal systems.

Soil Health: developing sustainable alternatives to chemical fertilizers to protect biodiversity and groundwater.

Decision Support System: enabling remote monitoring and management of agricultural production with reduced energy use.

CO₂ Sequestration: identifying the best tree species for maximum carbon capture based on soil characteristics.

Farmers Support: empowering farmers and foresters to participate in renewable energy communities.

Soil Living Lab: creating co-innovation spaces to validate sustainable practices with local stakeholders.

These innovations benefit a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers, foresters, landowners, technology providers, policymakers, and renewable energy communities.

To demonstrate the full potential of its solutions, ECOLOOP is being tested across four diverse pilot sites in Spain, Estonia, Bulgaria, and Slovenia. These real-life environments reflect a wide range of climates, agricultural and forestry practices, energy sources, and socio-economic contexts—ensuring broad replicability and impact.

Spain (Valencia Region)
The Spanish pilot focuses on integrating Agri-PV and geothermal energy in farming systems while testing biogas production and soil health improvements. Innovations include a hybrid energy system for heating and cooling, sustainable soil restoration with bioproducts from agricultural residues, and a living lab to validate circular farming practices.

Estonia
On abandoned agricultural lands, short-rotation forestry plantations (hybrid aspen, birch, alder) are being assessed for carbon sequestration and bio-based materials. The pilot explores new bioproducts and fertilizers, models forest productivity, and tests low-impact biorefinery processes to replace fossil-based materials.

Bulgaria (Dobrich Region)
Led by tourism and agriculture company Albena, this pilot combines Agri-PV, biogas, and circular economy models to enhance energy self-sufficiency. Smart energy systems, regional waste valorization, and new regulatory frameworks are tested to support rural sustainability.

Slovenia
With two sites, this pilot covers woody biomass processing and modular biogas technology. Innovations include biochar valorization, flexibility services for the energy grid, and the use of biomethane in agricultural machinery, supporting a shift to cleaner rural energy systems.

Together, these pilots are laying the groundwork for scalable, sustainable, and locally adapted renewable energy solutions that can transform Europe’s rural landscapes.

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