The 2nd ReCharged Workshop, organized by Grid Engineers, marked a significant milestone as the first in-person training event of our project. We created a video to capture the highlights of the day in Athens on May 22nd, where each of the 16 speakers left us with a key message to remember.

The day was dedicated to “exploring the transformative potential of emerging technologies for smart investments in climate adaptation,” as Marianna Loli expressed in her welcome address.

Jelena Ninic kicked off the lectures with a challenge: “It is possible to reduce the quantity while increasing the quality of data sets.” This set the stage for Stergios Mitoulis, who emphasized, “Trade-offs between sustainability and resilience: Across all examined scenarios, low-carbon restoration was proven most beneficial.”

Sotirios Argyroudis highlighted the necessity of adopting a broader “systems” thinking approach to understand the resilience of transport-energy systems. “Transport-Energy understanding of resilience requires a wider ‘systems’ thinking of fragility,” he stated, underscoring the interconnectedness of these vital infrastructures.

Gregory Kiker then captivated the audience by explaining, “Digital twins enable us to ‘game out’ resilience stressors with greater accuracy than tabletop exercises and field tests, at a fraction of the cost.”

Rallis Kourkoulis made the business case for resilience: “Appraisal of the climate resilience dividend: Resilience is not an add-on cost but an investment that generates returns,” he explained.

Bill Halkias shared his vision: “The Resilient Road of the future will adapt itself to climate change. We are not there yet. For now, well-planned maintenance is crucial.”

Asterios Simopoulos brought attention to proactiveness, emphasizing, “Being well prepared for fast rehabilitation works is key to responding effectively to major natural disasters.”

Hossein Nasrazadani introduced a powerful tool: “Stress testing is not something apart from risk assessment. It is essentially a complementary approach.”

Mathaios Panteli presented a forward-looking strategy: “A dynamic framework is being developed to embed risk- and resilience-aware planning into energy network decision making.”

Marlen Michali and Konstantinos Karampourniotis offered a deep dive into the relationship between regulatory compliance and sustainability, discussing the new climate law and intricacies of estimating GHG emissions in urban transport systems. Their detailed presentation provided valuable insights.

Leon Kapetas urged us to think beyond technical solutions: “Let’s not aim for technical solutions alone. Let’s aim for sustainable urban transitions, together.”

David Garcia Sanchez emphasized the importance of timing: “It is a unique opportunity for innovation,” he pointed out.

Gian Paolo Cimellaro highlighted the role of technology, noting, “Emerging digital technologies enhance data collection and processing. They empower the vulnerability and resilience assessment of civil engineering systems.”

Finally, José Palma-Oliveira spoke about a revolution in infrastructure taxonomy: “Redefining infrastructure taxonomy by structural features, rather than functions, enhances disaster responsiveness and resilience.”

Thank you all for coming to Athens! Till the next one.