INTELLIGENT ENERGY EUROPE MAGAZINE

06/2013
ISSN 1831-8843

N6

INTELLIGENT ENERGY EUROPE

MAG

Towards a newly energised Europe

Growing innovation

9
IN THEIR OWN WORDS Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank (EIB)

12-13
FOCUS ON Clean vehicles for Europe

14-15
COUNTRY PROFILE Lithuania takes diverse action to meet its energy objectives

Intelligent Energy Europe

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EDITORIAL

By its nature, energy is of critical importance to society. We need to guarantee a competitive, sustainable and secure supply of energy for Europe, by setting a long term policy framework that matches the investment time framework. Europe is now putting in place new building blocks that will deliver results for the next seven years. This includes new programmes that will help us to achieve our long term energy and climate goals. Increasing skills in key public and private sector organisations, mobilising more cost-eective nancing, and supporting the implementation of EU policies and legislation at all levels across the EU, are high on the agenda.

The IEE programme works and it works well. We can build on and benet from that.

Energy eciency, renewable energy and clean transport Programme for Research and Innovation will be central beyond.

are key priorities for Europe. The EUs new Horizon 2020

I N T E L L I

to reaching our energy and climate targets by 2020 and

In this edition of the magazine of the Intelligent Energy Europe programme, Im happy to say that we are truly

E N E R G Y
FOR A SUSTAINA

benefiting from the results and experience gained We can build on and benet from that.

through this programme over the last decade. The IEE programme works and it works well.

This edition includes a variety of examples from across Europe illustrating the direct benets of projects that have received IEE support. Financing sustainable energy is the central point of this editions interview with Werner Hoyer, Europe meet its targets.

E U R

President of the European Investment Bank, who explains the role of the bank in helping

I hope you will enjoy reading the opinions and insights of individuals and organisations involved in making the IEE successful in changing how we regard and use energy across the EU.

Marie Donnelly, Director of Renewables, Research and Innovation, Energy Eciency, European Commissions Directorate-General for Energy

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THE INTELLIGENT ENERGY - EUROPE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAGAZINE

PAGE 3

EDITORIAL 2 LEAD FEATURE 4-7

Growing innovation - Towards a newly energised Europe

12

ON THE GROUND 8
Renewable heating and coolingon your doorstep

IN THEIR OWN WORDS 9

Investing in agreenertomorrow

MANAGER & MANAGED 10-11

GP Wind

FOCUS ON 12-13
Clean vehicles for Europe

COUNTRY PROFILE 14-15

Lithuania takes diverse action to meet its energy objectives

ON THE GROUND 16
Cleaner buildings for a sustainablefuture

ON THE GROUND 17
Encouraging ecient consumptionpatterns

ON THE GROUND 18
Supporting Local and Regional Authorities

10

Photos: P. 2: European Union. P. 5: iStockphoto/Manuel Gutjahr. P. 6: iStockphoto/Chris Schmidt. P. 8: iStockphoto/Jim Pruitt. P. 9: European Investment Bank. P. 10: iStockphoto/Iaki Antoana Plaza. P. 11: iStockphoto/Dougall Photography. P. 13: iStockphoto/Maria Pavlova. P. 14: iStockphoto/Rackermann. P. 15: Paroc Oy Ab. P. 16: iStockphoto/FarukUlay. P. 17: iStockphoto/Ivan Bajic. P. 19: iStockphoto/James Weston. The responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors; it does not necessarily reect the opinion of the European Union. The EACI is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein. The information contained is given for information purposes only and does not legally bind any of the parties involved. Editors: Andrea Pascal, Cindy Carolle, Erwan Martin, Gianluca Tondi, Gordon Sutherland, EACI European Union, 2013 More details on the IEE programme can be found at ec.europa.eu/intelligentenergy

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LEAD FEATURE

Growing innovation - Towards a newly energised Europe

As we celebrate 10 years of Intelligent Energy Europe, we take stock of its approach to capacity building, investment and support to policy and consider the notable successes the programme has to its credit.

he Intelligent Energy Europe programme was set up to help Europe reach its 20-20-20 target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, increasing the share of renewables in energy consumption to 20% and improving energy eciency by 20% - all by 2020.

Removing obstacles, enhancing ability

Great ideas need to be helped from the drawing board into peoples lives. A crucial moment in that transition is nding people with the necessary know-

their areas, and carry out the work and investment which these local plans highlighted. The projects meshed well with the Covenant of Mayors initiative, which brings committed European mayors together to exchange and apply good practices aimed at boosting energy efficiency and renewable energy sources in their areas. The European Commission has accepted more than 1 000Sustainable Energy Action Plans from those who have signed up. A sample of 525of these Plans show: > A commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 86million tonnes/year (29.8% overall reduction) the equivalent of getting 35million cars o our roads > M easures in place achieving energy savings of 73million MWh in 2020 a reduction in consumption equating to the energy used by over 4million European dwellings The CARE+ project set its eye on the private sector, developing a tool to enable SMEs in the chemical industry to carry out energy audits. Combined with a detailed user manual, the tool helped 77SMEs to identify considerable energy savings. Almost 800000a year in savings were identied in 19energy audits carried out in Bulgaria alone. The projects usefulness has been recognised by its incorporation into the global Responsible Care Initiative, which aims to improve health, safety and environmental performance in the chemical sector. Support from IEE helps people identify the projects that are important to them and their communities and businesses.

In 2012, projects with the goal of making a short term impact received 33 million from the programme. As a result 130000 tonnes a year of fossil fuel will be saved, along with almost 500000 tonnes of CO2, and 490 million of investment generated.
IEE is the only EU programme exclusively dedicated to sustainable energy, and over a decade had 1billion at its disposal, which will continue to deliver results until 2017 and beyond. It invests its funding mostly in the form of grants and tenders to public and private organisations. By creating a link between technology, research, innovation and the market, with its potential for mass deployment, the programme set its sights on activities that accelerate the uptake of innovative energy solutions. how to make changes. From municipalities who need to put new legislation in place, to plumbers working with the latest type of boilers in your home people need to know what they have to do and how they can go about doing it, before change happens. Among the many projects supporting this important stage, were the Local Energy Leadership projects involving more than 1 000cities and regions across the EU. These helped public authorities draw up Sustainable Energy Action Plans for

We have helped to open doors in countries that have limited experience, giving people the tools they need to work out where to start.

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LEAD FEATURE

Solar district heating theclean, cost eective solution

any city planners wonder how renewable energies can be integrated into the endless amounts of individual heating systems in the residential districts of their cities. Each heating system substituted with a gas or oil burner is a missed opportunity until they are replaced 15years later. One way to bypass these and other barriers is to provide heating to a village or city district as a whole, from a large scale, central plant using district heating. Clean, ecient and benetting from the economies of scale, solar district heating (SDH) is coming into its own in Europe and the SDHtake-o project is playing a key role in ensuring the up-take gains momentum. Solar district heating is now a fully mature technology and it is ready to deliver. SDHtake-o brought together countries with advanced know-how in Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Austria to encourage others to follow suit. To share the advances being made in these countries, the project ran multiple, two-day workshops and site visits for

participants from countries with less experience. These provided participating heat suppliers with the chance to explore nascent projects with experts. The results are positive; 320MW SDH plant capacity is now in operation in Europe, mainly in Denmark, and the country intends to add another 250MW. But its not only countries that have a strong track record in the eld that are driving up-take. The project gave district heating enterprises in Norway, Spain France and Italy the boost they needed to develop new plants based on solar thermal, We have helped to open doors in countries that have limited experience, giving people the tools they need to work out where to start, says Thomas Pauschinger, project manager.

FOR MORE INFO

http://www.solar-district-heating.eu

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LEAD FEATURE

Energy services for the 21st Century

ffective energy services markets are crucial if Europe is to meet its 2020 targets, so the European Energy Service Initiative (EESI) has supported the development of Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) across 10EU countries. The Initiative ran 30pilot projects, almost quadrupling its target of annual emissions reductions of CO2 from 12000tonnes to more than 45000tonnes. One contributor to these savings was the 438bed Wenckebach hospital, in Berlin, which managed to reduce its emissions by 40% by improving its heat distribution arrangements, cooling systems and insulation. The EESI has also helped local and regional authorities and energy service providers work out ways to get over initial barriers and help them gain the know-how they need through national, online helpdesks and around 60training sessions. The Initiative was also responsible for a promotional campaign run at national trade fairs and the setting up of an annual ceremony: the European Energy Service Award. More than 2000participants have used the EESIs services so far, exceeding its expectations and showing clearly that the demand is there. The training sessions gave rise to a number of projects, which are either going through feasibility studies or are further into their development.

What is Energy Performance Contracting?

nergy Performance Contracting is an innovative and practical way to make building improvements that save energy and money, even if the money up-front is limited. In a typical contract, a qualified Energy Services Company (ESCO) designs and implements tailored energy saving measures and guarantees a certain level of savings to the building owner. Based on this guarantee, the savings can be used to reimburse the initial investments, which are often provided by a third party nancier. When all investments have been reimbursed, the contract ends and from that point the owner and/or tenants benet from all energy savings.

FOR MORE INFO

http://www.european-energy-service-initiative.net

EESI ran 30 pilot projects, almost quadrupling its target of annual emissions reductions of CO2 from 12000 tonnes to more than 45 000 tonnes.

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PAGE 7

IEE has supported over 700 promotion and dissemination projects to the tune of 600 million, involving around 5000 organisations. Of these, 45% of the beneficiaries were SMEs.

LEAD FEATURE

But it does not stop there. The programme also follows through when it comes to getting the investment they need to turn their concepts into reality.

Investment support turns blueprints into bankable projects

Innovative, sustainable energy plans can be challenging to put together and the upfront eort and risk can put investors o. To bridge the gap from proposal to bankable project, IEE funds initial support to help get ideas o the ground, through what is known as Project Development Assistance (PDA). The European Local Energy Assistance (ELENA) is one such support scheme. It provides co-nancing to public authorities of up to 90% of eligible costs relating to technical assistance, for projects mobilising large scale investment (over 50million if funded by the European Investment Bank). This could include payments for the preparation of feasibility studies, business plans and procurement procedures for the launch and management of an investment project on energy eciency and renewable energy sources. ELENA is made up of a number of dierent facilities covering the range of possible applicants and project goals. Whats the benefit to EU citizens? Establishing sustainable, cleaner sources of energy, reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels and fostering growth by boosting innovation are all likely results. But to make sure there is a direct return, leverage is central to ELENA 1from the public purse must generate at least 20 of investment. For public authorities seeking to launch smaller projects (investment of less than 6million), the Mobilising Local Energy Investments facility funds the work involved in feasibility studies, raising awareness in local communities and among interested parties, setting out business plans and preparation for tendering. By investing a little at the start, the fund ensures that when it comes to tendering and applying for nance, all the necessary groundwork has been carried out. Energy service companies can implement these investments, providing upfront

funding which can then be recouped through the energy savings achieved. An investment in energy eciency paid back through a reduction in consumption is also the model behind Energy Performance Contracting (EPC). One example is the FRESH project that, in 2011, resulted in the signature of the rst EPC with third-party investment in social housing in France. The project used the largest French construction industry publication Le Moniteur to circulate 50 000detailed handbooks explaining EPC.

policy made by the EU into something tangible and transparent for the general public and IEE helps to make them as eective as possible. Events are also a signicant way to boost the prole of policies and promote networking. The EU Sustainable Energy Week has stimulated investment in energy technologies, showcased best practices and provided a platform for the exchange of ideas and views through conferences and debates. The 2012

We cant go far if we dont motivate the next generation. You may not have met My Friend Boo yet, but your child may well have. The educational cartoon has been distributed to 19 countries in 16languages into 25million homes.
Co-nancing spurs on private investors to renovate and embrace the latest energy saving techniques and nancing sources. Energy Agencies in Kaunas (Lithuania), Tartu (Estonia) and Zemgale (Latvia) helped their local authorities present convincing proposals to the EU Structural Funds. As a result, apartment blocks in each country will be refurbished and by 2020 the Zemgale Agency aims to provide the technical assistance needed to renovate half of the regions multiresidential buildings. Week featured more than 1000events in Brussels and across the EU, and attracted up to 200000participants. Support is also oered to local and regional authorities to stay abreast of changes and help them reach energy related goals. To ensure policies are evidence based and grounded in reality, policy support also covers running technical studies to provide the necessary, comprehensive data.

Helping policies work in practice

Policies coming out of the European Union need to be supported across Europe if they are to really make a dierence. The IEE programme has dedicated part of its attention to making policies easier to adopt and more likely to succeed, supporting the creation of concrete measures at the service of the general public. Examples include labelling schemes we are all familiar with the multi coloured bar charts on our appliances. Such schemes convert

FOR MORE INFO

My Friend Boo http://www.myfriendboo.com FRESH http://www.fresh-project.eu EIB ELENA http://www.eib.org/products/elena/index.htm CARE+ http://bit.ly/care_plus

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ON THE GROUND

We worked with cultural heritage authorities along with energy agencies, architects and technicians to nd compromises that would make inner city solar thermal plants possible.

Renewable heating and coolingon your doorstep

Harnessing ground heat and solar thermal energy, two IEE projects are playing their part to boost the uptake of innovative heating and cooling systems from renewable resources in our towns and cities.
The ground beneath our feet a source of renewable energy
We stand on an all-too-frequently untapped source of renewable energy: the earths own geothermal heat. By using borehole heat exchangers, shallow geothermal systems (0-400m depth) can extract thermal energy to provide free heating and cooling to buildings and for domestic hot water. The Regeocities project aims to overcome the regulatory barriers that exist at regional and local levels. For some municipalities, this technology is simply not used and they have no regulations at all, explains project manager Jos Cuevas. Such imbalances make it hard for shallow geothermal systems to become bankable and widespread. Regeocities, which started in 2012, has selected around 20pilot cities in which training activities will target technicians and the authorities charged with issuing licences. By transferring knowhow from experienced to less experienced countries the project will increase the technical skills of administrative personnel in local authorities. As a result, the project aims to simplify and accelerate administrative procedures and will develop a common European methodology for regulating shallow geothermal systems.

Renovating urban residential areas with solar thermal heating

he current housing market is dominated by existing building stock and will be for some years to come. This makes using more renewable energy, such as solar thermal, in existing buildings key to achieving the EUs renewable energy targets. In the right applications, solar thermal can be a costeective solution for the integration of renewable energy in existing multiple-occupancy buildings. This is particularly the case in the renovation of buildings using centralised heating systems as the solar thermal system can tap into the building heating and hot water circuits, explains UrbanSolPlus project manager Chiara Wolter. Working alongside city decision makers, the project aims to provide sustainable solutions to overcome the market barriers to the integration of solar thermal in renovation activities in existing buildings and in particular in older parts of cities, including areas that might be protected. We worked with cultural heritage authorities along with energy agencies, architects and technicians to nd compromises that would make inner city solar thermal plants possible, explains Chiara.

We will need around 2million new ground source heat pump installations in Europe. So we had better start digging.
To Jos the benet is clear, At some estimates, in order to meet our 2020 renewable energy targets forecast in the National Renewable Energy Action Plans, we will need around 2million new ground source heat pump installations in Europe. So we had better start digging.

FOR MORE INFO

UrbanSolPlus http://www.urbansolplus.eu/en http://www.solarordinances.eu

FOR MORE INFO

Regeocities http://regeocities.eu

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

The projects supported until now have mobilised 2.4 billion of investment.
Werner Hoyer / President of the European Investment Bank (EIB)

Investing in a greener tomorrow

President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Werner Hoyer talks about the EIBs role in moving towards a more sustainable future.
Can you tell us something about the nancing of sustainable energy investments by the European Investment Bank?
climate and energy objectives and local employment. Up to 2013, a total budget of 49million was available out of which 37.4million has been already allocated and from 2013 an additional budget of supply. Increased energy eciency also lowers costs and improves competitiveness in the production of goods and delivery of services. Investments in energy eciency thus have the potential to create signicant

enewable energy and energy efciency investments are crucial to making Europes energy supplies more sustainable, competitive and secure. All three elements go hand in hand. For instance, developing more sustainable energy sources, such as renewables, can help the EUs energy sector to be more competitive, as well as diversify and secure its energy supply. The EIB in this respect not only supports mature renewable energy technologies that are already used commercially, such as onshore wind farms, hydropower, geothermal and solid biomass, but also those in development, including photovoltaics, offshore wind, concentrated solar power, solar thermal and second generation biofuels.

The EIB tailors its nancing to the specic needs of the borrower and the project, in line with sound banking practice and procedures.
22million is available. So far 20projects have received support under the facility, helping cities and regions develop energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes, including clean urban transport projects. The projects supported until now have mobilised 2.4billion of investment. numbers of jobs. The EIB tailors its nancing to the specic needs of the borrower and the project, in line with sound banking practice and procedures. Borrowers can be public and private entities, in particular public authorities and SMEs, from within or outside the EU. A thermal rehabilitation of multi-apartment buildings in Bucharest is one of the most recent examples of how the EIB can support energy eciency investment.

What is the experience of EIB with technical assistance facilities such as ELENA?
Since the beginning of 2010 the EIB has implemented the ELENA facility which is funded under the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme of the European Union. The facility has proven instrumental in developing local energy eciency and renewable energy projects contributing to

How do you see the role of the EIB as an investment bank to support sustainable energy?
Energy eciency is the most cost-eective and rational way of reducing emissions and improving the security of the energy

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MANAGER & MANAGED

The coordinator went the extra mile, being committed to delivering the best possible results. They were very proactive in their communications.

Cutting the time from development to deployment for wind farms

By streamlining application and licensing processes for wind projects, GP Wind helps the market uptake of wind energy.
From the very beginning the Scottish government saw this as a flagship project, says EACI project ocer Dana Dutianu. The Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism launched the project in 2010, in Glasgow and there is no doubt that when the coordinating country is committed then things fall into place. By carrying out detailed case studies, GP Wind identied market barriers and ways to address these across regions and technologies. They looked at engaging local communities and smoothing out the consultation processes by bringing together environmental groups, local authorities and developers to help the application process, explains Dana. The project gathered information on the successes and failures experienced by wind farm developers throughout the partner countries. Realising the same issues were cropping up, they collated the information into a database of good practices common to all. The result of their ndings takes the form of a good practice guide, a tool kit for those submitting an application and comparisons of planning and consenting processes which aim to give an overview of, and help standardise, processes throughout the partner countries. Dana feels one of the projects strengths was its geographic scope, Having partners from dierent cultures dealing with similar problems but using dierent application processes led to new ideas that could be replicated across diverse locations. But, she acknowledges, from a management point of view this was quite challenging.

he use of wind energy in the EU is growing fast, but long planning application processes, which are not standardised from country to country, make wind project development more costly and drive up costs for the consumer. This creates a significant barrier to its market up-take. Local planning departments frequently dont fully understand the implications of having a wind project in their area, and this can often result in delays or in negative planning decisions. The GP Wind project has been addressing these barriers in eight EU countries, diering in their topography, systems of local government and experience of wind installations. Co-funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme and coordinated by the Scottish Government, the project brought together industry, regional and local authorities, environmental agencies, NGOs and academia. It set out to share the experience of wind projects in Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Scotland and Greece.

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MANAGER & MANAGED

Ensuring developers get clear and timely answers

Working with local communities, environmental groups and planning authorities to deal up-front with issues surrounding wind energy.
round ve years ago energy bodies across the EU worried 2020 targets would not be met because wind as a source of power was being held back by long delays in the permit system. There were fears that environmental pressures could derail the use of wind as

The GP Wind project set out to give all those involved, the most relevant and up-to-date information on which to draw when developing their proposals and plans and to bring the processing of application times down, by streamlining the system.

In Norway, for example, there is a wind farm sited next to a sea eagle breeding colony in the southern part of the country. The governmental nature organisation has been studying the interaction between the birds and the wind farm closely, providing a lot of data that could guide applications in such a context, elsewhere. So many partners, disparate in terms of geography and in experience, ensured the cross-fertilisation of ideas and much data was collected that could be applied to a range of other countries. We gained knowledge of how to best operate in a wide range of physical and regulatory environments, Colin explains, adding, Its not about renewables at any cost. Developers need a clear and timely answer even if that answer is no.

What we have learned from Danish on-shore farms, we can apply to Scottish o-shore farms.
a renewable, making us miss our targets, explains Colin Imrie, head of the Scottish Energy & International Low Carbon Energy and Climate Change Directorate and manager of the GP Wind project. These fears seemed to be exemplied in 2000 when a proposed wind farm on the isle of Lewis, Scotland, was met with sti resistance on environmental grounds. After a long legal process, it was eventually dropped. There was a clear need to share good practices on how to carry local communities with the idea of wind energy and address issues directly, whether environmental or community based. The community concern over wind farms underlined the need to engage people throughout the process, from development to deployment, says Colin. In Scotland the project has been so successful that it has managed to accelerate the decision-making process, speeding up the application assessment rate four-fold. More than 50% of applications now meet the nine-month target. Prior to the project in Scotland, pre-2007, 15 to 20 projects out of 50 in the system had been held up for twothree years. And the great thing about a project like this is not only the fact that you can learn from other countries but then extrapolate that knowledge, not just to different countries but also to different models, in other words what we have learned from Danish on-shore farms, we can apply to Scottish off-shore farms.

And on Lewis now?

Now on Lewis a series of smaller wind farms with a total generating capacity of 350 MW have been approved, bringing important socio-economic benets to the local community and respecting the high quality of the environment.

FOR MORE INFO

GP Wind http://www.project-gpwind.eu

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FOCUS ON

Clean vehicles forEurope

From individuals on battery powered bikes to public transport eets, next generation clean vehicles are being taken up across the EU through the support of the IEE programme.
reduction in the levels of air pollution we all too often have to cope with would be a great boost to the quality of our lives. To help achieve this goal, the Directive on the Promotion of Clean and Energy Ecient Road Transport Vehicles aims at a broad market introduction of environmentally-friendly vehicles through public procurement.

The project will make a Start Up Kit widely available, suggesting ways in which fleet managers, local administrations and public transport and car sharing operators can improve their eet performance. eBRIDGE intends to drive up the purchase of EVs and improve user attitudes towards them.

Fortunately those involved in eBRIDGE are not put o, We do believe electric mobility can play a major role in the reduction of emissions, and we are condent projects such as ours can help overcome market and user barriers, asserts Aida. She cites car sharing as a promising eld which has seen several new schemes, some fully electric and some involving both hybrid and conventional vehicles. Over its 36month duration, the project will start with over 100vehicles in pilot municipalities across Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Portugal and the UK. Case studies will develop actions to test and launch solutions to increase the ease of use for car sharing and to raise awareness by marketing the suitability of these vehicles for urban journeys.

We do believe electric mobility can play a major role in the reduction of emissions.
The eBRIDGE project is using support from the IEE programme to do its bit, through encouraging car users, eet operators and public authorities to use more electric vehicles to replace traditional vehicles producing higher emissions. Clean, ecient and quiet, electric vehicles (EVs) now benet from technology that seems to t the bill when it comes to reducing energy consumption, CO2 and other emissions. But barriers still exist to their market uptake. They are more expensive compared to conventional vehicles and they need a standardised and reliable charging infrastructure. In addition, the new technology challenges the current understanding of urban mobility and its patterns. eBRIDGE is setting out to demonstrate that the introduction of EVs in eet schemes for business and private use in cities can be eective and by doing so, help to improve market conditions for the electric mobility sector. In the long run we are hoping to see a zero-carbon transport system with electric vehicles playing a major role in the enhancement of the quality of our lives in towns and cities, says project leader Aida Abdulah, based in the projects coordinating country, Germany. By encouraging electric eets we are hoping to exploit the economies of scale and drive prices down, so boosting the number of them on the roads and, therefore, public awareness, she adds. There is a need for cross-border cooperation in order to establish a standardised, easily available recharging infrastructure and industrial sectors also need to cooperate if advances are to be made. The current economic crisis makes it more dicult to establish collaboration between the business sectors and the technology developers, Aida explains. Both the levels of investment and, correspondingly, the risks are high and this slows down progress.

Giving operators a helping hand with the Clean Vehicles Directive

If you are working in the transport unit of a public authority which is about to commission a eet of vehicles, you will be pleased to know that the Clean Fleets project is there to help you comply with the Clean Vehicles Directive (CVD). The authorities involved in tendering are bound by the CVD but may well not be experts in the eld, so for the rst six months we will be assessing their situation to make sure the help we then oer is targeted correctly, explains Simon Clement, project coordinator at ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability based in Germany. The project consortium is heavily involved in the procurement of vehicles, so learning of the complexities lying in wait for those deciding on tenders will be

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PAGE 13

The cities of Rotterdam, London and Zagreb are among those taking part.

FOCUS ON

The Clean Vehicle Portal giving you the tools you need
o boost the demand for, and production of, clean and energy-ecient road transport vehicles, the portal features one of the largest vehicle databases. By searching this, users can see comparable listings of vehicles according to their specic search terms and identify procurement requirements. The results can be collated in a personalised watch list. Information on the state of play in various EU countries, general background on policy and procurement issues and other reference material is all easily available via the portal. The vehicle data set covers all relevant vehicle-categories and technologies/fuels, (conventional fuelled engines, hybrid, biodiesel, E85exifuel, liqueed petroleum gas, compressed natural gas, electric, hydrogen) and is updated continually.

easier. The cities of Rotterdam, London and Zagreb are among those taking part. Practical actions to help the procurement process will include direct support in developing tender documents, market consultation, contract management and tools for implementation including training modules and good practice guides. Public authorities are required to take emissions into account in procurement, either by setting minimum standards or by weighing them against the costs of the vehicle. This is something the Clean Fleets partners can help with. Electric vehicles, biofuels, natural gas we are technology neutral, adds Simon. But whatever the technology, by the end of the project, in 2015, they are aiming to have 20operators running newly commissioned eets that meet standards for the 21st century.

what you are looking for. The Go Pedelec project has gathered all the information together to make sure you consider the option carefully. Pedal Electric Cycles have motors which are activated by pedalling, giving the rider extra power from the electric drive system stop pedalling and the power stops. Thanks to its hand book, now even available in Chinese, and the work its done to raise the profile of pedelecs, the project is helping them become a viable alternative to scooters and cars. The Go Pedelec website also has information directed at decision-makers in municipalities, covering legal aspects, infrastructure for recharging batteries and who the potential users of pedelecs are.

FOR MORE INFO

eBridge http://bit.ly/ebridge Cleen Fleets http://www.cleaneets.eu Clean Vehicle Portal http://www.cleanvehicle.eu Go Pedelec http://www.gopedelec.eu

Cycle with a permanent tailwind behind you

If you want to get around by bike but are afraid that you may run out of energy before you reach your door, electric bicycles, known as pedelecs, may just be

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COUNTRY PROFILE

The RESTOR-Hydro project is working to map 50000sites across Europe.

Lithuania takes diverse action to meet its energy objectives

From small-scale hydroelectric projects to very low-energy housing in extreme temperatures, Lithuania and its partners are embracing intelligent energy solutions.

cross Europe, watermills and weirs have been abandoned, leaving a network of economically viable and sustainable energy resources. Repowering these neglected sites could provide local communities with hydroelectric power for their use and for injection into the European electrical grid. The RESTOR-Hydro project, which was launched in 2012, is working to map 50 000sites across Europe, and bring them to life using a working business model, creating jobs and earning potential in rural communities. The Mills Map database is not limited to mapping GPS coordinates and hydropower potential. Ongoing research on each site should lead to an extensive and informative database including realistic estimations of the hydro potential, which can be calculated by combining various types of data and by consulting online maps from street to satellite level.

In Lithuania, project leader Petras Punys explains that there are 300potential sites, 30of which are on sh migrating rivers and so are threatened with demolition. But we can bring all these mills, little dams and weirs back to life while at the same time protecting the wildlife, with sh runs and other measures, says Punys, adding, Smallscale hydro projects improve the quality of the environment. By bringing together small-scale hydropower sites within a region into a local cooperative, the project intends to stimulate investment and boost acceptance through community participation. A small hydro power citizen cooperative is an asset nancially and technically for the success and the lifespan of a project, says Bridget Petit at France Hydro lectricit, project leader for France, in partnership with the Fdration des Moulins de France.

Bringing down energy consumption of houses in extreme temperatures

While the German passive house performance is difficult to reach in extremely cold climates, the goal is a desirable one. Very low-energy houses consume 50% less than standard buildings and with the right design, can be ecient and attractive alternatives to traditional housing. The NorthPass project ran from 2009 to 2012 and worked on nding solutions for removing market barriers to the uptake of very low-energy houses, bridging the gap between demonstration projects and widespread production. The project worked to raise awareness, helping people cooperate across dierent stages of development, establishing legal requirements about energy efficiency and dening the concept for low-energy construction.

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COUNTRY PROFILE

We wanted to have a project focusing on the climate in the north, which is challenging, says project manager Riikka Holopainen, speaking from the coordinating partner, VTT Technical Research Centre, Finland. Very low temperatures present their own problems, permafrost goes deep at certain times of the year, earth-air ground source heat exchangers cannot work properly in frozen ground and insulation has to be highly eective. In neighbouring Poland and the Baltic countries only a few very low-energy houses have been built so far. Arturas Kaklauskas, project leader for Lithuania, explains, In Lithuania, a limited amount of funds forces the selection of traditional, more conservative homes, because risk-taking is undesirable. NorthPass brought together a renowned group of experts (users, building consultants, installers, engineers, architects, property owners, developers and managers) in order to highlight the problems of todays low energy housing seen from their own perspective. This led to the publication of a report, Barriers to the implementation of very

help municipalities develop energy action plans and join the Covenant of Mayors, the project provided in-depth courses for policy makers and specialists. For us in Lithuania the project has been very important because it is now part of the solution for us to meet our 20-2020targets, says Vaiva Ramanauskiene, project manager based at the countrys Environmental Centre for Administration and Technology.

on climate protection and looked at a variety of best-practice examples, also working on concrete proposals for each of their cities. We enabled knowledge sharing with other countries that have more projects in place, to inspire and motivate, Vaiva says, adding that although the project has come to a close, they wish to continue, There is clear demand. Other municipalities in Lithuania have expressed an interest and we would like to build on what we have achieved so far. The countrys emissions rate has dropped since Soviet times and Vaiva is sure people are far more aware of the issue now, We have been delighted with the up-take and were surprised at the enthusiasm shown by some of our politicians who took to the course with a real, pioneering spirit. Janis Ulme, speaking from the Latvian Foundation for Environmental Education, was intrigued by how the learning process developed. It was a challenge for us to meet dierent expectations and needs in one course, people were so keen to learn. Some wanted more of a legal framework, others looked for technical solutions, still others, information on climate science. Certification programmes run by the Latvian partner in the past, did not involve much user feedback, This was dierent, it really was like a two-way learning street, both the project and the participants grew in expertise together. In Latvia 12courses were held involving 27participants in six municipalities. The training modules are available in English, Bulgarian, Czech, German, French, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish and Romanian, each adapted to the countrys specic needs.

BEAM21 reached 423 staff from 59 municipalities.

Requiring an investment of 120hours (each 45minutes) and additional selfstudy time, organisers were delighted to see up-take exceeded expectations. In the nine partner countries, BEAM21reached 423sta from 59municipalities, running two courses in each, one for decision makers and politicians and one for specialists such as environmentalists,

low energy residential buildings and how to overcome them and country reports covering building codes, standards, markets of energy-ecient buildings and incentives.

planners, architects and heating providers. Almost 90% completed the courses. One of the elements people found very attractive was the e-learning platform set up by the project, Vaiva explains. The classes took place partly online with support from face-to-face seminars and people could ask to focus on their specific areas of interest. Participants learned about municipal elds of action

FOR MORE INFO

RESTOR-Hydro http://www.restor-hydro.eu NorthPass http://www.northpass.eu BEAM21 http://www.beam21.eu

Shining a light on urban energy eciency

The BEAM21 project ourished in Lithuania and Latvia. A training programme to

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ON THE GROUND

Cleaner buildings forasustainablefuture

The building sector is at the heart of the EUs push for a more sustainable energy future. It presents a key challenge, being responsible for about 40% of EU energy use.
urope has an ambitious vision for the energy performance of its buildings. In line with the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) all new constructions have to be nearly zero-energy by 2020, meaning they have to be highly energy ecient and reliant on a signicant contribution from renewable sources. The Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) programme is helping the EU to meet this target and transform our European urban landscape. Since 2007, 450organisations in the building sector have received funds to drive 75projects.

More ecient heating and cooling systems

The iSERV project is exploring how the automatic monitoring and feedback of information on the energy use of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems could work and what the benets of such an approach could be. Information from operating HVAC systems in buildings is collected and analysed and then used to produce tailor made benchmarks. Previous research suggests possible energy savings of up to 60%, a benet participants can reap for free. The emergence of cheap metering systems lets us use energy consumption data to establish realistic targets and identify energy conservation opportunities, says Dr Ian Knight, iSERVs project coordinator. McKenzie House in Cardiff University reduced its electrical energy consumption by 25%, at virtually no cost, with annual savings of 80000. iSERV is aiming to have 1 600systems in its database by the end of the action.

Renovation of social housing

The POWER HOUSE nearly ZERO CHALLENGE project is tackling the challenges of reconciling social and environmental objectives in delivering nearly Zero Energy Building targets in social housing, which represents 12% of the residential sector. The project will reduce energy consumption by about 1000GWh/ year and trigger the production of 250GWh/year in renewable energy use.

McKenzie House in Cardiff University reduced its electrical energy consumption by 25%, at virtually no cost, with annual savings of 80000.
Explaining the project, the coordinator, Sorcha Edwards, describes the potential challenges to communications in Brussels, industry lobbyists are in one bubble, the climate change campaigners are in another, policy makers in yet another and outside this are people leading their everyday lives. Meanwhile there are also bubbles of progress, bubbles of hope, often crazy, visionary individuals and organisations making things happen. IEE support is enabling the project to bring these various groups together, to accelerate real change.

Renewable energy in buildings

The Install+RES project oers courses for trainers and installers of small scale renewable energy systems in buildings. Until now, about 80trainers have been trained and 180installers qualied across the EU. Project coordinator Ingrid Weiss explains, Quality and quantity in the installation of small-scale RES in buildings can be achieved only with highly qualied trainers and installers. We provide the tools to reach such ambitious targets, ensuring the mobility of highly qualied professionals throughout Europe.

FOR MORE INFO

POWER HOUSE nearly ZERO CHALLENGE http://www.powerhouseeurope.eu iSERV http://www.iservcmb.info Install+RES http://www.resinstaller.eu

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PAGE 17

More than 75000 products from 330 shops in 13 countries were checked during the project.

ON THE GROUND

Encouraging ecient consumptionpatterns

Helping EU citizens make informed decisions about their purchases and everyday habits.

onsumers have a key role to play in reducing energy consumption, by voting with their wallets when it comes to the purchase of energy-ecient products, cars and homes. In this, the European Year of Citizens, the Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) Programme continues to support consumer choice.

Describing the project, its coordinator Juraj Krivok says, The project organised shop visits to verify the proper display of energy labels, and collected product surveillance tests. These results were shared with surveillance authorities at the national level. More than 75 000products from 330shops in 13countries were checked during the project.

Market Surveillance
The ECOPLIANT project brings together national authorities with Market Surveillance Authorities (MSAs) to help deliver the economic and environmental benets of the Ecodesign directive. It is establishing a cost-eective EU monitoring system and creating a database MSAs can share, helping them to ensure their consumers make informed decisions. Sital Nana, the coordinator, explains, Through this project, we aim to strengthen market surveillance across Europe by developing a range of best practice guidance and training tools for all authorities involved.

Energy Labelling
ATLETE II and ComeOn Labels help consumers see the energy consumption of products they buy. ATLETE II specically looks at washing machines, the second most frequently occurring household appliance. It follows on from ATLETE, which focused on energy labeling for fridges and freezers, testing the energy label compliance of 80models and showing the real need for market surveillance. Project coordinator Stefano Faberi says, Consumers need to be sure that the products found on the market comply with law. ATLETE II assesses manufacturers compliance with the energy labelling requirements and helps national authorities to cooperate on this issue. Fifty washing machine models will be tested during the project.

Ecient Lighting
When it comes to lighting, the PremiumLight project is ensuring a smooth transition towards more ecient and quality technology, providing consumers with the information they need to make informed decisions. On the supply side of the market, the project is pushing for the greater availability of energy ecient lighting, by supporting initiatives whose aim is to bring down cost. Bernd Shppi, the project coordinator explains, PremiumLight supports the use of high quality energy ecient lighting in households by product testing and by co-operation with retailers to promote good products.

FOR MORE INFO

ComeOn Labels has a broader scope. Its aim is to enhance the visibility and credibility of the EU energy label in order to push for better checks on market compliance and the constant improvement of the energy eciency of household appliances. ATLETE II / http://www.atlete.eu ComeOn Labels / http://www.come-on-labels.eu ECOPLIANT / http://www.ecopliant.eu PremiumLight / http://www.premiumlight.eu

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ON THE GROUND

Supporting Local andRegional Authorities

For an eective EU energy policy, strong leadership is needed at all levels, including amongst regional and local authorities.
Local Energy Leadership
uthorities are supported through the Local Energy Leadership (LEL) initiative. Valrie Benard, who oversees this work at EACI, explains, Public authorities are being empowered to put sustainable energy at the heart of their integrated approach. Through capacity building for public authority sta and politicians, it is preparing the ground for tangible local implementation of sustainable energy solutions and investments. Over 900municipalities have already beneted in one way or another by taking part. The LEL initiative will trigger close to 1 100signatories to the Covenant of Mayors and oversee the development of more than 700sustainable energy action plans (SEAPs), the key document in which Covenant signatories outline their CO2 reduction target plans. So far more than 180municipalities have joined the CoM as a result of the project, and eight new Energy Management Systems (EMSs) have been implemented. Project coordinator Dario Miroglio says, We are proud of our achievements over the past 3years. We developed about 80SEAPs, integrating some with an Energy Management System, we implemented actions and involved people all around Europe.

Mobilising Local Energy Investments Project development assistance (MLEI-PDA)

IEE is helping local and regional public authorities to prepare and launch investments in sustainable energy through MLEI PDA. It supports local authorities by mobilising nancing through dierent schemes, and requires a leverage factor where each euro of project cost generates an investment of at least 15. Initial investment can be either traditional (public grants or direct investments), or from a third-party source, through energy performance contracting or Pay As You Save schemes, citizen nancing, or the creation of dedicated investment funds. Under this initiative, nine projects got under way in 2012, and a further seven projects started in 2013. Among these, several aim to bundle small-sized investments in energy eciency and/or renewable energy projects that would otherwise not be considered bankable by nancial institutions.

The LEL initiative will trigger close to 1100signatories to the Covenant of Mayors and oversee the development of more than 700sustainable energy action plans.
ENGAGE is one such communications campaign implemented by European local authorities. It asks people to make personal energy-saving pledges and so contribute to their cities own energy and climate targets. Using posters, participating authorities can showcase the pledges of participants and the impact of combined energysaving actions. The approach is paying o: by the end of 2012 citizens in the 12ENGAGE pioneer cities reduced their annual CO2 emissions by an average of 12%. One project geared towards the successful implementation of the Covenant of Mayors (CoM) is Energy for Mayors. It complements the work of ENGAGE by strengthening and increasing the number of coordinators and supporters and assisting in the creation and implementation of SEAPs.

MLEI at a glance
> > > > 16projects ongoing; Total costs: 18million; Expected triggered investment: 381million; and  Average leverage factor: 21

FOR MORE INFO

ENGAGE http://www.citiesengage.eu Energy for Mayors http://www.energyformayors.eu MLEI PDA http://bit.ly/mlei

Concerted actions supporting the national implementation of European legislation on

> Energy performance of buildings > Energy eciency > Renewable energy sources

Shared solutions for common challenges ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/ concerted-actions

EA-AB-12-006-EN-C