Electricity consumption is rising, in some areas with alarming speed. There is a strong risk that the increase in electricity consumption will overcompensate the growth in electricity production from renewable energy sources. A considerable lack of awareness about these increases exists, not only among the general public but also in SMEs, in public administrations and in political decision makers on regional and local levels.

A high visibility competition, the “European Energy Trophy” is organised by a consortium of private and public organisations which play an active role in the field of enhancement of environmental performance across Europe. As part of its second round and given its previous success, the contest will be extended to 18 countries, with a wide array of participants expected to take part (estimated at 350-450, or 10 times higher than the 1st round).

• The original Energy Trophy took place in 2004/2005 and involved both, private companies and public administrations in six countries. The second round of Energy Trophy will take place from July 1, 2007 to June 2008 and will involve an additional 12 countries.

• The main objective of the competition is to reward and give recognition to outstanding energy saving in office buildings through implementation of simple, cost-free or low cost measures, i.e. behavioural changes such as switching off lights, turning down the heat etc.

• The winner of the prize will be the entity that saved the most energy based on preset benchmarks, and will be awarded at a high profile Gala held in Brussels. Measuring devices will be provided and offered to all participants.

 More information on: http://www.energytrophy.org/

The aim of Cogen-Challenge project is to disseminate best practices and existing know-how, to create supporting measures facilitating the development of small scale CHP. The work of the consortium is to develop a large set of tools facilitating the implementation of small CHP and to speed up the market penetration.

Starting from the assumption that biogas production is still lagging behind in Europe due to different obstacles and barriers, this project will foster the development of concrete biogas plant projects through the promotion of multi level partnerships.

• Know-how transfer from well-developed biogas markets in Germany and Austria to seven European regions that are less developed in this domain.

• Implementation of partnerships between the agriculture sector and other actors of the territory in a common logic of organic matter treatment for efficient biogas plants.

• Match making/networking activities between potential investors and suppliers of ready-for-use plants, to foster investment decisions in emerging territories.

Biofuels Network in the Community (BIONIC)

The BIONIC project is centred around the creation of 5 regional Biofuels Networks in 5 different European regions:  North West England (UK), Värmland (Sweden), Cantabria (Spain), Ploiesti (Romania) and Pazardjik (Bulgaria). The networks, involving stakeholders at all stages of the supply and end-use chain, will aim at increasing the take-up of biofuels in the transport sector. Experience in the set-up of the Networks will be shared, and case studies prepared, in order to develop and circulate best practice guidance on how to stimulate the local biofuels markets. The project will also include comprehensive evaluation and dissemination activities.

NEREIDA MOWC: OWC Integration in the New Mutriku Breakwater (NEREIDA MOWC)

The Nereida MOWC project will demonstrate the successful incorporation of OWC technology with Wells turbine power take-off into a newly constructed rubble mound breakwater in Mutriku, in the North coast of Spain, being the first breakwater wave energy project in Europe and showing its viability for future commercial projects.

The results of the project will help potential investors in renewable energy to determine the physical conditions (type of breakwater number of chambers, etc.) and economic conditions (sale price of electricity), under which their project will be profitable, thus making a definitive contribution to the expansion of this type of renewable energy.

For more info about the NEREIDA OWC project, please click here

The project aims at boosting electricity production from renewable energy sources and the use of green electricity in 11 European regions by defining concrete regional RES-e targets and developing and implementing regional RES-e strategies. These will identify the main barriers (such as administrative obstacles, public opposition, grid access, lack of information, frequent changes in funding regimes) and address them by well targeted information and promotion activities, thereby significantly increasing regional RES-e shares

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The “LOCAL AND INNOVATIVE BIODIESEL”-project’s objective is to contribute to the realisation of the intended obligatory Biodiesel market shares of 2 % by 2005 and 5,75 % in 2010 as indicated by the European Commission’s Directive Proposal for the promotion of liquid biofuels.

Project aims at creating a friendly environment to deploy local based biodiesel plants throughout Europe, using edible vegetal oils coming from small producers (families & small restaurants). Currently this residue is left by the sewage, contaminating soils and waters, & creating heavy problems in sewage plants. Objectives are the removal of existing barriers (lack of reliable information on this business activity), promote at least two small demo plants at local level, and disseminate information sufficient to encourage industrials to deploy this type of plants and the raw matter procurement system. An important part of this project will be dedicate to the bio-diesel production, to the development of blending recipes, to the quality control training courses, to the diesel engine bench tests and finally to test and evaluate bio-diesel fleets.

Proceeding of the conference "Biofuels : a fast-developing sector -biofuel, bioethanol- transformation of used plant oil and use of pure plant oil fuel" held in Lyon on the 29th April 2005. 

In the framework of the European project « Network of Rural Areas Aiming at Very-High Renewable Energies Rate », several rural regions of Europe have developed strategies for the development of renewable energies with an objective of raising the rate of renewable energies covering the energy needs of these territories.

This project showed the positive repercussions of investment projects and creation of services in the field of photovoltaic, biofuels or energy wood on the local economic development of the territories, through several regional experiences, the necessity to implicate all the actors concerned by such an action,- and the role of regional natural Parks and economic development agencies, the European energy policy, the functioning of structural funds and their impact on renewable energies in rural areas.

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Clear Support will support EC's intentions for establishing Clearinghouses for small-medium scale energy projects focused on RUE in building measures. The objective is to facilitate local Clearinghouses by creating sound framework and supporting users in focusing municipal and residential target groups in Latvia, Lithuania, Northern Poland, Czech Republic and Crete. The main focus of the project is through Project Services Facilities directly to support owners and provide capacity building of stakeholders, thus paving the way for wider Clearinghouse action.

The project is expected to generate considerable energy savings in buildings by applying RUE measures, and to serve as a vehicle for a European Clearhouse actions in less developed EU regions.

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This project intends to develop a suitable management framework for assisting public bodies and especially local authorities to implement energy services including energy efficiency, and thus to enhance the market of energy efficiency and energy services, by providing efficient tools to meet the needs of public bodies and facilitating the work of ESCOs. The major outcome of this action would be an increased number of public bodies using energy services.

A Network Cluster consisting of 7 project partners acting as a Common Platform for Mobility Management issues, providing the means for exchange of know-how and information among market actors in the participating regions.

Best practices and General methods that will serve as guidelines for market actors on regional and local level in the participating countries ensuring a high quality and efficiency in Mobility work and facilitating the start up of new projects.

The SERVE project focuses on RUE/RES in rural areas. The project will target a total of 635 buildings, existing and new, located in a region in North Tipperary (Ireland), for energy efficiency and renewable energy measures, with the following objectives:

• Create a region in North Tipperary which is a leader in the implementation of sustainable energy actions

• Contribute to the development of an eco-village with 132 houses in Cloghjordan which showcases energy efficient design and are supplied by Ireland first renewable energy district heating system

• Reduce the energy consumption in 500 existing buildings by improving their energy performance through insulation and heating control measures

• Increase the use of renewable energy technologies through supporting the installation of renewable energy heating systems and demonstrating the use of electricity from micro wind.

• Utilise technical and socio-economic expertise from European Partners to facilitate technology transfer, ensure best practices and foster replication across the EU.

For more info on the SERVE project, click here

The "Sec Tools" project supports

• the need for increased energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources in New EU Member States;

• demonstrates and support development of sustainable energy communities.

The project will develop tools carefully designed to support the process of developing sustainable energy communities in municipalities in New Member States, by addressing technical, organisational and financial aspects of sustainable energy practice.

City Instruments aims to monitor, evaluate and further develop innovative instruments to promote the Rational Use of Energy (RUE) and the use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in metropolitan regions in Europe.
Metropolitan regions (500,000+ inhabitants) have special problems but also unique opportunities to address
environmental challenges e.g. in terms of human and financial resources, administrative clout etc. This is especially true for policies to
promote RUE and RES.

ProEcoPolyNet – Network for the promotion of RTD results in the field of Eco-building technologies, small Polygeneration and renewable heating and cooling technologies for buildings.

The ProEcoPoly-Network (in the following shortly referred to as ‘PEP-Net’) pursues the following overall goals:

1.   Editing RTD results to promote and disseminate efficient and innovative building-related energy technologies

2.   Complementing dissemination carried out within similar individual FP projects

3.   Increase the level of information and know-how transfer throughout Europe by linking leading experts and specific organisations in a network and by implementing joint activities

4.   Contribute to the creation of a European Research Area by strengthening the co-operation between actors and institutions

These general objectives of the project cover the promotion and dissemination of results of research and demonstration (RTD) projects in the three areas Eco-buildings, small Polygeneration and renewable heating and cooling technologies for buildings. The main types of actions are networking, screening and bundling of RTD results, exchange of best RTD practices, promotional RTD events, marketing campaigns and material.

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