ontelligent energy europe magazine no6 2013

8/13/2019 Ontelligent Energy EUROPE Magazine No6 2013

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IntelligentEnergyEurope

N606/2013ISSN 1831-8843

I NT E L L I G E NT E NE RG Y

E URO P E M AG AZ I NE

MAGINTELLIGENT

ENERGYEUROPE

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Werner Hoyer,President of the European

Investment Bank (EIB)

FOCUS ON

Clean vehiclesfor Europe

12-139

COUNTRY PROFILE

Lithuania takes diverseaction to meet

its energy objectives

14-15

Growing

innovationTowards a newly energised Europe


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PAGE 2 / N6 - JUNE 2013

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-effective financing, and supporting the implementation of EU policies and legislation at

all levels across the EU, are high on the agenda.

Energy efficiency, renewable energy and clean transport

are key priorities for Europe. The EUs new Horizon 2020

Programme for Research and Innovation will be central

to reaching our energy and climate targets by 2020 and

beyond.

In this edition of the magazine of the Intelligent Energy

Europe programme, Im happy to say that we are truly

benefiting from the results and experience gained

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

We can build on and benefit from that.

This edition includes a variety of examples from across Europe illustrating the direct benefits

of projects that have received IEE support.

Financing sustainable energy is the central point of this editions interview with Werner Hoyer,

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

Europe meet its targets.

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 Efficiency, European Commissions

Directorate-General for Energy

EDITORIAL

Te IEE programmeworks and it works well.We can build onand benefit from that.


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THE INTELLIGENT ENERGY - EUROPE

MAGAZINE

6TABLE OF CONTENTS

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 or the content o this publication lies with the authors; it does not necessarily reflect the opinion o the European Union. The EACI is not responsibleor any use that may be made o the inormation contained herein. The inormation contained is given or inormation purposes only and does not legally bind anyo 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 ound atec.europa.eu/intelligentenergy

EDITORIAL 2

LEAD FEATURE 4-7

Growing innovation - Towards a newly energised Europe

ON THE GROUND 8

Renewable heating and cooling on your doorstep

IN THEIR OWN WORDS 9

Investing in a greener tomorrow

MANAGER & MANAGED 10-11

GP Wind

FOCUS ON 12-13

Clean vehicles or Europe

COUNTRY PROFILE 14-15

Lithuania takes diverse action to meet its energy objectives

ON THE GROUND 16

Cleaner buildings or a sustainable uture

ON THE GROUND 17

Encouraging efficient consumption patterns

ON THE GROUND 18

Supporting Local and Regional Authorities
http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/ec.europa.eu/intelligentenergyhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/ec.europa.eu/intelligentenergyhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/ec.europa.eu/intelligentenergy


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Growing innovation - Towardsa newly energised Europe

The Intelligent Energy Europe pro-gramme was set up to help Europe

reach its 20-20-20 target o re-

ducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20%,

increasing the share o renewables in en-

ergy consumption to 20% and improving

energy efficiency by 20% - all by 2020.

IEE is the only EU programme exclusively

dedicated to sustainable energy, and over

a decade had 1 billion at its disposal,

which will continue to deliver results until

2017 and beyond. It invests its unding

mostly in the orm o grants and tenders

to public and private organisations.

By creating a link between technology,

research, innovation and the market, withits potential or mass deployment, the

programme set its sights on activities

that accelerate the uptake o innovative

energy solutions.

Removing obstacles,enhancing ability

Great ideas need to be helped rom

the drawing board into peoples lives.

A crucial moment in that transition is

finding people with the necessary know-

how to make changes. From municipalities

who need to put new legislation in place,

to plumbers working with the latest type

o boilers in your home people need

to know what they have to do and how

they can go about doing it, beore change

happens.

Among the many projects supporting thisimportant stage, were the Local Energy

Leadership projects involving more than

1 000 cities and regions across the EU.

These helped public authorities draw

up Sustainable Energy Action Plans or

their areas, and carry out the work andinvestment which these local plans

highlighted.

The projects meshed well with the

Covenant o Mayors initiative, which

brings committed European mayors

together to exchange and apply good

practices aimed at boosting energy

e ic iency and renewable energy

sources in their areas. The European

Commission has accepted more than

1 000 Sustainable Energy Action Plans

rom those who have signed up. A sampleo 525 o these Plans show:

> A commitment to reduce CO2emissions

by 86 million tonnes/year (29.8%

overall reduction) the equivalent o

getting 35 million cars off our roads

> Measures in place achieving energy

savings o 73 million MWh in 2020

a reduction in consumption equating

to the energy used by over 4 million

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 77 SMEs to identiy considerable

energy savings. Almost 800 000 a year

in savings were identified in 19 energy

audits carried out in Bulgaria alone. The

projects useulness has been recognised

by its incorporation into the global

Responsible Care Initiative, which aims to

improve health, saety and environmentalperormance in the chemical sector.

Support rom IEE helps people identiy

the projects that are important to them

and their communities and businesses.

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.

LEAD FEATURE

In 2012, projects with the goal

of making a short term impact received33 millionfrom the programme.

As a result 130 000 tonnesa year

of fossil fuel will be saved, along with

almost500 000 tonnesof CO2

,

and 490 million

of investment generated.


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LEAD FEATURE

We have helped to open doors in countriesthat have limited experience, giving peoplethe tools they need to work out where to start.

Solar district heating

the clean, cost effective

solution

Many 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 substitutedwith a gas or oil burner is a missed opportunity until they are

replaced 15 years 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, efficient and

benefitting from the economies of scale, solar district heating

(SDH) is coming into its own in Europe and the SDHtake-off

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-off brought together countrieswith 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

par tic ipants from countr ies with less exper ience. These

provided par tic ipating heat suppl iers with the chance to

explore nascent projects with experts.

The results are positive; 320 MW SDH plant capacity is now in

operation in Europe, mainly in Denmark, and the country intends

to add another 250 MW. But its not only countries that have a

strong track record in the field 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

N6 - JUNE 2013 / PAGE 5
http://www.solar-district-heating.eu/http://www.solar-district-heating.eu/


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LEAD FEATURE

PAGE 6 / N6 - JUNE 2013

Energy servicesfor the 21stCentury

Effec ti ve en erg y se rv ic es mar ke ts are cr uc ia l if

Europe is to meet its 2020 targets, so the EuropeanEnergy Service Initiative (EESI) has supported the

development of Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) across

10 EU countries. The Initiative ran 30 pilot projects, almost

quadrupling its target of annual emissions reductions of CO2

from 12 000 tonnes to more than 45 000 tonnes.

One contributor to these savings was the 438 bed 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 initialbarriers and help them gain the know-how they need through

national, online helpdesks and around 60 training 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 2 000 participants 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.

FOR MORE INFO

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

What is EnergyPerformance Contracting?

Energy Performance Contracting is an innovative and

practical way to make building improvements thatsave 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 financier. When all investments have been reimbursed,

the contract ends and from tha t point the owner and/or

tenants benefit from all energy savings.

EESI ran

30 pilot projects,

almost quadrupling its

target of annual emissions

reductions of CO2from 12 000 tonnes to

more than 45 000 tonnes.
http://www.european-energy-service-initiative.net/http://www.european-energy-service-initiative.net/


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N6 - JUNE 2013 / PAGE 7

LEAD FEATURE

But it does not stop there. The

programme also ollows through whenit comes to getting the investment they

need to turn their concepts into reality.

Investment support turns blue-

prints into bankable projects

Innovative, sustainable energy plans can

be challenging to put together and the

upront effort and risk can put investors

off. To bridge the gap rom proposal to

bankable project, IEE unds initial support

to help get ideas off the ground, through

what is known as Project DevelopmentAssistance (PDA).

The European Local Energy Assistance

(ELENA) is one such support scheme.

It provides co-financing to public authorities

o up to 90% o eligible costs relating

to technical assistance, or projects

mobilising large scale investment (over

50 million i unded by the European

Investment Bank). This could include

payments or the preparation o easibility

studies, business plans and procurement

procedures or the launch and managemento an investment project on energy

efficiency and renewable energy sources.

ELENA is made up o a number o

different acilities covering the range o

possible applicants and project goals.

Whats the beneit to EU citizens?

Establishing sustainable, cleaner sources

o energy, reducing our dependence

on imported ossil uels and ostering

growth by boosting innovation are all

likely results. But to make sure there is a

direct return, leverage is central to ELENA 1 rom the public purse must generate

at least 20 o investment.

For public authorities seeking to launch

smaller projects (investment o less than

6 million), the Mobilising Local Energy

Investments acility unds the work involved

in easibility studies, raising awareness in

local communities and among interested

parties, setting out business plans and

preparation or tendering. By investing a

little at the start, the und ensures that

when it comes to tendering and applyingor finance, all the necessary groundwork

has been carried out.

Energy service companies can implement

these investments, providing upront

unding which can then be recouped

through the energy savings achieved. Aninvestment in energy efficiency paid back

through a reduction in consumption is also

the model behind Energy Perormance

Contracting (EPC). One example is the

FRESH project that, in 2011, resulted

in the signature o the first EPC with

third-party investment in social housing

in France. The project used the largest

French construction industry publication

Le Moniteur to circulate 50 000 detailed

handbooks explaining EPC.

Co-financing spurs on private investors to

renovate and embrace the latest energy

saving techniques and financing 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 reurbished andby 2020 the Zemgale Agency aims to

provide the technical assistance needed

to renovate hal o the regions multi-

residential buildings.

Helping policies work in practice

Policies coming out o the European Union

need to be supported across Europe i

they are to really make a difference. The

IEE programme has dedicated part o its

attention to making policies easier to adopt

and more likely to succeed, supportingthe creation o concrete measures at the

service o the general public. Examples

include labelling schemes we are all

amiliar with the multi coloured bar charts

on our appliances. Such schemes convert

policy made by the EU into something

tangible and transparent or the generalpublic and IEE helps to make them as

effective as possible.

Events are also a significant way to

boost the profile o policies and promote

networking. The EU Sustainable Energy

Week has stimulated investment in

energy technologies, showcased best

practices and provided a platorm or

the exchange o ideas and views through

conerences and debates. The 2012

Week eatured more than 1 000 events in

Brussels and across the EU, and attracted

up to 200 000 participants.

Support is also offered to local and

regional authorities to stay abreast o

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.

FOR MORE INFO

My Friend Boo

http://www.myriendboo.com

FRESHhttp://www.resh-project.eu

EIB ELENA

http://www.eib.org/products/elena/index.htm

CARE+

http://bit.ly/care_plus

IEE has supported over 700promotion and dissemination

projectsto the tune of 600 million, involving around5 000

organisations. Of these, 45%of the beneficiaries were SMEs.

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. Te educational cartoon

has been distributed to 19 countries

in 16 languagesinto25 millionhomes.
http://www.myfriendboo.com/http://www.fresh-project.eu/http://www.eib.org/products/elena/index.htmhttp://bit.ly/care_plushttp://bit.ly/care_plushttp://www.eib.org/products/elena/index.htmhttp://www.fresh-project.eu/http://www.myfriendboo.com/


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ON THE GROUND

Renewable heating andcooling on your doorstep

Renovating urban residential areas

with solar thermal heating

The current housing market is dominated by existing build-

ing stock and will be or 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 cost-

effective solution or the integration o renewable energy in ex-

isting multiple-occupancy buildings. This is particularly the case

in the renovation o buildings using centralised heating systems

as the solar thermal system can tap into the building heating

and hot water circuits, explains UrbanSolPlusproject manager

Chiara Wolter.

Working alongside city decision makers, the project aims to

provide sustainable solutions to overcome the market barriers

to the integration o solar thermal in renovation activities

in existing buildings and in particular in older parts o cities,

including areas that might be protected.

We worked with cultural heritage authorities along with energy

agencies, architects and technicians to find compromises that

would make inner city solar thermal plants possible, explains

Chiara.

FOR MORE INFO

UrbanSolPlus

http://www.urbansolplus.eu/en

http://www.solarordinances.eu

The ground beneath our feet a source

of renewable energy

We stand on an all-too-requently untapped source o renewable

energy: the earths own geothermal heat. By using borehole heat

exchangers, shallow geothermal systems (0-400 m depth) can

extract thermal energy to provide ree heating and cooling to

buildings and or 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 or shallow geothermal systems

to become bankable and widespread.

Regeocities, which started in 2012, has selected around 20 pilot

cities in which training activities will target technicians and the

authorities charged with issuing licences. By transerring know-

how rom experienced to less experienced countries the project

will increase the technical skills o administrative personnel

in local authorities. As a result, the project aims to simpliy

and accelerate administrative procedures and will develop

a common European methodology or regulating shallow

geothermal systems.

To Jos the benefit is clear, At some estimates, in order to meet

our 2020 renewable energy targets orecast in the National

Renewable Energy Action Plans, we will need around 2 million

new ground source heat pump installations in Europe. So we had

better start digging.

FOR MORE INFO

Regeocities

http://regeocities.eu

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.

ON THE GROUND

We will need around2 millionnew ground

source heat pump installations in Europe.

So we had better start digging.

We worked with cultural heritage authorities along with

energy agencies, architects and technicians to find compromises

that would make inner city solar thermal plants possible.
http://www.urbansolplus.eu/enhttp://www.solarordinances.eu/http://regeocities.eu/http://regeocities.eu/http://www.solarordinances.eu/http://www.urbansolplus.eu/en


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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Investing in a greener

tomorrowPresident 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 financing of sustainable energy

investments by the European

Investment Bank?

Renewable energy and energy e-

ficiency 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 diversiy and se-

cure its energy supply. The EIB in this

respect not only supports mature renew-

able energy technologies that are alreadyused commercially, such as onshore wind

arms, hydropower, geothermal and solid

biomass, but also those in development,

including photovoltaics, oshore wind,

concentrated solar power, solar thermal

and second generation biouels.

What is the experience of EIB with

technical assistance facilities such

as ELENA?

Since the beginning o 2010 the EIB has

implemented the ELENA acility which isunded under the Intelligent Energy Eu-

rope Programme o the European Union.

The acility has proven instrumental in

developing local energy efficiency and re-

newable energy projects contributing to

climate and energy objectives and local

employment. Up to 2013, a total budget

o 49 million was available out o which

37.4 million has been already allocatedand rom 2013 an additional budget o

22 million is available. So ar 20 projects

have received support under the acility,

helping cities and regions develop energy

eiciency and renewable energy pro-

grammes, including clean urban transport

projects. The projects supported until now

have mobilised 2.4 billion o investment.

How do you see the role of the EIB

as an investment bank to supportsustainable energy?

Energy efficiency is the most cost-effective

and rational way o reducing emissions

and improving the security o the energy

supply. Increased energy efficiency also

lowers costs and improves competitiveness

in the production o goods and delivery o

services. Investments in energy efficiencythus have the potential to create significant

numbers o jobs. The EIB tailors its financing

to the specific needs o 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, rom within

or outside the EU. A thermal rehabilitation

o multi-apartment buildings in Bucharest

is one o the most recent examples o

how the EIB can support energy efficiencyinvestment.

Te projects supporteduntil now have mobilised

2.4 billionof investment.

Werner Hoyer/ President o the European Investment Bank (EIB)

Te EIB tailors its financing

to the specific needs of the borrower

and the project, in line with sound

banking practice and procedures.


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PAGE 10 / N6 - JUNE 2013

MANAGER & MANAGED

The use o wind energy in the EU

is growing ast, but long planning

application processes, which are

not standardised rom country to coun-

try, make wind project development more

costly and drive up costs or the consumer.

This creates a signiicant barrier to its

market up-take. Local planning depart-

ments requently dont ully understandthe implications o having a wind pro-

ject in thei r area , and this can ofen

result in delays or in negative planning

decisions.

The GP Windproject has been address-

ing these barriers in eight EU countries,

differing in their topography, systems o

local government and experience o wind

installations. Co-unded by the Intelligent

Energy Europe Programme and coordi-

nated by the Scottish Government, the

project brought together industry, region-al and local authorities, environmental

agencies, NGOs and academia. It set out

to share the experience o wind projects

in Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Malta,

Norway, Scotland and Greece.

From the very beginning the Scottish

government saw this as a lagship

project, says EACI project officer Dana

Dutianu. The Minister or 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 all into place.

By carrying out detailed case studies, GP

Wind identified market barriers and waysto address these across regions and tech-

nologies. They looked at engaging local

communities and smoothing out the con-

sultation processes by bringing together

environmental groups, local authorities

and developers to help the application

process, explains Dana.

The project gathered inormation on the

successes and ailures experienced by wind

arm developers throughout the partner

countries. Realising the same issues were

cropping up, they collated the inormation

into a database o good practices common

to all. The result o their findings takes the

orm o a good practice guide, a tool kit or

those submitting an application and com-

parisons o planning and consenting pro-

cesses which aim to give an overview o,

and help standardise, processes through-

out the partner countries.

Dana eels one o the projects strengths

was its geographic scope, Having

partners rom different cultures dealing

with similar problems but using different

application processes led to new ideas

that could be replicated across diverse

locations. But, she acknowledges, rom a

management point o view this was quite

challenging.

Cutting the time fromdevelopment to deployment

for wind farmsBy streamlining application and licensing processes for wind projects,

GP Wind helps the market uptake of wind energy.

Te coordinator went the extra mile, being

committed to delivering the best possible results.

Tey were very proactive in their communications.


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N6 - JUNE 2013 / PAGE 11

MANAGER & MANAGED

Ensuringdevelopers

get clear and

timely answersWorking with local communities, environmental groups and planning authorities

to deal up-front with issues surrounding wind energy.

Around five years ago energy bod-

ies across the EU worried 2020

targets would not be met because

wind as a source o power was being held

back by long delays in the permit system.

There were ears that environmental

pressures could derail the use o wind as

a renewable, making us miss our targets,

explains Colin Imrie, head o the ScottishEnergy & International Low Carbon Energy

and Climate Change Directorate and man-

ager o the GP Wind project. These ears

seemed to be exemplified in 2000 when a

proposed wind arm on the isle o Lewis,

Scotland, was met with stiff resistance on

environmental grounds. Afer a long legal

process, it was eventually dropped.

There was a clear need to share good

practices on how to carry local commu-

nities with the idea o wind energy and

address issues directly, whether envi-ronmental or community based. The

community concern over wind arms

underlined the need to engage people

throughout the process, rom develop-

ment to deployment, says Colin.

The GP Wind project set out to give all

those involved, the most relevant and

up-to-date inormation on which to

draw when developing their proposals

and plans and to bring the processing o

application times down, by streamlining

the system.

In Scotland the project has been so

successul that it has managed toaccelerate the decision-making process,

speeding up the application assessment

rate our-old. More than 50% o

applications now meet the nine-month

target. Prior to the project in Scotland,

pre-2007, 15 to 20 projects out o 50

in the system had been held up or two-

three years.

And the great thing about a project

like this is not only the act that you

can learn rom other countries but then

extrapolate that knowledge, not just todierent countries but also to dierent

models, in other words what we have

learned rom Danish on-shore arms,

we can apply to Scottish o-shore

arms.

In Norway, or example, there is a wind

arm sited next to a sea eagle breeding

colony in the southern part o the country.

The governmental nature organisation

has been studying the interaction

between the birds and the wind arm

closely, providing a lot o data that couldguide applications in such a context,

elsewhere.

So many partners, disparate in terms o

geography and in experience, ensured

the cross-ertilisation o ideas and much

data was collected that could be applied

to a range o other countries. We gained

knowledge o how to best operate in a

wide range o physical and regulatory

environments, Colin explains, adding,

Its not about renewables at any cost.

Developers need a clear and timelyanswer even i that answer is no.

And on Lewis now?

Now on Lewis a series o smaller wind

arms with a total generating capacity o

350 MW have been approved, bringing

important socio-economic benefits to the

local community and respecting the high

quality o the environment.

FOR MORE INFO

GP Wind

http://www.project-gpwind.eu

What we have learned from Danish

on-shore farms, we can apply to Scottish

off-shore farms.
http://www.project-gpwind.eu/http://www.project-gpwind.eu/


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PAGE 12 / N6 - JUNE 2013

Clean vehiclesfor Europe

FOCUS ON

Areduction in the levels o air pol-lution we all too ofen have to

cope with would be a great boost

to the quality o our lives. To help achieve

this goal, the Directive on the Promotion

o Clean and Energy Efficient Road Trans-

port Vehicles aims at a broad market in-

troduction o environmentally-riendly ve-

hicles through public procurement.

The eBRIDGEproject is using support rom

the IEE programme to do its bit, through

encouraging car users, fleet operators

and public authorities to use more electric

vehicles to replace traditional vehicles

producing higher emissions.

Clean, efficient and quiet, electric vehicles(EVs) now benefit rom technology that

seems to fit 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 inrastructure. In

addition, the new technology challenges

the current understanding o urban

mobility and its patterns.

eBRIDGE is setting out to demonstratethat the introduction o EVs in fleet

schemes or business and private use in

cities can be effective and by doing so,

help to improve market conditions or the

electric mobility sector.

The project will make a Start Up Kit widelyavailable, suggesting ways in which

leet managers, local administrations

and public transport and car sharing

operators can improve their fleet per-

ormance. eBRIDGE intends to drive up

the purchase o EVs and improve user

attitudes towards them.

In the long run we are hoping to see

a zero-carbon transport system with

electric vehicles playing a major role in

the enhancement o the quality o our

lives in towns and cities, says project

leader Aida Abdulah, based in the

projects coordinating country, Germany.

By encouraging electric fleets we are

hoping to exploit the economies o

scale and drive prices down, so boosting

the number o them on the roads and,

thereore, public awareness, she adds.

There is a need or cross-border coopera-

tion in order to establish a standardised,

easily available recharging inrastruc-

ture and industrial sectors also need to

cooperate i advances are to be made.

The current economic crisis makes it

more difficult to establish collaborationbetween the business sectors and the

technology developers, Aida explains.

Both the levels o investment and, cor-

respondingly, the risks are high and this

slows down progress.

Fortunately those involved in eBRIDGE arenot put off, We do believe electr ic mobility

can play a major role in the reduction o

emissions, and we are confident projects

such as ours can help overcome market

and user barriers, asserts Aida. She cites

car sharing as a promising field which

has seen several new schemes, some

ully electric and some involving both

hybrid and conventional vehicles.

Over its 36 month duration, the project

will start with over 100 vehicles 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

o use or car sharing and to raise

awareness by marketing the suitability o

these vehicles or urban journeys.

Giving operators a helping hand

with the Clean Vehicles Directive

I you are working in the transport unit

o a public authority which is about to

commission a fleet o vehicles, you willbe 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 field, so or the first

six months we will be assessing their

situation to make sure the help we then

offer is targeted correctly, explains Simon

Clement, project coordinator at ICLEI -

Local Governments or Sustainability

based in Germany.

The project consort ium is heavily

involved in the procurement o vehicles,

so learning o the complexities lying in

wait or those deciding on tenders will be

From individuals on battery powered bikes to public transport fleets, next

generation clean vehicles are being taken up across the EU through the support

of the IEE programme.

We do believe electric mobility

can play a major role in the reductionof emissions.


13/20

FOCUS ON

N6 - JUNE 2013 / PAGE 13

easier. The cities o 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 or 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 othe vehicle. This is something the Clean

Fleets partners can help with.

Electric vehicles, biouels, natural gas

we are technology neutral, adds Simon.

But whatever the technology, by the end

o the project, in 2015, they are aiming

to have 20 operators running newly

commissioned fleets that meet standards

or the 21stcentury.

Cycle with a permanent

tailwind behind you

I you want to get around by bike but are

araid that you may run out o energy

beore you reach your door, electric

bicycles, known as pedelecs, may just be

what you are looking or. The Go Pedelec

project has gathered all the inormationtogether to make sure you consider the

option careully.

Pedal Electric Cycles have motors which

are activated by pedalling, giving the

rider extra power rom 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 proile o pedelecs,

the project is helping them becomea viable alternative to scooters and

cars. The Go Pedelec website also has

inormation directed at decision-makers

in municipalities, covering legal aspects,

inrastructure or recharging batteries and

who the potential users o pedelecs are.

FOR MORE INFO

eBridge

http://bit.ly/ebridge

Cleen Fleetshttp://www.cleanfleets.eu

Clean Vehicle Portal

http://www.cleanvehicle.eu

Go Pedelec

http://www.gopedelec.eu

The Clean Vehicle

Portal giving youthe tools you need

To boost the demand for, and

production of, clean and

energy-efficient road trans-

port vehicles, the portal features

one of the largest vehicle data-

bases. By searching this, users can

see comparable listings of vehicles

according to their specific search

terms and identify procurement re-

quirements. The results can be col-lated in a personalised watch list.

Information on the state of play in

various EU countries, general back-

ground 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 ,

E85 flexifuel, liquefied petroleumgas, compressed natural gas,

electric, hydrogen) and is updated

continually.

Te cities of Rotterdam, London and Zagreb

are among those taking part.
http://bit.ly/ebridgehttp://www.cleanfleets.eu/http://www.cleanvehicle.eu/http://www.gopedelec.eu/http://www.gopedelec.eu/http://www.cleanvehicle.eu/http://www.cleanfleets.eu/http://bit.ly/ebridge


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PAGE 14 / N6 - JUNE 2013

COUNTRY PROFILE

Across Europe, watermills and

weirs have been abandoned,

leaving a network o economically

viable and sustainable energy resources.

Repowering these neglected sites could

provide local communities with hydroelec-

tric power or their use and or injection

into the European electrical grid.

The RESTOR-Hydro project, which was

launched in 2012, is working to map

50 000 sites across Europe, and bring

them to lie using a working business

model, creating jobs and earning poten-

tial in rural communities.

The Mills Map database is not limited

to mapping GPS coordinates and hydro-

power potential. Ongoing research on

each site should lead to an extensive and

inormative database including realisticestimations o the hydro potential, which

can be calculated by combining various

types o data and by consulting online

maps rom street to satellite level.

In Lithuania , project leader Petras Punys

explains that there are 300 potential

sites, 30 o which are on fish migrating

rivers and so are threatened with

demolition. But we can bring all these

mills, little dams and weirs back to

lie while at the same time protecting

the wildlie, with fish runs and othermeasures, says Punys, adding, Small-

scale hydro projects improve the quality

o the environment.

By bringing together small-scale hydro-

power sites within a region into a local

cooperative, the project intends to stimu-

late investment and boost acceptance

through community participation.

A small hydro power citizen cooperative

is an asset financially and technically or

the success and the liespan o a project,says Bridget Petit at France Hydro

lectricit, project leader or France,

in partnership with the Fdration des

Moulins de France.

Bringing down energy

consumption of houses

in extreme temperatures

While the German passive house

perormance is diicult to reach in

extremely cold climates, the goal is a

desirable one. Very low-energy housesconsume 50% less than standard

buildings and with the right design, can

be efficient and attractive alternatives to

traditional housing.

The NorthPassproject ran rom 2009 to

2012 and worked on finding solutions or

removing market barriers to the uptake

o very low-energy houses, bridging the

gap between demonstration projects

and widespread production. The project

worked to raise awareness, helping

people cooperate across different stageso development, establishing legal

requirements about energy eiciency

and defining the concept or low-energy

construction.

Lithuania takes diverse actionto meet its energy objectivesFrom small-scale hydroelectric projects to very low-energy housing in extreme

temperatures, Lithuania and its partners are embracing intelligent energy solutions.

Te RESOR-Hydro project is working

to map50 000 sitesacross Europe.


15/20

N6 - JUNE 2013 / PAGE 15

COUNTRY PROFILE

We wanted to have a project ocusing

on the climate in the north, which ischallenging, says project manager Riikka

Holopainen, speaking rom the coordinating

partner, VTT Technical Research Centre,

Finland.

Very low temperatures present their own

problems, permarost goes deep at cer-

tain times o the year, earth-air ground

source heat exchangers cannot work

properly in rozen ground and insulation

has to be highly effective. In neighbouring

Poland and the Baltic countries only a ew

very low-energy houses have been built soar. Arturas Kaklauskas, project leader or

Lithuania, explains, In Lithuania, a limited

amount o unds orces the selection o

traditional, more conservative homes,

because risk-taking is undesirable.

NorthPass brought together a renowned

group o experts (users, building consult-

ants, installers, engineers, architects,

property owners, developers and man-

agers) in order to highlight the problems

o todays low energy housing seen rom

their own perspective.

This led to the publication o a report,

Barriers to the implementation o very

low energy residential buildings and how

to overcome them and country reports

covering building codes, standards, mar-

kets o energy-efficient buildings and in-

centives.

Shining a light on urban energy

efficiency

The BEAM21project flourished in Lithu-

aniaand Latvia. A training programme to

help municipalities develop energy action

plans and join the Covenant o Mayors,the project provided in-depth courses or

policy makers and specialists.

For us in Lithuania the project has been

very important because it is now part o

the solution or us to meet our 20-20-

20 targets, says Vaiva Ramanauskiene,

project manager based at the countrys

Environmental Centre or Administration

and Technology.

Requiring an investment o 120 hours

(each 45 minutes) and additional sel-

study time, organisers were delighted to

see up-take exceeded expectations. In the

nine partner countries, BEAM21 reached

423 staff rom 59 municipalities, runningtwo courses in each, one or decision

makers and politicians and one or

specialists such as environmentalists,

planners, architects and heating providers.

Almost 90% completed the courses.

One o the elements people ound very

attractive was the e-learning platorm

set up by the project, Vaiva explains.The classes took place partly online with

support rom ace-to-ace seminars

and people could ask to ocus on their

speciic areas o interest. Participants

learned about municipal fields o action

on climate protection and looked at a

variety o best-practice examples, alsoworking on concrete proposals or each

o 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 ar.

The countrys emissions rate has

dropped since Soviet times and Vaiva

is sure people are ar more aware o

the issue now, We have been delighted

with the up-take and were surprised at

the enthusiasm shown by some o our

politicians who took to the course with a

real, pioneering spirit.

Janis Ulme, speaking rom the Latvian

Foundation or Environmental Education,

was intrigued by how the learning process

developed. It was a challenge or us tomeet different expectations and needs in

one course, people were so keen to learn.

Some wanted more o a legal ramework,

others looked or technical solutions, still

others, inormation on climate science.

Certiication programmes run by the

Latvian partner in the past, did not

involve much user eedback, This was

different, it really was like a two-way

learning street, both the project and the

participants grew in expertise together.

In Latvia 12 courses were held involving27 participants in six municipalities.

The training modules are available

in English, Bulgarian, Czech, German,

French, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish and

Romanian, each adapted to the countrys

specific needs.

FOR MORE INFO

RESTOR-Hydrohttp://www.restor-hydro.eu

NorthPass

http://www.northpass.eu

BEAM21

http://www.beam21.eu

BEAM21 reached423 stafffrom

59 municipalities.
http://www.restor-hydro.eu/http://www.northpass.eu/http://www.beam21.eu/http://www.beam21.eu/http://www.northpass.eu/http://www.restor-hydro.eu/


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PAGE 16 / N6 - JUNE 2013

Europe has an ambitious vision or the energy peror-mance o its buildings. In line with the new Energy

Perormance o Buildings Directive (EPBD) all new con-

structions have to be nearly zero-energy by 2020, meaning they

have to be highly energy efficient and reliant on a significant

contribution rom renewable sources. The Intelligent Energy

Europe (IEE) programme is helping the EU to meet this target

and transorm our European urban landscape. Since 2007,

450 organisations in the building sector have received unds

to drive 75 projects.

Renovation of social housing

The POWER HOUSE nearly ZERO CHALLENGE project istackling the challenges o reconciling social and environmental

objectives in delivering nearly Zero Energy Building targets in

social housing, which represents 12% o the residential sector.

The project will reduce energy consumption by about 1 000 GWh/

year and trigger the production o 250 GWh/year in renewable

energy use.

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 arepeople leading their everyday lives. Meanwhile there are also

bubbles o progress, bubbles o hope, ofen crazy, visionary

individuals and organisations making things happen. IEE

support is enabling the project to bring these various groups

together, to accelerate real change.

More efficient heating and cooling systems

The iSERVproject is exploring how the automatic monitoring

and eedback o inormation on the energy use o heating,

ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems could work and

what the benefits o such an approach could be.

Inormation rom operating HVAC systems in buildings is

collected and analysed and then used to produce tailor made

benchmarks. Previous research suggests possible energy

savings o up to 60%, a benefit participants can reap or ree.

The emergence o cheap metering systems lets us use energy

consumption data to establish realistic targets and identiyenergy conservation opportunities, says Dr Ian Knight, iSERVs

project coordinator.

McKenzie House in Cardi University reduced its electrical

energy consumption by 25%, at virtually no cost, with annual

savings o 80 000.

iSERV is aiming to have 1 600 systems in its database by the

end o the action.

Renewable energy in buildings

The Install+RES project offers courses or trainers and installers

o small scale renewable energy systems in buildings. Until now,about 80 trainers have been trained and 180 installers qualified

across the EU.

Project coordinator Ingrid Weiss explains, Quality and quantity

in the installation o small-scale RES in buildings can be achieved

only with highly qualified trainers and installers. We provide the

tools to reach such ambitious targets, ensuring the mobility

o highly qualified proessionals throughout Europe.

FOR MORE INFO

POWER HOUSE nearly ZERO CHALLENGEhttp://www.powerhouseeurope.eu

iSERV

http://www.iservcmb.ino

Install+RES

http://www.resinstaller.eu

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.

Cleaner buildingsfor a sustainable future

ON THE GROUND

McKenzie House in Cardiff

University reduced its electricalenergy consumption by 25%,

at virtually no cost, with

annual savings of 80 000.
http://www.powerhouseeurope.eu/http://www.iservcmb.info/http://www.resinstaller.eu/http://www.resinstaller.eu/http://www.iservcmb.info/http://www.powerhouseeurope.eu/


17/20

N6 - JUNE 2013 / PAGE 17

ON THE GROUND

Helping EU citizens make informed decisions about their purchases

and everyday habits.

Encouraging efficientconsumption patterns

Consumers have a key role to play in reducing energy con-

sumption, by voting with their wallets when it comes to thepurchase o energy-efficient products, cars and homes. In

this, the European Year o Citizens, the Intelligent Energy Europe

(IEE) Programme continues to support consumer choice.

Energy Labelling

ATLETE IIand ComeOn Labelshelp consumers see the energy

consumption o products they buy.

ATLETE II specifically looks at washing machines, the second

most requently occurring household appliance. It ollows on

rom ATLETE, which ocused on energy labeling or ridges and

reezers, testing the energy label compliance o 80 models and

showing the real need or market surveillance.

Project coordinator Steano Faberi says, Consumers need to

be sure that the products ound on the market comply with

law. ATLETE II assesses manuacturers compliance with the

energy labelling requirements and helps national authorities to

cooperate on this issue.

Fify washing machine models will be tested during the project.

ComeOn Labels has a broader scope. Its aim is to enhance

the visibility and credibility o the EU energy label in order to

push or better checks on market compliance and the constant

improvement o the energy efficiency o household appliances.

Describing the project, its coordinator Juraj Krivok says, The

project organised shop visits to veriy the proper display o energylabels, and collected product surveillance tests. These results

were shared with surveillance authorities at the national level.

More than 75 000 products rom 330 shops in 13 countries

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 benefits o the Ecodesign directive.

It is establishing a cost-effective EU monitoring system and

creating a database MSAs can share, helping them to ensuretheir consumers make inormed decisions.

Sital Nana, the coordinator, explains, Through this project,

we aim to strengthen market surveillance across Europe by

developing a range o best practice guidance and training tools

or all authorities involved.

Efficient Lighting

When it comes to lighting, the PremiumLight project is

ensuring a smooth transition towards more efficient and quality

technology, providing consumers with the inormation they need

to make inormed decisions. On the supply side o the market,the project is pushing or the greater availability o energy

efficient lighting, by supporting initiatives whose aim is to bring

down cost.

Bernd Shppi, the project coordinator explains, PremiumLight

supports the use o high quality energy efficient lighting in

households by product testing and by co-operation with retailers

to promote good products.

FOR MORE INFO

ATLETE II / http://www.atlete.eu

ComeOn Labels / http://www.come-on-labels.eu

ECOPLIANT / http://www.ecopliant.eu

PremiumLight / http://www.premiumlight.eu

More than 75 000 productsfrom330 shopsin 13 countries

were checked during the project.
http://www.atlete.eu/http://www.come-on-labels.eu/http://www.ecopliant.eu/http://www.premiumlight.eu/http://www.premiumlight.eu/http://www.ecopliant.eu/http://www.come-on-labels.eu/http://www.atlete.eu/


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PAGE 18 / N6 - JUNE 2013

Local Energy Leadership

Authorities are supported through the Local Energy Lead-

ership (LEL) initiative. Valrie Benard, who oversees this

work at EACI, explains, Public authorities are being em-

powered to put sustainable energy at the heart o their integrated

approach. Through capacity building or public authority staff and

politicians, it is preparing the ground or tangible local implemen-

tation o sustainable energy solutions and investments.

Over 900 municipalities have already benefited in one way or

another by taking part. The LEL initiative will trigger close to

1 100 signatories to the Covenant o Mayors and oversee the

development o more than 700 sustainable energy action plans

(SEAPs), the key document in which Covenant signatories outlinetheir CO

2reduction target 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 o participants and the impact o combined energy-

saving actions. The approach is paying off: by the end o 2012

citizens in the 12 ENGAGE pioneer cities reduced their annual

CO2emissions by an average o 12%.

One project geared towards the successul implementation o the

Covenant o Mayors (CoM) is Energy or Mayors. It complements

the work o ENGAGE by strengthening and increasing the number

o coordinators and supporters and assisting in the creation and

implementation o SEAPs.

So ar more than 180 municipalities have joined the CoM as

a result o the project, and eight new Energy ManagementSystems (EMSs) have been implemented.

Project coordinator Dario Miroglio says, We are proud o our

achievements over the past 3 years. We developed about

80 SEAPs, 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 financing throughdifferent schemes, and requires a leverage actor where each

euro o project cost generates an investment o at least 15.

Initial investment can be either traditional (public grants or

direct investments), or rom a third-party source, through

energy perormance contracting or Pay As You Save schemes,

citizen financing, or the creation o dedicated investment unds.

Under this initiative, nine projects got under way in 2012, and

a urther seven projects started in 2013. Among these, several

aim to bundle small-sized investments in energy efficiency

and/or renewable energy projects that would otherwise not be

considered bankable by financial institutions.

MLEI at a glance> 16 projects ongoing;

> Total costs: 18 million;

> Expected triggered investment: 381 million; and

> Average leverage factor: 21

FOR MORE INFO

ENGAGEhttp://www.citiesengage.eu

Energy or Mayors

http://www.energyormayors.eu

MLEI PDA

http://bit.ly/mlei

For an effective EU energy policy, strong leadership is needed at all levels,

including amongst regional and local authorities.

Supporting Localand Regional Authorities

ON THE GROUND

Te LEL initiative will trigger

close to 1 100 signatories

to the Covenant of Mayors

and oversee the development

of more than 700 sustainable

energy action plans.
http://www.citiesengage.eu/http://www.energyformayors.eu/http://bit.ly/mleihttp://bit.ly/mleihttp://www.energyformayors.eu/http://www.citiesengage.eu/


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Concerted actionssupporting the national

implementationof European legislation on

> Energy performance of buildings

> Energy efficiency> Renewable energy sources

Shared solutions or common challenges

ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/

concerted-actions
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/concerted-actionshttp://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/concerted-actionshttp://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/concerted-actionshttp://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/concerted-actions


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EA-AB-12-006-EN-C

ontelligent energy europe magazine no6 2013

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