Educational Park for renewable energy resources and ways for saving energy

Objectives and target audience

- The Objectives are the below

• People’s education in the field of energy saving and reduction of energy use

• People’s education for all types of renewable energy

• Citizens activation and sensitization (Development of active citizens-formation of active behaviors)

-The target group is all citizens of the region of Attica.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

The project was implemented by the Centre of Renewable Energy Resources (CRES) and co-funded by the 3rd Community Operational Framework Programme “Competitiveness” of the Ministry of Development.

Process

- Decision taking by the administrative board of CRES
- Looking for financial resources
- Choice of the area
- Planning actions.
- Implementation of the construction
-Monitoring park’s operation

Results

There are not results yet. The project has just been completed.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

The key issues for success was:
- The coordination between the involved carriers.

Cultural influences on Renewable Energy Acceptance and Tools for the development of communication strategies to promote ACCEPTANCE among key actor groups.
The current understanding of social processes affecting the (non-) acceptance of renewable energy and rational use of energy technologies is limited. Project managers often assume that stakeholders will adopt and adapt to their innovation without resistance. In practice, however, stakeholders such as users, NGO’s, neighbours or local public authorities often have different (and possibly conflicting) visions about the innovation and the future world in which the innovation should fit. If these diverging views are neglected, the project might face severe social resistance in the implementation phase. There is a need for empirically based research to understand the complex interactions between stakeholders, the ways these stakeholders block or facilitate the adoption of alternative technologies, and the (institutional) contexts favourable to the acceptance of technological
innovation.

Objectives and target audience

The objective of this project is to develop a tool that can measure and promote social acceptance of technologies for Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and Rational Use of Energy (RUE) by means of:

• Assessing the previously developed Socrobust tool for suitability by mapping its potential and limitations to contribute to social acceptance of RES and RUE technologies.
• Determining the key elements of social acceptance of RES and RUE technologies by assessing the (recent and past) social acceptance of technologies such as hydrogen, biomass, CO2 capture and sequestration (CSS), solar thermodynamics, and wind in several European regions.
• Enhancement of the Socrobust tool platform into a multi-stakeholder tool by integrating knowledge gained in objectives (i.), and (ii.), and by designing the necessary instruments and procedures.
• Validation and deployment of the multi-stakeholder tool in five selected demonstration projects, covering a wide range of RES and RUE technologies as well as various regions in Europe. The preliminarily selected demonstration projects are a hydrogen project in the Nordic countries, a biomass project in the East-European region, Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the West-European region, a wind project in Hungary and a solar thermodynamics project in the Mediterranean region.
• Dissemination of the multi-stakeholder tool to key stakeholders involved in implementation of new RES and RUE technologies. The objective of Create Acceptance is developing a new multi stakeholder tool to measure, promote and influence social acceptance.
• The project Create Acceptance started February 1st 2006 and runs until March 2008. The project aims to improve the social acceptance of renewable energy and rational use of energy technologies. It aims at improving this social acceptance through the development of a tool that not only can measure societal acceptance, but can also be used to promote and improve societal acceptance by creating communication, participation and bridging mechanisms for key stakeholders. It builds upon a previous developed tool called Socrobust. The new multi-stakeholder tool will become publicly available to energy managers, policy makers, technology developers, intermediary energy service providers, and other possible users after conclusion of the project. This will occur by providing the tool and information about the tool on the projects.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Project Cost: 1.98 million euro.
Project Funding: 1.35 million euro.
Create Acceptance is sponsored by the European Commission within the Sixth Framework Programme Priority. All project partners are highly qualified European member states research institutes with backgrounds in energy and/or social studies of science and technology.

• Energy research Centre of the Netherlands ECN, Petten, The Netherlands
• Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, National research council on firms and development CERIS/CNR, Italia
• Ecoinstitut Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
• IAE Toulouse, Toulouse, France
• Icelandic New Energy INE, Reykjavík, Iceland
• Institute for Renewable Energy Ltd. IEO, Warszawa, Poland
• Hungarian Environmental Economics Centre MAKK, Budapest, Hungary
• National Consumer Research Center NCRC, Helsinki, Finland
• OEKO-Institut E.V., Institute for Applied Ecology, Darmstadt, Germany
• University of Salford, SURF, Manchester, United Kingdom
• Energy Research Centre, ERC, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Process

WP1 : February 2006 – July 2006
Work package 1 takes Socrobust as a starting point. In this work package Socrobust will critically be reviewed to identify which aspects need improvement and adjustment. This work package builds upon scientific debates on large socio-technical systems, transition management, niche management, system innovations and participatory methods. The work delivers conclusions on how to further modify the Socrobust tool.

WP2 : February 2006 – December 2006
Work package 2 aims to do empirical research to provide a better understanding of how social acceptance is managed in various European regions.
Experiences gained from past participation and communication efforts are analysed in detail to deliver a compendium of best practices for managing social acceptance of renewable energy and rational use of energy technologies. The results enable the development of a regional sensitive multi stakeholder tool in work package 3.
The best practices:

• Case 1: Hannover social marketing for energy efficiency (Germany)
• Case 2: Low energy housing (LEH) (Finland)
• Case 3: Trintat Nova Ecocity energy efficiency project (Spain)
• Case 4+5: Crickdale Bioenergy Power Station & Bracknell Biomass CHP Energy Centre (United Kingdom)
• Case 6: Bioenergy Village Jühnde (Germany)
• Case 7+8: Västerås Biogas Plant & Lund Biogas Plant (Sweden)
• Case 9: Pannon Power biomass conversion (Hungary)
• Case 10: Umbria local bio energy projects (Italy)
• Case 11: EOLE 2005 wind energy programme (France)
• Case 12: Cap Eole wind project (France)
• Case 13: Suwalki region wind project (Poland)
• Case 14: Szelero Vep wind project (Poland)
• Case 15: Pommerania region solar energy project (Poland)
• Case 16: Barcelona Solar Ordinance (Spain)
• Case 17: PV Accept solar project (Italy)
• Case 18: Solar home systems (SHS) (South Africa)
• Case 19: Solar water heaters (SWH) (South Africa)
• Case 20: London CUTE hydrogen fueling station (United Kingdom)
• Case 21: Berlin H2Accept hydrogen bus trials (Germany)
• Case 22: ECTOS hydrogen project (Iceland)
• Case 23: CRUST CO2 capture and storage project (the Netherlands)
• Case 24: Snohvit CO2 capture and storage project (Norway)
• Case 25: Schwarze Pumpe CO2 capture and storage project (Germany)
• Case 26: Podhale region geothermal project (Poland)
• Case 27: Blue Energy (salinity power) (the Netherlands)

The analysis of case studies in WP 2 resulted in a set of characteristics and success factors which were helpful to derive the core set of selection criteria.
The multi-stakeholder tool will be conducted in five demonstration projects:

• hydrogen project SMART-H in Iceland;
• carbon sequestration and storage project in the Netherlands;
• biomass project in Germany;
• wind project in Hungary;
• solar thermal power project in Italy.

A multi-stakeholder process should be initiated for each of these projects. This process includes the following issues:

• Identify and select relevant stakeholders and map their attitudes in the view of the demonstration projects;
• Organisation and structuring of communication processes between the stakeholders and avoid or resolve conflicts.

The results of the case studies in WP 2 raised several key factors influencing the success of RES and RUE projects.
The demonstration projects are seen as opportunities to consider further and more detailed which of those factors – and which additional ones – can increase the social acceptance in the context of new and renewable energies.
The demo projects are meant to extend the scope of the WP2 case studies with respect to more (and new) project initiators and a variety of stakeholders.
Therefore, the inclusion of stakeholders and their participation are relevant additional criteria for the demo selection.

WP3: July 2006 – January 2007
Work package 3 integrates the results from work package 1 and 2. The result of work package 3 will be a new multi-stakeholder tool. The focus is on developed specific methods and instruments. This includes interview protocols, methods for mapping stakeholder expectations, workshop designs and the design of action plans.

WP4: January 2007 – December 2007
In work package 4 the multi-stakeholder tool developed in work package 3 will be validated and deployed in five selected demonstration projects, covering a wide range of renewable energy and rational use of energy technologies as well as various regions in Europe. The demonstration projects are further introduced in the following pages. The project partners organise a multi-stakeholder process for each of these projects, based on the multi stakeholder tool developed in work package 3. Finally, this work package will evaluate and refine the multi-stakeholders tool after its application in the demonstration projects.

WP5: February 2006 – January 2008
Work package 5 contains the project management and aims at ensuring the adequate achievement of project objectives, on time and within the estimated costs. The project manager ECN also secures adequate levels of communication and promotion of scientific discussion among partners in order to achieve expected levels of scientific and technical outputs.

Results

The result of this project will be a publicly available tool that can measure, promote and improve social acceptance of new sustainable technologies.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

What makes this project a rather radical innovation is that it uses and creates sound theoretical social science knowledge to develop a tool. The tool will be used by practitioners dealing with the implementation of (radically) innovative renewable energy and rational energy use technologies. This aim is rather innovative, since intervention in society by (means of) social scientists is a highly debated (and not yet highly praised) issue in social science research.

The “Plan of sustainability in the territory of Ortona” started up in 2004, co financed by the national Ministry of the Environment.
The idea to promote the project in an area of 22.000 inhabitants (Ortona) came from the cooperation of public and private local actors (Provincia di Chieti, Regione Abruzzo, Municipality of Ortona and ALESA) which found common interests in the Plan’s goals.
Ortona is one of the most important towns in the provincial territory according to the relationships among economic, environmental and social sectors. In this framework the environmental and social features feel the necessity to join with an important industrial context under continuous and deep adaptation.

Objectives and target audience

The project aims at studying sustainable models for disused areas by the investigation of three different approaches:
1)    the recovery of the tertiary and service areas;
2)    the recovery of a residential-tourist area;
3)    the recovery of residential and industrial-handcraft areas;
The framework of these different approaches is based on the common working methodology of the citizens involvement. This means that all the steps of the project have been carried out by the means of working tables, civic forums and constant consultations of the whole local community.
The involvement of the citizens-users has been pursued with both direct (such as survey of opinion inside the population etc.) and indirect actions (such as information and training activities through the “Resources Centre”).

Financial Resources and Partners involved

The total cost of the project is: 1,383,000 Euro, co-financed by the national Ministry of the Environment (1.260.000 Euro).
The partners are: Provincia di Chieti, the Municipality of Ortona and the local energy agency A.L.E.S.A. Private operators have also been involved, like the electric energy supplier for the territory of Ortona. The local energy agency has worked on the energy analysis of the feasibility studies and took part to the dissemination activities about the promotion of Res&Rue culture.

Process

The project is made up of four phases:
1.    creation of biodiversity areas in urban and/or industrial zones in order to help the recovery of disused grounds. The interventions (such us planting autochthonous arboreous species) were carried out with the cooperation of students;
2.    setting up of an environmental training centre named “Resources Centre” in the downtown with the purpose of increasing the awareness of technicians and citizens toward RES and RUE issues;
3.    feasibility studies for the reuse of industrial areas close to urban centre and/or new residential districts according to a sustainable model and using innovative solutions for resources management (energy, water, waste etc.). In this phase the use of local building materials was studied including the whole life cycle assessment and the costs-benefits analysis. The potentialities related to the use of the RES in the territory of Ortona were investigated (off shore wind power, biomass and solar energy) and management solutions for the mobility aspects proposed;
4.    Dissemination activities (targets: citizens, local mass media, students, households, technicians). The involvement of the local population has been pursued with both direct actions (for instance the initiative of a survey named “The imagined town” that has been carried out in the first months of activity among the citizens, before starting the feasibility studies of the sustainable village) and indirect actions (workshops and training activities in the “Resources Centre”). The survey aimed to realize which the local population expectations were, as well as to affect the acceptability of the proposed interventions. In this way the necessities of the potential buyers of the eco-compatible dwellings were well defined. This phase is strictly related to the creation of the “Resources Centre” as a physical point of reference for many awareness activities, workshop, informative sessions for students, citizens households, technicians, working tables with local stakeholders etc.

Results

The cost-benefits analysis of the sustainable village highlighted the following results:

• about 408 TPE/year saved;

• about 1.020 tons/year CO2 avoided;

• about 220.000,00 €/year energy cost saved;

• 1,5 GWh/year of energy produced by RES and RUE;

In addition to the direct results, the sustainable village represents an exemplification of bio building techniques integrated with innovative solutions based on the direct experience acquired. Another, not tangible, result is the involvement of final users and local stakeholders in the decision-making process with the understanding of long-term costs and direct and indirect benefits of sustainable construction, increasing, at the same time, their environmental awareness.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

At present we are working for a concrete realization of the project in the next future and still carrying out the dissemination activities. A fundamental step, through the results of cost-benefits analysis and the contractual aspects, is the identification of strategic mix (public-private) partnerships for the realization of the eco-compatible buildings. Such operation has already been realized with the arrangement of a programme agreement for the hypothesis of the recon version for tertiary and services use between the Provincia di Chieti and the local energy supplier, the “Odoardo Zecca Srl” Company. At the same time, the pursuing of the awareness activities is guaranteed by the achievement of the title of “Environmental Training Centre” for the “Resources Centre”. In this way, the structure could take part to the call for proposals of Abruzzo Region of other public sources of funding to realize other initiatives. In addition, for the prosecution of the Centre activities, the Provincia di Chieti has already announced a call to find private sponsors. The factor of success for the replication of such a project is the participated approach adopted in each intervention, in particular in the planning of the sustainable village. The survey, for example, is a good methodology to pick up the expectations and the request of the local population, as well as to affect the acceptability of the proposed actions and to overcome the cultural lacks. On the basis of the survey results the whole planning approach has been decided.
This type of approach can be easily used by other parties. The integration of different interventions (both under the technical and educational profile) to insert a sustainable village in an enlarged sustainable context is a positive aspect of this Plan too, but it would be important to involve private partners from the beginning to pass from the planning phase to the executive one.

The aim of the project was to implement environmental policies in local urban planning by developing methods which create environmentally-sound local administration and government.
The main task was to demonstrate a series of measures supporting sustainable development in an area (30 000 inhabitants) of central Copenhagen, Denmark, through co-operation between the local district council and grassroots organisations. The project delivered a manual, which can be used to disseminate practical results and experience with recycling and reuse.

Objectives and target audience

The objective is an environmentally-sound approach to local administration through cooperation between the local authorities and the community.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

The total cost of the work was € 1204740 contribution with LIFE amounted to € 602,370.
The beneficiary is: District Council of Inner Nørrebro, Postboks 2238, Sjællandgade 38, DK-2200 Copenhagen N.

Process

The ECO-city 97–99 project was a demonstration model for the development of an environmental urban district. The project consisted of several eco-improvement actions and was based on new forms of cooperation between grass-roots organisations and the district council, increased involvement of the local community and a change in social behaviour. The goal was increased environmental awareness and shared responsibility for sustainable development in densely populated urban areas. The project involved collaboration between two local urban districts: Indre Nørrebro, Copenhagen, Denmark, and Lundby, Gothenburg, Sweden.
The eco-city project supported a wide variety of projects contributing to the environment and the quality of life in the district. For example, preparatory work and a number of pilot projects eventually led to the creation of recycling centres throughout the district. The district kept green accounts, and this concept found its way into institutions and housing associations. Environmental nature-playgrounds, an environmentally-friendly timber business, green jobs and many more environmentally-sound elements were established.
The project also tested ways of integrating environmental parameters into local planning and administration, and supporting the development of local environmentally-friendly production and activities.
Project results, innovations and resulting new knowledge have been summarised and synthesised in a green manual as a guide to building an eco-city.
The green manual has been made available to the public on the Internet, and at the same time functions as a link between the project, local users and the outside world.

Results

The steps taken by the eco-city project should make it more attractive to stay in the city. The project supported many environmentally-positive projects, which make the demonstration district greener than before. A number of visible, practical results were achieved, which can be divided into two main areas:
1.    The development of a model of cooperation between NGOs, citizens, and the district council, in which all parties have the opportunity to use their resources optimally in working for a sustainable district.
2.    Devising and implementing concrete demonstration projects, which provide much experience and can be used as tools in future comprehensive developments of sustainable urban districts in accordance with the new objectives.
Practical work on the project improved the dialogue between the district’s citizens and institutions. Close and constructive cooperation was established between the district, the NGOs and the people, which is a tool for achieving more effective environmental planning.
The eco-city project demonstrated the environmentally-friendly establishment of nature playgrounds/ outdoor areas, gave an overview of institutional resource consumption and enabled several institutions to achieve real savings.
The waste project proved that it is possible to increase waste sorting and recycling considerably. Waste production was reduced by 40 %, in line with the original target. The project also delivered a practical framework for increasing the amount of construction waste that is recycled.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

Green training/education programmes and new jobs and businesses were created under the project. This shows new scope for a green approach to production and business.

From 2006 Tecnocivis S.p.a. has been activating the convention with the “Provincia” of Savona for the activities of the Energy Window, active information point in the office of “Provincia” of Savona, which addresses to the private citizens, schools, authorities, institutions, enterprises and associations to supply them with consultancy about economic, technical and law aspects in the energetic field.

Objectives and target audience

Financial Resources and Partners

Comune di Savona. (Municipality of Savona)

Process

Among the projects and initiatives of the Energy Window of Savona could be mentioned:
1.    The Provincial Environmental Energetic Program (PEAP), approved with the deliberation of provincial Council n. 4 of 23rd January 2007, presents itself as an instrument to organise actions for the promotion and the spread of the sustainable resources and the energetic saving, carrying out the Regional Environmental Energetic Plan of Liguria (PEAR). The intervention actions could be included in the following three general lines:

• Exploitation of the sustainable resources; use of the wooden biomass, installation of solar manifolds and photovoltaic panels, realization of Aeolian and hydroelectric plans;

• Promotion of energetic efficiency. Introduction of high efficiency equipments and technologies and actions for the application and the improvement of normative instruments, as the energetic certification in buildings and municipal energetic regulations;

• Spread of a correct energetic culture. Information and training activities, as refresher and vocational training courses, camping of making aware and the definition of volunteer accords;

2.    The Sector of Environmental Protection of the “Provincia” of Savona every year from 2006 have been calling the Heating Plants Camping. With the campaign “The checks of heating plants is love for the environment” people responsible of the heating systems of any power (both low and high than 35 Kw) could certificate the occurrence of the maintenance of the boiler, avoiding on that way the burdens provided for in case of check. This allows not only to be in order with the law  (D.P.R. n. 412/93, following D L.gs. 192/05, modified and integrated with the D.Lgs. n. 311/06), but overall to guarantee the security of the building, avoiding the emission of dangerous discharges. The campaign constitutes the concrete engagement of the “Provincia” of Savona towards the implementation of the Provincial Environmental Energetic Program (P.E.A.P.) which has as objective that of reduction of energetic consumptions. In the provincial territory of Savona every year 1480 1480 GWh/year of energy, of which the 54% only in the civil sector, are consumed. The improvement of efficiency derived from the programmed maintenance of the heating systems would entail a changeable energetic saving until the 20 %. Tecnocivis S.p.A. is the company, of which the “Provincia” of Savona is part, which will check the performance of the heating systems also during the winter seasoning 2009-2010, task that have been already carrying out from 1999. Tecnocivis S.p.A. has high technical competences in the energy and security field and among its tasks there is that of being an operative instrument to support the Administration of Savona.

Results

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

Inspiring promotion for excellent heat insulation of houses with the help of an unusual experiment that attracted broad public attention.

Objectives and target audience

In Lübeck, households consume a lot of energy, mainly for heating.  The project “Ice-block-bet” showed to the inhabitants in a very entertaining way, how much energy can be saved by using good thermal insulation of houses.  In addition, house-owners could learn more about the advantages of thermo technical refurbishment of property, like economic savings, the protection of the environment, the upgrading of houses and the promotion of local business development.  Instead of being passed on the mere technical information, they could learn this with the help of an unusual experience.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

The technical work (construction, building, transport,…) was carried out by the involved handicraft business partner for free, as it intended to win new customers.  The prizes for the winners of the bet were paid for by sponsors.  Local shops, restaurants, sport centres, do-it-yourself-stores etc. gave products or tokens. In return, their names and logos were mentioned in press-releases and folders.  The ice figures also were given for free: At the end of the temporary exhibition “Ice-world”, they were no longer needed for their original purpose.
Further financial means were not required, so the city of Lübeck did not have to pay any money for the project.
The partners involved were: Climate Alliance, City of Lübeck (Germany): local department of environment, local Lutheran church, carpentry “Stamer”, local incorporated society “energy-table”.

Process

Firstly, it was needed to find a good location in the centre of the city. Next step was to recruit sponsors and project partners.  After that, there was the planning and designing phase for the housing, the heat-insulation-material, the transport and the storage of the ice figures, the information material etc… Another important step was to obtain the licences from several responsible authorities.  Those were required for construction, transport and installation of the ice-block-house.
Public relations represented another key-function of the project and had to be well-prepared: An attractive opening ceremony was needed to motivate the public.  A folder with a participation voucher had to be designed and distributed.  A final public event with a presentation of the awards completed the project.

Results

In spite of the very hot spring, the statues could be kept from melting for the most part: 72% of the ice still existed three months after the beginning of the project.  Almost 300 people placed a bet.  Public interest was high during the whole time-period: 27 reports were given in newspapers, internet, radio or television.  The project was given an environmental award by the government of the land of Schleswig-Holstein.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

One key factor for the success was the decision to take the ice figures of the temporary exhibition “ice-world” instead of a simple ice-block.  In addition, the city of Lübeck succeeded in winning reliable partners, who did the work free of charge.  Public relations, in particular the regular reports in the local press over the whole period, were another factor for success.  Last but not least the attractive prizes gave motivation to citizens take part in the ice-block-bet.

Leeds City Council employs over 35,000 people spread throughout the city including offices, schools, depots and leisure centres.  In 2005/06 the Council’s estimated carbon emissions were 78,790 tonnes of CO2  and its annual spend in electricity alone exceeds  £10million.

Objectives and target audience

The key objective is to achieve a reduction in carbon emissions through behavioural change. Initially the project was targeted at all council employees to encourage as many participants as possible.  The focus has now moved to targeting the team managers who haven’t as yet an Energy Guardian, especially those in high density buildings.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Originally £20,000 was allocated to launch the initiative and cover the cost of materials such as “turn it off” stickers.  After the launch approximately £1500 has been spent in Energy Guardian network meetings and newsletters.

This is very much a solus initiative within Leeds City Council, driven by the Environment Policy team.

Process –

There are 2 key processes that underpin the project:-

Recruitment – we focus on maintaining awareness of the initiative to attract volunteers and increasingly we are targeting managers to appoint an Energy guardian for the team. They key is to ensure that the role is voluntary and that the individual is naturally interested in climate change issues.
Materials are used to recruit at managers’ conferences and the news section of the LCC intranet.

Support- the initiative needs to support the energy guardians in their role through the supply of tools and information.
Tools include:
•    Stickers to remind people to switch off lights and PCs, leaflets and posters;
•    Networking meetings with guest speakers and workshops;
•    An energy guardians resource site on the council Intranet;
•    E-newsletter to all energy guardians with news and sharing of best practice.

Results –

Currently we are limited in the overall results we can report but this should improve as energy consumption monitoring improves over the next few months. Feedback from the energy guardians collated in September 2008 listed the following successes:
•    Increased recycling of paper and card;
•    Reduced use of paper by initiating double sided photocopying;
•    Apex House reduced it’s electricity consumption by 7% after introducing initiatives such as behavioural change, reduced lighting wattage and timers;
•    Timers on the water boilers have reduced their potential energy consumption by over 50%.

Unexpected results
•    Additional  focus on recycling;
•    Energy guardians are encouraging colleagues to take energy saving behaviours home;
•    The guardians feedback reports of increased composting, cycling to work etc.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

Critical Success factors :
•    Regular updates, meetings and communication to maintain the impetus.
•    Support for the guardians from their senior managers to facilitate volunteering.
•    Resource to co-ordinate the network.
•    The guardian is encouraged to develop a plan that fits with their team rather than implementing a “one size fits all” policy.  For example, a school would need an energy guardian plan compared to a large office.

The concept could easily be transferred to another organisation, whether public or private sector .

Solar City Malmö is an organisation working towards the increase of solar energy installations in Skåne.

Objectives and target audience

Objectives in the Skåne region:-

• To ncrease the interest about solar energy;
• To increase the knowledge about solar energy;
• To increase solar energy system installations;
• To increase the use of energy from solar energy systems;
• To support the solar energy business.

Target groups include:-

• Installation professionals;
• Architects;
• Consultants;
• Property owners;
• Property managers;
• Municipalities;
• Private persons;
• Tourists;
• Students.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Process

To achieve the required objectives, Solar City Malmö arranged:-

• Educational practices;
• Seminars;
• Exhibitions;
• Study visits;
• Thematic events;
• Conferences;
• Technique contests;
• Information meetings by companies, installation professionals and municipalities;

And work actively with:-

• Counselling with regards to solar energy installations;
• Informational dissemination;
• To support both private people as well as businesses and organisations in solar energy installation projects.

Results

Revival meetings:-

• Over 2000 professionals attended the revival meetings;
• The revival meetings were held in over 70 different places;
• 18 of the meetings were hosted at participating companies;
• In Skåne, 70 – 80 % of meetings occurred within the private sector.

Courses:-

• 12 different courses were offered, at least 10 participants were required and a  maximum of 25 were allowed to attend each course;
• Each course was held at least once.
• In total 34 course days were carried out, with a total 614 participants.

Seminar:-

• A total of 65 people attended the seminar which Skåne Energy Agency arranged with regards to energy efficient windows and sun protection for buildings.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

Success factors:-

• Marketing is very important and a considerable amount of effort was committed to secure good marketing events;
• The presenting of short seminars (revival meetings) appeared to be successful in a business although in normal circumstances, these are do not normal occur;
• A variety of interesting and intellectual subjects were reviewed at these revival meetings;
• Good timing and there was excellent focus by the participants regarding the energy matters issues that were brought to the revival meetings;
• There was plenty of positive response from media i.e. there was approximately 20 articles presented in the local press including the professional press.

Skåne Energy Agency performed an investigation with regards to the energy use of one floor within a hospital and identified the measures that should be taken to save energy.

Objectives and target audience

Objectives:-

Increase the knowledge of the use of electricity within hospital departments as well as implementation of measures within the specified department.

Target group:-

The project addresses mainly the staff on the medical department.

Financial Resources and Partners involved
The project development, investigation, identification and implementation of measures was financed by Region Skåne. The costs for undertaking the measures where split by the medical department and the department operating the hospital building.  The budget for the investigation and information performed by Skåne Energy Agency was approximately 20,000 €.

Process

These processes have been performed:-

-    Find appropriate ways to inform and educate individuals of their use of energy to help influence their attitude and behaviour on energy use.
-    Find the appropriate forms for the users to claim proper demands from the property owner and participate in the identification and installation of new energy solutions.
-    Identify the structural boundaries needed to improve the energy efficient behaviour of individuals to allow for actions such as the purchase of energy efficient products and the use of energy efficient behaviour.
-    Gather knowledge about energy use within the health care department of a hospital.

Results

In the department investigated within the project, in-door lighting is the most energy consuming issue.

Suggested measures:

-    The change to night lighting in corridors at night and to switch every third light off.
-    The installation of light sensors in 16 rooms.
-    To change 53 ordinary bulbs to low energy lighting bulbs.
-    To have 40 computer stations connect to multi sockets with on/off switch.

The estimated energy savings from the above measures on a yearly basis will be approximately 20 000 kWh.

Calculating energy savings with the only information available being related to behavioural change can be very challenging to estimate.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

Success factors are:-

-    Good technical guidance has been provided and is available to allow for the changes that need to be done.
-    Connection of property owner and property user
-    Information about energy savings suited for work in question
-    Combination of behavioural information and technical measures.

The Energy Agency of Southwest Finland organises energy expert trainings for the resident committees of the blocks of flats owned by the City Council

Objectives and target audience

The main objective of this initiative is to reduce energy use in social housing.
The target audience are the residents of blocks of flats owned by the City.
Financial Resources and Partners involved
The real estate company, owned by the City, pays for the training. Other partners involved are the Energy Agency of Southwest Finland and the residents and resident committees of the concerned blocks of flats.

Process

The training course takes place during 4-5 evenings lasting three hours each. It also includes 1-3 field trips to related sites. Experts receive an information package which includes different kinds of brochures and equipments such as energy consumption meters and water flow meters.  Experts may organise meetings/trainings for other residents or talk about energy issues during informal chats. Their contact information is also available to all residents in case anyone wants to ask for advice. Follow-up meetings should be organised annually.

Results

All together about 100 experts have been trained since 2001. Only part of them are really active and advice their neighbours. That’s partly because the lack of support of the owner/ house manager.
Key result is the raising awareness of energy issues and the experts willingness to do this work voluntarily. Some experts have done bulletins and so on to their neighbours for example of waste management and decreasing the amount of waste.
Experts need also more detailed advice for example of heating, air conditioning and lightning.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

Man has to find socially suitable persons who can manage with different kind of neighbours. The expert should be positive adviser rather than inspector.  Key issue is to get all actors motivated.
About the challenges see 11. above.
The energy expert is originally created by Motiva Oy, which is the “National Energy Agency in Finland“. Our training is modified after the needs and possibilities in our working area.
The success is easy to transfer to another organisation if there is enough motivated actors.