During the last few years the costs for fossil energy resources have been heavily increasing. A possibility to absorb rising costs is to critically question the status quo of energy consumption in order to be able to use existing energy saving potentials. Rising energy costs are contributing to a steadily increasing source of financial pressure for public utilities. This leads to a negative cycle: the public bodies have a lower budget at hand while at the same time the costs are rising, despite the lower demand. There is no available model showing how to link energy policies with the regional and/or local development.
The aim of North Sea - SEP is to foster a future oriented development on regional level by an energy oriented approach. To tackle these problems, the project has to improve local/regional development and the decision making processes by -creating tools for regional planners. Successful reorientation and creation of new profiles like energy regions must consider all actors in a region to involve them in the processes and to create ground for interactive development. Therefore methods and tools for regional planning and decision making will be developed with focus on systematically energy planning.
Duration
01/09/2009 - 31/08/2012
Priority
2 - Promoting the Sustainable Management of our Environment
Area of Intervention
2.4 Promoting environmentally responsible energy production practices
ERDF Grant
2,598,225.00 €
Total Eligible Budget
5,196,450.00 €
Lead Beneficiary
Jade University of Applied Sciences Oldenburg, Germany Tim Brauckmüller northseasep@atenekom.eu Tel: +49 (0)30 60 98 990-0
Jade University of Applied Sciences Oldenburg, Germany
City of Osterholz-Scharmbeck
REON AG
U.A.N. Communal Environment Action
United Kingdom
Aberdeen City Council
Dundee College - Construction & Built Environment Centre
Edinburgh University
Belgium
Intercommunale Leiedal
Imog
The Netherlands
Provincie Drenthe
Sweden
Energikontor Sydost
Energy and Environment Centre
Municipality of Varberg/campus varberg
Denmark
Green Network
Background and Aim
Background During the last few years the costs for fossil energy resources have been heavily increasing. Rising energy costs are contributing to a steadily increasing financial pressure for public utilities. In addition, small and smallest towns, often situated in rural areas, have to face decreasing number of inhabitants. This leads to a negative cycle: the public bodies have a lower budget at hand while at the same time the costs are rising, despite the lower demand. Of course policy-makers recognize the problem and are taking action, however another difficulty appears: there is no available model showing how to link energy policies with the regional and/or local development.
Aims To tackle these problems we have to improve local/regional development and the decision making processes by creating tools for regional planners, developing methods for decision making and innovation transfer, implement new structures for planning and decision making processes, improve knowledge capacity for furthering developments and sustainability, find new models for Public-Private cooperation's, as well as new business models for local/regional
Expected Outcomes
Developing a transnational model for strategic energy planning.
Innovative processes for regional development in terms of delivery of energy business cases and models and methods on a transnational, regional and local level.
Creation of a knowledge based WIKI system to share Case Studies and Best Practices -Development of a new NSR foundation on regional development in the field of energy consumption and renewable energies.
Facilitate the set-up of a cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary Triple Helix model of innovation.
Delivery of new methods, roadmaps and tools for sustainable energy planning - on-line GIS planning system for renewable energy production.
October 2010 - March 2011
The analysis of the regional status quo; the development of baseline papers and regional energy analysis of each participating region (including a green energy benchmark) has been continued. As a result, draft versions of baseline papers are available for all participating regions. The work on the synopsis of those baselines has already started and will be finished during the next reporting round.
Furthermore, all project partners strengthened their regional networks through different means, especially by having local and regional meetings, conferences e t c. The work on the regional strategies has continued in all partner regions. The lead beneficiary has started to compile a draft conclusion of the regional strategies, which will be finished in the coming months.
April - September 2010
First outputs of activities have been produced during the second reporting period., e.g the baseline papers on the regional energy-related status quo for some of the partner regions.
In addition, the project has successfully contributed to policy achievements on national level. For instance, in Scotland, Aberdeen City Council has given input into several UK Government consultations, namely the Renewable Heat Incentive Consultation and the Consultation on Allowing Local Authorities to sell electricity.
The positive outcomes of both consultations will facilitate Aberdeen City in becoming a low carbon city.
October 2009 - March 2010
The project North Sea - SEP deals with the promotion of sustainable energy planning, using a holistic approach including energy production, energy saving, innovation through energy, value chains and a reduction of energy imports. It aims at working in cross-sectoral networks, to exchange know-how and to develop a strategy on regional planning.
The project started with a pre-kick-off meeting for administrative implementation in Oldenburg (DE), followed up by an official kick-off meeting in Dundee (UK) and a Think-Tank meeting in Middlefart (DK). All work groups were established, including the transnational think-tank. The transnational work started in some activities faster than expected. One of the biggest tasks was the participation within the framework of the COP15 conference, where the project was present and managed to have half a day speeches concerning tools of energy planning in local and regional context.
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