RES and RUE Stimulation in Mountainous - Agricultural Communities towards Sustainable Development MOUNTAIN RES/RUE (EIE/07/040/S12.466710 contract) Guide for Self Sufficient Energy Communities Stakeholders Workshop 29 September 2009, Gospic, Croatia Alexandra Papadopoulou
Scope Formulation of a Guide for self sufficient energy mountainous & agricultural regions Step 1: Identification of RES & RUE impact in all SD dimensions for the implementation communities; Step 2: Thorough review of all existing efforts on guides; Step 3: Adaptation & upgrade of existing guides to fit in mountainousagricultural communities characteristics; Step 4: Draft Outline & Consultation Feedback from Stakeholders; Final Guide.
Work synopsis Examination of existing guides regarding sustainable communities at a European level Adaptation and Upgrade; Effort to identify local community sustainability guides; Development of the integrated guidelines core document; Effort to customise the Local Community Guide to fit the needs of each of the four communities. Fit in mountainous-agricultural communities characteristics
Lessons learnt from identified guides A guide should address not only the local key stakeholders of the community, but the general public as well; Farmers possess a significant role and their active involvement is required; Involvement of all stakeholders from the early stages of drafting the community s energy vision and action plan; Activities realized and goals set should correspond to the communities sustainability level (one step at a time); Necessity to provide alternative approaches and technologies, depending on the community s type (agricultural or mountainous); Thorough dissemination of the project results is required; Tailor made guidelines for each community as case studies.
Guide Outline 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Why Sustainable Communities; Community Analysis; Specification of the key players and clarification of their role and responsibilities; Establishing the community action plan; Identification of the optimal RES and RUE technologies for each community; Developing an energy project; Results analysis and evaluation of community progress.
Why Sustainable Communities Improvement of the citizens quality of life by the reduction of the region s pollution. Creation of an environmentally friendly profile for the area, targeting eco tourism and therefore, stimulating the local economy. Creation of local business opportunities and support the regional development. Reduction of the community s energy dependence. Secure jobs, new jobs in new markets, while existent jobs are saved. Reduction of the migration of inhabitants. Future perspectives for local youth.
Community Analysis Brief description of the territory (morphology, population). Community Orientations (objectives of community policy on energy related issues, development projects, overview of the regional economy s sectors). Analysis of activities sectors (energy, farming, forest, tourism). In depth analysis of the sector s current status, expected evolution and objectives. Through a simple questionnaire, identification of the community s sustainability level (low, medium, high).
Key Players Farmers Certification & Standardisation Institutions Citizens Environmental Associations Financial Institutions Energy Companies Technical &Trade Associations Construction companies Mass Media Public Transport Companies Agricultural Associations Educational Community Local administration authorities Mountainous/ Agricultural Community
Establishing the action plan (1/3) Step 1 Establish the management team A Steering Committee (SC), in charge of the development, monitoring and assessment of the SEAP; A working group, responsible for the provision of tools for the planning process; Step 2 Vision conception Indicate community goals in 5, 10 or 20 years from now; Initiation of a public dialogue process; Step 3 Preliminary energy inventory Development of the community s energy balance; Estimation of future needs;
Establishing the action plan (2/3) Step 4 Mission quantification Quantify the targets for energy savings or RES production; Targets have to be clear, simple and realistic; Step 5 Detailed data collection Detailed data gathering on each target set; Specification of each technologies potential. Step 6 Developing the action plan Specification of programs implemented, timeschedules, owners and beneficiairies, cost estimation, investor identification;
Establishing the action plan (3/3) Step 7 Implementation of the plan Implementation of each project according to project cycle activities; Step 8 Monitoring and evaluation of the plan Comparison of the results to the initial objectives, confrontation of potential problems or deviations.
Identification of optimal technologies Brief description and basic characteristics of selected RES and RUE technologies, appropriate for mountainous/agricultural communities; Identification of each technology s specificities and assessment of their suitability depending on each community s type (mountainous or agricultural); Although almost all identified technologies can be realized in both mountainous/ agricultural communities under certain conditions, regardless of their sustainability level, advice is provided on the actions most suited for each community.
Development of energy projects Feasibility study Ownership (private/ public) Project Life Cycle Financing Environmental assessment - Detection of potential protected regions in the community Permission granting process Grid connection Hire-purchase of electric power Energy project realization
Results analysis and evaluation Assessment of the results according to: Relevance: Do the conditions that led to the actions implementation still prevail? Are the basic assumptions made still holding true? Do the actions (especially the priority actions) foreseen still respond to the actual needs of the community? Do the population and key target groups support the plan and its actions? Efficiency: Are the actions and projects foreseen on track? Are they implemented with optimal use of resources? Effectiveness: Do the actions and projects implemented really contribute to the attainment of the goals and targets set? Impact: Are the benefits distributed evenly within the society of the community? Are the needs of special groups of the population adequately considered? Sustainability: Do the activities undertaken lead to more energy sustainable community? What follow-up is required to these actions to ensure that the community continues to enjoy the benefits and continues on its path towards greater energy sustainability?
Thank you for your attention http://sustainablemountains.epu.ntua.gr Alexandra Papadopoulou