Sustainable energy planning at local basis
With the focus on sustainable development, significant EU and national funds are given to energy programmes, with energy planning becoming more decentralised across Europe. However, local participation in project development may be ineffective due to deficient understanding of energy options and potential lack of communication between developers and authorities. Avoiding or delaying project realisation thus hinders the widespread development of sustainable energy in Europe. Taking into account previous experience, the new version of the SAFIRE-LP model has been developed. This software is a simple, user-friendly and dedicated energy-planning tool for local and regional governments. It offers increased capabilities of assessing the impacts of new energy technologies and policies to decision-makers. The tool has been successfully tested by municipalities in Lithuania, Slovak Republic and Slovenia. Valuable feedback was received through the implementation and monitoring of the Tradable Green Certificates (ASCerT) approach in five countries, namely Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania,. These case studies also led to important conclusions including the need for harmonisation of national green certificate systems before integration of Accession Countries. Additionally, it was shown that the emergence of regional green certificate markets or bilateral reciprocity arrangements between countries could enhance the prospects for international trade. For further information click at the project site: http://safire.energyprojects.net