Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SMEmPower Efficiency (A holistic framework for Empowering SME's capacity to increase their energy efficiency)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2021-03-01 do 2022-08-31
The objective of the SMEmPower Efficiency project is to “Empower” SMEs to do energy audits and implement measures to improve their energy efficiency.
A holistic methodology was used to address barriers on 3 dimensions, the Individual, the Organizational and the Institutional. The target is to connect professionals with SMEs, to promote intelligent energy tools, traditional and innovative technologies and decision support.
The Individual dimension includes the design and delivery of accredited Education & Training (E&T) courses to energy experts.
The second dimension targets the SME decision makers and includes in-site short trainings for the decision makers and staff of the engaged SMEs.
Finally, the third dimension includes targeted workshops bringing together SME decision makers and stakeholders from financial entities and enabling interaction on experiences and opportunities.
In the short term, SMEmPower Efficiency project tackled barriers to trigger energy efficiency projects in SMEs by promoting the teamwork among energy professionals and decision makers, trained experts, energy consulting companies, financing entities and ESCOs and relevant associations.
In the medium term, through the pilot activities, SMEmPower Efficiency enabled the identification and implementation of energy-efficiency measures, the awareness on potential financing schemes for energy efficiency investments and the enhancement of the energy monitoring processes in SMEs.
In the long term and in the framework of the sustainability plan, SMEmPower Efficiency provided sustainable tools, enabling and supporting the energy managers and experts in SMEs to monitor and optimize energy use, to adopt new technologies and processes for energy efficiency, in an enhanced connection with decision makers.
A holistic methodology was used to address barriers on 3 dimensions, the Individual, the Organizational and the Institutional. The target is to connect professionals with SMEs, to promote intelligent energy tools, traditional and innovative technologies and decision support.
The Individual dimension includes the design and delivery of accredited Education & Training (E&T) courses to energy experts.
The second dimension targets the SME decision makers and includes in-site short trainings for the decision makers and staff of the engaged SMEs.
Finally, the third dimension includes targeted workshops bringing together SME decision makers and stakeholders from financial entities and enabling interaction on experiences and opportunities.
In the short term, SMEmPower Efficiency project tackled barriers to trigger energy efficiency projects in SMEs by promoting the teamwork among energy professionals and decision makers, trained experts, energy consulting companies, financing entities and ESCOs and relevant associations.
In the medium term, through the pilot activities, SMEmPower Efficiency enabled the identification and implementation of energy-efficiency measures, the awareness on potential financing schemes for energy efficiency investments and the enhancement of the energy monitoring processes in SMEs.
In the long term and in the framework of the sustainability plan, SMEmPower Efficiency provided sustainable tools, enabling and supporting the energy managers and experts in SMEs to monitor and optimize energy use, to adopt new technologies and processes for energy efficiency, in an enhanced connection with decision makers.
SMEmPower Efficiency project has been very active in terms of capacity building for the energy efficiency improvement in all participating countries. Since the early stage of the project, SMEs have been reached in all 8 countries to get feedback on energy costs, barriers to energy efficiency and other important parameters. 213 SMEs have participated in this survey.
The results of the analysis were used to fine tune the project educational and training (E&T) courses, fully accredited in all 8 project countries with 5 ECTS. The SMEmPower E&T courses have common contents for all 8 countries, to highlight their pan-European feature. Also, a common Training handbook was developed by the project partners and is available in the project portal.
3 editions of the E&T courses have been delivered successfully in all the 8 project participating countries, attracting 946 energy experts from SMEs. For the practical action, 150 SMEs from different economic sectors have been selected and engaged in the practical action of the courses. For 140 out of the 150 engaged SMEs, extensive energy checks/energy audits have been delivered, proposing targeted energy efficiency measures, based on real data of received from the SMEs. Distance learning techniques have been exclusively used for the delivery of the E&T courses and the practical action, due to the COVID-19 restrictions. After the conclusion of the energy checks by the assigned working groups for the practical action, short, in-site trainings have been delivered, to present the outcomes of the practical action to the rest of the SMEs staff, attracting 558 people in the corresponding SMEs.
Energy analytics, M&T and M&V tools have been developed by the project. They have been used by the participants during the practical action to analyze and propose energy efficiency measures. These tools are fully available on the project portal, together with the project training material, allowing any energy professionals to have access.
After a follow-up carried out during the project, 78 of the engaged SMEs declared that they plan, commissioned, or implemented energy audits. Particularly, 26 of them have already implemented energy efficiency measures, 8 of them are in the commissioning stage and 44 of them declared that they are planning the implementation of energy efficiency measures in the short term, leading to investments of 7.7 m€, energy generation by renewables 15 GWh/year, 14.6 GWh/year expected energy savings and 8,900 tn expected CO2 emission reductions. From the outcomes of the energy checks performed in 140 SMEs during the practical action, the estimated energy savings triggered by the project is 24.75 GWh/year.
To enhance capacity building, 3 targeted workshops were organized per project participating country. Each one of the 3 workshops has a different topic, targeting (a) the identification of main barriers in SMEs prohibiting the implementation of energy efficiency measures, (b) financing opportunities, and (c) policy recommendations for energy efficiency in SMEs, with the participation of more than 700 people.
SMEmPower Efficiency dissemination and communication activities performed quite well. The web platform counts more than 40,600 unique visitors, 2,960,000 page hits, more than 1,043,000 page views, and a total of 830 registered users.
4 newsletters have been released and distributed, along with other dissemination material, such as press releases, flyers, pens, bags, banners and posters.
The SMEmPower has been also very active in the collaboration with sister projects, establishing a continuous communication with other 6 sister projects, attracting people as Advisory Board members, while also participating in the Advisory Board of some of them. This collaboration resulted in joint dissemination activities and scientific publications, sharing the knowledge and the good practices.
Moreover, the SMEmPower Efficiency project partners have developed communication channels with local municipalities to promote energy efficiency improvement in local SMEs, signing Memorandums of Understanding with 9 municipalities from the 6 out of the 8 project participating countries.
Finally, a well-structured sustainability plan has been developed based both on the continuation of the E&T courses via the Lifelong Learning programmes of the project academic partners and on the project platform with the available material and tools to act as a forum for interested stakeholders.
The results of the analysis were used to fine tune the project educational and training (E&T) courses, fully accredited in all 8 project countries with 5 ECTS. The SMEmPower E&T courses have common contents for all 8 countries, to highlight their pan-European feature. Also, a common Training handbook was developed by the project partners and is available in the project portal.
3 editions of the E&T courses have been delivered successfully in all the 8 project participating countries, attracting 946 energy experts from SMEs. For the practical action, 150 SMEs from different economic sectors have been selected and engaged in the practical action of the courses. For 140 out of the 150 engaged SMEs, extensive energy checks/energy audits have been delivered, proposing targeted energy efficiency measures, based on real data of received from the SMEs. Distance learning techniques have been exclusively used for the delivery of the E&T courses and the practical action, due to the COVID-19 restrictions. After the conclusion of the energy checks by the assigned working groups for the practical action, short, in-site trainings have been delivered, to present the outcomes of the practical action to the rest of the SMEs staff, attracting 558 people in the corresponding SMEs.
Energy analytics, M&T and M&V tools have been developed by the project. They have been used by the participants during the practical action to analyze and propose energy efficiency measures. These tools are fully available on the project portal, together with the project training material, allowing any energy professionals to have access.
After a follow-up carried out during the project, 78 of the engaged SMEs declared that they plan, commissioned, or implemented energy audits. Particularly, 26 of them have already implemented energy efficiency measures, 8 of them are in the commissioning stage and 44 of them declared that they are planning the implementation of energy efficiency measures in the short term, leading to investments of 7.7 m€, energy generation by renewables 15 GWh/year, 14.6 GWh/year expected energy savings and 8,900 tn expected CO2 emission reductions. From the outcomes of the energy checks performed in 140 SMEs during the practical action, the estimated energy savings triggered by the project is 24.75 GWh/year.
To enhance capacity building, 3 targeted workshops were organized per project participating country. Each one of the 3 workshops has a different topic, targeting (a) the identification of main barriers in SMEs prohibiting the implementation of energy efficiency measures, (b) financing opportunities, and (c) policy recommendations for energy efficiency in SMEs, with the participation of more than 700 people.
SMEmPower Efficiency dissemination and communication activities performed quite well. The web platform counts more than 40,600 unique visitors, 2,960,000 page hits, more than 1,043,000 page views, and a total of 830 registered users.
4 newsletters have been released and distributed, along with other dissemination material, such as press releases, flyers, pens, bags, banners and posters.
The SMEmPower has been also very active in the collaboration with sister projects, establishing a continuous communication with other 6 sister projects, attracting people as Advisory Board members, while also participating in the Advisory Board of some of them. This collaboration resulted in joint dissemination activities and scientific publications, sharing the knowledge and the good practices.
Moreover, the SMEmPower Efficiency project partners have developed communication channels with local municipalities to promote energy efficiency improvement in local SMEs, signing Memorandums of Understanding with 9 municipalities from the 6 out of the 8 project participating countries.
Finally, a well-structured sustainability plan has been developed based both on the continuation of the E&T courses via the Lifelong Learning programmes of the project academic partners and on the project platform with the available material and tools to act as a forum for interested stakeholders.
SMEmPower Efficiency has been active in building capacities and promote energy efficiency measures in SMEs, following the project holistic approach. Through the 3 editions of the E&T courses, the practical action in the SMEs and the short, on-site trainings the multiple benefits of energy efficiency improvements have been highlighted to SMEs staff and decision makers. Furthermore, trainees and decision makers gained useful insight regarding the financing mechanisms to implement energy saving measures.
Additionally, the project tools and the accredited project courses consist a sustainable asset after the project life, allowing the continuous training SME energy related staff, but also the monitoring of any progress towards energy efficiency.
Through the communication and dissemination activities, the SMEmPower Efficiency brought together the SMEs staff, energy managers and interested stakeholders opening new communication channels targeting to the sustainability of the project outcomes. Finally, the concluded policy recommendation and supporting actions are expected to enhance the energy efficiency in SMEs.
Additionally, the project tools and the accredited project courses consist a sustainable asset after the project life, allowing the continuous training SME energy related staff, but also the monitoring of any progress towards energy efficiency.
Through the communication and dissemination activities, the SMEmPower Efficiency brought together the SMEs staff, energy managers and interested stakeholders opening new communication channels targeting to the sustainability of the project outcomes. Finally, the concluded policy recommendation and supporting actions are expected to enhance the energy efficiency in SMEs.