Objective
On Spain's Mediterranean shores, the Autonomous Community of Valencia constitutes a vast, heavily populated coastal region, whose gross domestic product represents alone one tenth of national GDP. The region depends almost entirely on imports for its supply of energy, almost 2/3 of which is based on petroleum products. Two sectors, transport and industry, together account for more than 3/4 of final demand.
It is on industry that IPEAE, the public body in charge of those energy activities controlled at regional level has focused its efforts. Since then, the regional authorities have decided to extend their efficiency improvement activities, with EEC support, to the region's energy consumption as a whole.
At a general level, work is aimed firstly at improving the gathering and interpretation of local energy data, and secondly at making this know-how available for implementing a rational energy use policy. Particular attention is also paid to the ecological effects of energy consumption.
HORIZON 2000
Applying the MEDEE model to the region of Valencia has revealed the following trends :
- despite a relative drop in the share of industrial consumption (strenghtened by energy efficiency efforts in this sector), forecasters are assuming a considerable growth in overall energy demand (+46% compared with 1986).
- The sector most responsible for this increase is transport, in particular private transport. This item will represent almost 45% of final demand in 2000.
- The two energy vectors which will most increase their participation in final consumption are natural gas (plus 242%) and electricity.
CONCRETE ACHIEVEMENTS AND PROPOSALS
The experience of energy planning will also permit the definition of a whole series of results and operating suggestions.
* In the residential and service sectors, consumption standards have been set for different types of buildings (private homes, public buildings, services), with in-depth case studies (hotels, hospitals, schools) now providing a serious reference base. Based on these, sensitivization activities are being proposed, aimed at private individuals and at public and private collective housing management, in order to provide information on possible energy saving and existing financial incentives.
* Transport. The first station of a future no-charge regional car diagnosis network has been in service since June 89. A programme to encourage transport companies to save energy has also been undertaken.
* Industry. A study of three lead industries in key sectors (frozen food, brewing, paper pulp) has revealed, in two of them, electricity savings of the order of 20%, and, in the third, a potential 28%, by integrating production processes.
* Technologies. Work has begun to link local SMEs offering energy related products and services with similar enteprises in other regions of the EEC in order to promote commercial agreements and technology transfer. Furthermore, contacts with seven centres for energy related research have enabled partner search files to be launched across the EEC.
* Agriculture. Four projects have been selected : biogas from animal manure; electricity from the combustion of cereal waste; solar energy for buildings, and irrigation using solar pumps.
* Renewable sources of energy. Analysis shows that use of these sources can be doubled, from 55.000 to 116.000 toe, between now and 1995 (equivalent to 3% of primary energy demand). The greatest potential comes from waste, hydroelectricity and solar energy. However, work is needed to remove a number of obstacles which are slowing to remove a number of obstacles which are slowing down use of these sources of energy (waste collection, slow authorization procedures etc.).
This very exhaustive assessment of the current status and recent development of regional consumption has required carrying out various surveys and studies in the major sectors. We would mention in particular research on consumption in the service sector, involving consumption analysis of a sample of 150 hotels (representing 20% of potential tourist accommodation in the region), as well as public buildings (schools, hospitals etc..).
The second stage of this work is to forecast demand. This is done using "MEDEE-SUD", a model developed for the European Commission by the French body IEPE from Grenoble. The development of a MEDEE model, in which the components of final demand were broken down into almost 400 variables, has enabled development data from 1980 to 1987 to be extrapolated out into a projection running up to the year 2000.
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
DEM - Demonstration contractsCoordinator
08006 Barcelona
Spain