Tales from Europe on Energy

Flevoland: More power from wind while preserving the landscape

The Dutch province of Flevoland is firmly committed to generating more energy from wind while limiting the number of installed turbines and preserving the landscape, explained Anne Bliek-de Jong, Deputy Queen’s Commissioner.
Flevoland is a young province, completely reclaimed from the IJsselmeer in the course of the twentieth century. The flat countryside and the strong winds sweeping the province provide an ideal setting for the development of wind energy: Flevoland can now boast 600 operating turbines.
57% of the energy needed by the province’s economy is now sourced from renewables; the 60% objective set for 2013 will soon be reached thanks to cutting-edge turbines which are currently being installed. Ageing turbines will also be replaced by a smaller number of new, more performing ones. In 2020 the province will thus only host 400 wind turbines, producing however significantly more energy than the current installed capacity.

Comunitat Valencia: Innovative projects require political will and creative funding

EU funds are key to spearheading innovative energy policies at the regional level. However, making the most of funding opportunities is not always easy, says Juan Manuel Revuelta Pérez, Director General at the representation of the Spanish Comunitat Valenciana in Brussels.
Firstly, project-based funding requires political will: the local political class’s commitment to innovation is crucial to convincing reluctant bureaucracies and conservative civil servants to change the way they work. Secondly, a certain degree of inventiveness and imagination is often needed to have some particularly innovative projects funded.
Years ago, when energy was not a priority for the EU, an original initiative to collect used frying oil from Valencia’s restaurants and recycle it as fuel had to be somehow ‘disguised’ as an environment conservation project in order to receive funding from the EU’s LIFE Programme.Today, fortunately, funding for energy and energy efficiency projects is more widely accessible. LED’s GO!, for instance, is an initiative currently running in Comunitat Valenciana to finance the replacement of ageing lighting systems by more energy efficient LED spotlights. The scheme is part of the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign promoted by the EU Commission’s Directorate General for Energy, and is partially funded by the European Investment Bank.

Alsace: promoting energy efficient solutions for the building stock

Energivie is an initiative launched by the region of Alsace in May 2010, and is the first ‘competitiveness cluster’ in France to focus on energy efficiency of the building stock. The objective is to promote and support the spread of solutions to make buildings ‘passive’ – e.g. by installing large south facing triple glazed windows, extensive exterior insulation and an air tight building shell, complemented by a heat recovering ventilation system.
The regional authorities have started from renovation of their own building stock, and are introducing energy efficient solutions in fourteen school complexes currently being refurbished. Energivie is however open to partners from the private sector, too.
Jean-Luc Sadorge, Director General of the Energivie project, sees communication and marketing strategies as essential to the uptake of energy efficient solutions. Home-owners and real estate developers are often unaware of the benefits of energy efficient solutions. More effective ways to highlight these advantages are under study in the context of the Energivie project.

Source: REFER Blog - published on April 26

This Tales were also an occasion to pre-announce the next AER conference co-organise with GE Energy: European Regions Energy Days on the 11 and 12 April - for more information:

http://www.aer.eu/events/regionaldevelopment/2011/energy-day.html