PNEC News

Projects in the process of implementation

The aim of the project is to empower and involve young people in energy communities to actively contribute to the energy transition. The project recognises the significance of youth leadership in adopting new lifestyles and acquiring skills for supporting sustainable energy practices.

The main challenges and barriers which are preventing the active participation of young people in energy communities are:

legal barriers for empowered youth energy communities and collective energy actions,
overlooking and excluding young people from decision-making processes in the field of energy, despite their active involvement in their communities and their driving force to take action towards the advancement of the 2030 Agenda,
lack of knowledge among young people about opportunities to get involved in the energy transition despite the existence of a myriad of initiatives that may nevertheless seem too prestigious, technical or bureaucratic,
lack of awareness of different energy communities and their benefits among the general public.

Thus, the overall objective of the POWERYOUTH project is to address these challenges by effectively engaging young people and other key stakeholders in collective actions.

The aim of the project is to identify the reasons for the underperformance of public building renovations in four Central and Eastern European countries (Bulgaria, Poland, Croatia, Romania) and to build the capacity of relevant institutions to modernize these inefficient renovations and avoid related problems in the future.

This project addresses the energy efficiency of buildings in Eastern and Central Europe, and in particular the issue of inefficient renovations that do not lead to adequate improvements in energy performance, resulting in lower than expected energy savings. In the context of Poland, public buildings play a special role in increasing the energy-saving potential of buildings in general, the problem being that the performance of renovations to date is often poor, generating limited energy savings and payback times of up to 65 years. This poor performance is largely due to the limited capacity of city staff to effectively plan, implement, finance and monitor deep renovations. The implementation of this project is highly relevant given that in Poland one of the biggest infrastructure challenges is the need to renovate 14.2 million buildings.

The aim of the project is to support owners and operators of the district heating and cooling (DHC) sector and all related stakeholders, such as local authorities, in the energy transition, and thus work towards the common goal of a carbon-neutral Europe by 2050.

The main challenges facing the DHC sector are:

carrying out the necessary investments in DHC infrastructure and the associated huge implementation efforts,
the upcoming definition for energy efficient DHC in Article 24 of the EED revision will define a clear roadmap until 2050 and thus requires a holistic transformation planning of DHC operators for decarbonizing their DHC systems in line with the EED,
technologies such as low-grade renewable energies (RE) and waste heat (WH) are new to many operators and create the need of technical support to many subprocesses of DHC transformation and investment planning.

The aim of the project is to develop energy management systems in cities by developing, testing, and disseminating tools supported by information and communication technologies (ICT). The project will analyse the possibilities for more effective energy monitoring and management and then improve the energy data collection system in the City of Bydgoszcz. Building a knowledge base and testing the best solutions will enable direct support for other cities, with particular emphasis on the Bydgoszcz functional area, in creating their own management systems, thanks to the exchange of experience and dissemination of tools between local government units and experts.

The project aims at helping municipalities in setting strategic directions towards increasing energy efficiency, producing renewable energy, reducing local greenhouse gas emissions and mobilizing relevant stakeholders through providing them with relevant skills and supportive tools. Although municipalities are very committed to the climate action, it is often difficult for them to calculate and understand their CO₂emissions, as well as do develop and analyse different possible scenarios for the future. The CommitClimate project will help them by building relevant capacities among municipal staff and local stakeholders and by providing new computer-based simulation model for carbon footprint calculation and future scenario modelling (called CommitClimate simulator). Representatives of local authorities will test and use the simulator to create local sustainable energy and climate action plans for reaching climate neutrality.

The project aims to support small- and medium-sized cities in Poland, Romania, Hungary and Croatia in the development and implementation of local strategies to reach climate neutrality.

European Union aims to become the world’s first climate neutral territory. To achieve this goal, action is needed at all levels, including the local one. More than half of Europe’s urban population lives in small and medium-sized cities, which have a key role to play in reducing greenhouse gases emissions. Local governments become more and more committed to climate action, however often they have limited staff capacity, restricted financial resources and knowledge gaps that hamper ambitious, coordinated local efforts to become more climate friendly. The Ready4NetZero project will help in overcoming these barriers by:

cities green

The aim of the project is to support municipalities in their energy transition towards net-zero GHG emissions by providing a systematic approach to the development, implementation and monitoring of local Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs). The approach will build on the three important tools:

energy management systems (EnMS) concept according to ISO 50001 standard,
climate adaptation in municipalities concept according to ISO 14092 standard,
innovative engagement approaches (Design Thinking methodology).

The project will help to institutionalise integrated energy and climate planning in municipalities by establishing clear governance structures, ensuring strong political commitment and promoting holistic approach to planning and sector integration. The project also aims to support integration of climate issues into municipal budgets.

cities green With the Vision 2045 Project, we are pursuing the goal of accompanying schools on their way to climate neutrality. As energy consumers and major CO₂ emitters in municipalities, schools have a special role to play, being first and foremost the places where future generations are educated. Awareness-building and the implementation of concrete actions among the youngest, while involving adult stakeholders (headmasters, teachers, technical and administrative staff, parents and representatives of public transport, energy, waste management or nutrition sectors), will facilitate aiming for a climate-neutral city and the appropriate use of resources. Due to the holistic approach is taken to make schools the drivers and role models in reducing carbon. Through a holistic approach, it will be possible to make schools the drivers and role models in reducing their carbon footprint and engage them in reaching local climate & energy targets in collaboration with local authorities.

The aim of this project is to enhance public authorities’ capacity to meet the challenges faced upon renovating the public building stock, and thus enable behavioural change and prepare key players of the public sector to become true factors of change for reaching the EU environmental, sustainability, climate change and energy efficiency targets.

The goal of the EL-Practice project is to help young adults (29-39 years) to improve their knowledge, skills, competences and self-confidence in order to become actively involved in creating a sustainable society and take responsibility for their life choices. The project's interactive e-course, easily available on a mobile platform, will be an excellent tool to promote and shape among young people the change of habits related to the effective use of energy, leading to the cooperation for a more sustainable Europe.

The aim of the project is to improve the energy efficiency of households at risk of energy poverty by raising the energy awareness of the inhabitants, changing their habits and applying low-cost energy saving measures. The implementation of the energy advisory programme ENERGIA NA MIARĘ within EnergyMeasures project will allow selected households to obtain an individual assessment of their current situation and expert advice, and as a result to reduce their energy consumption and costs by implementing specific solutions. Project activities will also help to improve local policies, facilitate the diagnosis of energy poverty and contribute to improving the well-being of residents and - by reducing energy consumption - to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Race to Zero to globalna kampania na rzecz zdrowej planety, prężnej i zielonej gospodarki oraz bezemisyjnej przyszłości. Race to Zero jednoczy swoich członków wokół wspólnego, nadrzędnego celu: zmniejszenia emisji
o połowę do 2030 roku i osiągnięcia zerowej emisji netto najpóźniej do 2050 roku.

Do Kampanii Race to Zero przyłączyło się już dwanaście polskich miast, z których pięć to członkowie naszego Stowarzyszenia: Dzierżoniów, Cieszyn Piastów, Siemiatycze i Warszawa. Wśród uczestników kampanii znalazły się też Kraków, Wrocław i Łódź.

European City Facility to inicjatywa, która ma wspierać samorządy lokalne w opracowaniu koncepcji inwestycyjnych, przyczyniających się do realizacji działań określonych w lokalnych planach działań na rzecz klimatu i energii (SEAP, SECAP i inne). Jego nadrzędnym celem jest mobilizacja inwestycji w obszarze zrównoważonej energii w europejskich miastach i gminach.

W ramach EUCF można ubiegać się o wsparcie finansowe w wysokości 60 000 EUR oraz pomoc ekspercką podczas prac nad wybraną koncepcją, obejmujących takie działania jak przygotowanie studiów wykonalności, analizy rynkowe, analizy interesariuszy, analizy prawne, ekonomiczne i finansowe, analizy ryzyka, działania koordynacyjne i organizacyjne.

Projekty zakończone w 2023 r.

The aim of the project is to use the experience of the "Smart Campus" project to improve the energy efficiency and infrastructure of university buildings and to develop innovative energy-saving solutions using smart grid technologies. The project is also expected to contribute to a broader involvement of universities in the development and implementation of regional and local innovation strategies, among others by conducting specialized research, providing expert knowledge and using university buildings as laboratories where new solutions are tested.

Projekty zakończone w 2022 r.

The project aims at promoting and supporting energy efficiency in public buildings through designing model Energy Renovation Path (ERP) that will help to overcome most typical barriers encountered during different phases of energy renovation projects: planning, implementation, monitoring and users engagement. Significant part of the considerations is devoted to the topic of capacity building - both of building owners/managers and building users.

REBUS addresses a need, which is common to EU local authorities as energy renovation in public building is an identified priority. Thanks to the networks of stakeholders activated by the project partners, the impact on the territory is huge. REBUS involves them in all project phases: learning,action plan development and monitoring.

Thus, REBUS builds skills and involves the stakeholders who are in charge of implementing policy changes in order to achieve fitting and sustainable project results which are in line with EU energy efficiency targets.

Project MULTIPLY aims at encouraging local authorities to uptake integrated urban planning measures at district level by engaging them in a dedicated peer-to-peer learning programme under which they will share and discuss how to combine elements of sustainable transport, energy and spatial planning.

The goals of the project is improvement of the capacities of public authorities to develop and implement local strategies and action plans for enhancing the use of RES in small district heating networks.

This outcome will lead to:

fossil fuels and CO₂ emission reduction,
improvement of local air quality,
socio-economic benefits for local communities through the growths of technical, expertise and the start-up of investments and innovative financial tools.

Projekty zakończone w 2021 r.

Logo EnPover The project aims at alleviating energy poverty of vulnerable households by engaging municipal actors in the process and equip them with a set of universal and ready-to-use tools boosting implementation of low-cost energy efficiency measures in households most prone to energy poverty. Also, a network of municipal professionals, who will exchange relevant ideas and good practices, will be created and a series of inspiring study visits organised. And last, but not least, the project envisages designing and implementation of model awareness raising campaigns that may inspire other cities to follow.

The aim of the project is to increase the involvement of young people (18-28 years) in the city's activities for climate protection and adaptation to climate change. As part of the project, a Cieszyn’s Youth Climate Council was established, bringing together young people and develop their ambition and competence in the area of local climate planning. The Council's work is supported by an Expert Team consisting of key local specialists and stakeholders.

The aim of the project increasing acceptance and impact of climate-related projects in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe and initiating further climate adaptation measures through global and individual capacity building and establishing city partnerships.

Project implementation in practice:

based on Europe-wide analysis, good practices have been selected for effective emission reduction measures,
during the regular meetings of representatives, selected good practices implemented at local level are be presented,
during regional European workshops and conferences, participants present their own achievements and together with partners from other countries develop new strategies and a practical approach to mitigating climate change,
the project team analyzes teaching plans and climate protection measures proposed in existing educational programs, develops encouraging energy saving action plans in schools, and conduct workshops, training and study visits in Germany for teachers from participating countries,
in the preparation of a joint project, five bilateral city partnerships (at European level) are also supported, and have access to expert consultations and advice,
all project partners plan to meet at two European conferences for cities and municipalities to share experiences and present their local activities.

Implementation period: April 2018 – July 2021

Participants: 34 cities and municipalities from Poland (Bielawa, Cieszyn, Jasło, Sztum, Zamość, and pioneer cities: Bydgoszcz, Warszawa), the Czech Republic, Romania, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria and Germany

Financing: European Climate Initiative (EUKI) – project financing instrument by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU)

Project website: https://www.euki.de/en//euki-projects/bridging-european-and-local-climate-action-beacon/

Projekty zakończone w 2020 r.

The goals of the project is promotion of green roofs and living walls as a tool for adaptation to climate change for urban areas, including initiating development of model strategies for green roof development in Polish municipalities. The project involves the transfer of German know-how in this area, including primarily the experience of the City of Hamburg, which since April 2014 has and implements its own strategy to stimulate the construction of green roofs in the city. The initiated bilateral exchange and cooperation with experts in the field of green roofs is to result in 8 local strategies developed for 8 Polish pilot cities, dissemination of materials and guidelines for supporting the development of green roofs and living walls in cities and improving general awareness of the role of green roofs in climate protection.

The objective of the project is to use the water footprint as a tool for capacity building and integration of different environments (city authorities, representatives of city halls, municipal companies, planners and water and sewage companies, developers, local entrepreneurs) and to educate residents to protect water resources in cities.

A rapidly growing world population and increasing energy consumption are leading to a continuous rise of greenhouse gas emissions. Resulting climate change and extreme weather events represent one of the greatest challenges in Europe. RURES sets to exploit the potential of renewable energies (RES) and energy eﬃciency (EE) in rural regions as they have a great potential for reaching energy autonomy. Within RURES local support group composed of all relevant actors will be established acting as a regional energy network for implementing energy eﬃciency plans.

Projekty zakończone w 2019 r.

Logo CLIKIS

The goal of the CLIKIS project was to include school kitchens in climate protection efforts by demonstrating that they can use energy and other resources more rationally while preparing tasty, climate-friendly meals.

The preparation of meals is associated with a high carbon footprint, resulting from many factors directly or indirectly linked to the production of food products, their transport and energy use during meals preparation. Many different measures can be undertaken to reduce the impact on climate. An important role of schools is that they educate future generations. The school kitchens, which are facilities for collective nutrition, should support the educational activities of schools in the field of ecology by giving a good example. Within the project, three areas have been distinguished in which school kitchens can become more climate-friendly. These are energy (by improving the efficiency of its use), waste (by minimizing their quantity) and food products (through the use of those with a lower carbon footprint).

GOAL: the economic situation is forcing public authorities to limit Energy Efficiency investments in buildings and, as in Central Europe there is a lack of uniformity in approaches and capacities to adopt Energy Efficiency solutions, our goal is to encourage Public Administrations to improve Energy Efficicency in their buildings also by involving users in energy management.

METHODOLOGY: TOGETHER aims at changing the existing atomistic vision into a holistic vision of the buildings as a whole of functions and relationships between physical space, technological devices and users’ needs-behaviour. TOGETHER goes beyond isolated technical interventions by integrating them with financial/contracting and Demand Side Management tools such as the EPIC model (Energy Performance integrated Contract), which is based on technological devices and a behaviour-based component and a Building Alliance concept among buildings managers, owners and users.

The overall goal of the project is to strengthen the sustainable development component in order to use the interdisciplinary potential of urban space renewal in cities, while meeting the criteria of the Polish Act on revitalization and EU structural funds.

Issues related to emissions, air consumption and efficiency are available in the main Polish strategic documents; however, these aspects are not included in the revitalization activities. As part of REVIPOWER, adelphi, together with selected Polish municipalities and key players, will examine the added value of effective in terms of the use of revitalization resources, will prepare a discussion document that will place the topic of such revitalization at the center of the national and regional debate and will develop an innovative, participatory training program "open-source", which will be widely available to city authorities in Poland. The training will also cover issues that will help Polish cities and other key players to implement EU cohesion policy projects.

The project will contribute to including the both concept of resource revitalization and energy efficiency in the national debate and at the level of implementation of local projects in Poland.

Projects finished in 2018

Overview of activities

This project aims to:

strengthen knowledge transfer and dialogue between Polish and German municipalities and further important local actors
support Polish municipalities in initiating and advancing the development and implementation of integrated low-emission development strategies and action

establish synergies between climate action and air pollution controland promote integrated approaches
stimulate and advance discussion among diverse stakeholders from the public, private and research sector relevant for the transition to a low-emission economy in Poland in the broader context

The aim of the project is to develop a dialogue with the banking sector in Poland and to try to direct funding from this sector towards investments related to the development of a low-carbon economy. The key action will therefore be to emphasize the economic, health and social benefits of investing in low-emission mitigation measures climate changing.

Projects finished in 2017

The goal of the campaign co-financed from the resources of the Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection in Gdańsk is to raise the awareness of Pomeranian children and youth in the field of counteracting climate change and to promote rational use of energy by implementing the innovative German methodology "50/50" in Pomeranian schools.

The project is based on the experience of the EURONET 50/50 and EURONET 50/50 MAX projects implemented in 2009-2016 co-financed from the Intelligent Energy for Europe (IEE) program.

The aim of the project is to establish and strengthen bilateral cooperation between Polish and Norwegian municipalities, covering the exchange of experience, knowledge, technologies and best practices in the area of energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy sources (RES) use in the municipal sector.

The 50000&1 SEAPs project provides a coherent approach to integrating Energy Management Systems (EnMS) with Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs) according to energy management standards such as ISO50001. It aims to help municipalities to develop a policy for more efficient use of energy, and fix targets and objectives to meet this policy while reducing the energy bill.

ISO 50001 and other energy management standards lay out how to establish, implement, maintain and improve an EnMS, allowing an organisation to achieve continual success in all areas of energy performance, including efficiency, security, and consumption. This ensures that sustainable approaches to local energy policy and planning are spread and strengthened further across Europe.

Project aims to help Coordinators and Supporters (C&S) of the Covenant of Mayors in assisting their small and medium-sized municipalities in SEAPs implementation and monitoring by offering them targeted trainings, tutoring and coaching schemes. A tailor-made twinning programme on strategies for evaluation of SEAPs, including methodologies for implementation, information on financial opportunities, and how to improve communication and support with municipalities, will be held for C&S.

A wide selection of tools will also be made available on the project website.

In addition, national trainings for C&S will take place in Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Poland, and Spain. Selected C&S can benefit by participating in an international coaching and peer-review schemes with partners in the consortium. Priority will be given to C&S currently supporting implementation and monitoring SEAPs outside of the above target countries.

Projects finished in 2016

Project aims at mobilizing energy savings in public buildings through the implementation of the 50/50 methodology in 500 schools and nearly 50 other public buildings from 13 EU countries (100 schools and 10 public buildings in Poland). The 9-step methodology increases energy awareness of the building users and actively involves them in energy saving actions. Achieved financial savings are shared equally between the building users (e.g. schools) and usually the local authority which covers the energy bills. As a result everybody wins. The school teaches pupils how to save energy by changing their behaviour and gets additional financial resources, the local authority reduces their energy expenses and the local community gets cleaner local environment.

It is a continuation of the very successful EURONET 50/50 project implemented by PNEC in 2009-2012 in 11 Polish schools which were actively engaged in energy saving actions and achieved impressive results.

The aim of the project is to reduce energy consumption in 16 Lesser Poland schools by implementing an innovative methodology ,,50/50" assuming the active involvement of building users in the energy management process and teaching their ecological behavior through specific actions.

The task is the second edition of the project entitled "Every WAT worth its weight in gold - that is, children and teenagers from Lesser Poland learn how to effectively save energy at school" co-financed in 2013 by WFOŚiGW in Krakow and constituting an integral part of the international EURONET 50/50 MAX project.

Projects finished in 2015

The MESHARTILITY project aims at the development of solutions and tools facilitating exchange of energy data between energy utilities and local authorities elaborating sustainable energy strategies and plans. These solutions and tools will help cities, who are signatories of the Covenant of Mayors, to develop their Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs).

In order to develop a successful Sustainable Energy Action Plan or other local energy-related programme it is necessary to have detailed data on energy production and consumption at the territory of the municipality. Only in this way it is possible to identify which sectors have the largest energy saving potential and to plan effective actions and measures in this field. Reliable energy data will also enable municipalities to monitor the effectiveness of implemented strategies and plans. These data are usually in the possession of energy producers and providers who are often reluctant to provide detailed, disaggregated information on energy production and consumption due to the consumers’ data protection, fear of the competition etc.

Therefore it is necessary to develop solutions and tools facilitating sharing energy data between energy utilities and local authorities, who took up the task of elaborating sustainable energy strategies and plans, in a way that will create a win-win situation.

Projects finished in 2014

The RENERGY project fits into the context of the EU Energy 2020 strategy setting out objectives and lines of action to address urgent global energy and environmental concerns as well as the negative consequences of the economic crisis.

In particular RENERGY aims at contributing to economic growth through the development of a Green Economy at the local level that will encourage job creation contributing to the modernization and increased competitiveness at a European scale.

The overall objective is to develop more efficient energy policies at local/regional level in an inclusive, integrative approach, transforming urban communities from consumers to producers of energy, with particular reference to the objectives of the Covenant of Mayors.

The aim of project is to transfer to Polish municipalities Swiss know-how for improving energy efficiency of buildings through setting up gardens on roofs and walls in the framework of local sustainable energy strategy. The project refers to the trends of modernist architecture of 20th century initiated by world-famous Swiss architect Le Corbusier, that is to the concept of gardens grown on rooftops in order to compensate for the loss of green space taken by the building. “Green roofs” and “living walls” will not only contribute to the reduction of CO₂ emissions and to increasing energy efficiency of buildings, but also serve the purpose of improving the retention of rainwater which results in reducing energy consumption of sewage systems and reducing floods. Moreover, implementation of such investments will allow to mitigate the effect of “heat islands” and result in reconstruction of ecosystems (birds, plants, insects).

The project aims at:

Strengthening the technical and financial capacity of the municipalities from the 27 EU member states in sustainable energy policy and implementation;
Supporting European municipalities towards joining the Covenant of Mayors initiative and fulfilling the obligations resulting from this commitment i.e. develop Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs) and implement actions mentioned therein;

Promoting permanent long-term partnerships and networking between experienced and learning municipalities in order to achieve commonly agreed results in joint project implementation process.

This is accomplished through training courses and twinning activities between “learning” municipalities (37 municipalities from new EU member states, including 7 municipalities from Poland) and experienced ones from Granada and Valencia in Spain as well as direct support from the national coordinator.

Project Sustainable and efficient Energy for Rural Regions, the acronym VIS NOVA, combines soft actions and investment in the field of energy efficiency. Useful documents produced by the project and the results achieved due to the investment will be possible to use together.

Projects finished in 2013

The NET-COM project aims at empowering local authorities (at both political and administrative levels) to implement successfully their current (or future) Covenant engagements. Thus NET-COM directly supports the EU’s Energy and Climate Package targets.

The project is carried out by a consortium of 12 partners from 12 different European countries.

In each country, National Covenant Clubs / Platforms will be created to ensure:

better communication and exchanges among local authorities (Covenant Signatories or not) which would improve their own capacities and effectiveness to achieve the Covenant goals;
better communication, exchanges and synergies between local authorities and key actors such as public institutions (ministries, national/regional agencies, regions, provinces, associations of local and regional authorities) and any other stakeholders (businesses, NGOs, associations, etc.) willing to support local authorities in their efforts to achieve the Covenant objectives.

Furthermore, the continuous capacity building of the European, national and regional networks of local authorities will be crucial for the coming years. NET-COM will set up a permanent cooperation among the networks in order to benchmark their experiences, practices, tools and working methods.

The aim of the project is to support European initiative entitled “Covenant of Mayors” through strengthening the network of its Supporting Structures, helping selected municipalities in the development and implementation of Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs) and promotion of the Covenant among local self-governments.

It is planned that as a result of project implementation 180 new municipalities will join the Covenant of Mayors, over 60 municipalities will be fully supported in the development and implementation of SEAPs and 34 new Supporting Structures will be established. Moreover, project results will include strengthening local authorities’ capacity to implement sustainable energy strategies and Supporting Structures’ capacity to effectively support smallest signatories of the Covenant of Mayors, which will be achieved inter alia through special training seminars for municipalities and Supporting Structures and training materials developed by project partners.

The "Appetite for climate - ecological menu of Polish Municipalities" project is implemented by the Association of Communes Polish Network "Energie Cités" with co-financing from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.

Projects finished in 2012

The project aims at applying the 50/50 methodology to 50 educational centers in order to contribute to the fight against climate change. Within the frameworks of the project an European network of schools will be created and energy efficiency measures will be implemented in chosen school buildings. The 50/50 concept assumes that thanks to taken up actions 2,5% energy savings will be achieved and money saved will be divided between schools (50%) and municipalities (50%).The result is that everybody wins: schools improve their energy efficiency and sanitary conditions, local authorities pay less for energy and the society gets the cleaner environment. Schools have been chosen to take part in the project as they are a perfect place to promote energy sustainability, ensuring that future generations consume energy responsibly and influence their families to do the same. 9 partners from 9 countries participate in the project.

Projects finished in 2011

Project is aimed at promotion of municipalities using RES ((Renewable energy sources), and encouraging other municipalities to follow them.. Based on the experience of existing 3 national RES leagues (Germany, Czech Republic, France), three new national leagues will be implemented in Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria and all of them networked into the RES Champions league (more than 6000 municipalities) focusing mainly on the solar and efficient wood sectors.

Projects finished in 2010

The project aims at helping local authorities to become models for citizens in the field of rational use of energy and developing actions to encourage citizens, local decision makers and stakeholders in taking their own initiatives, thus preparing the ground for sustainable energy communities. 41 pilot cities are involved, 7 in Poland: Bielawa, Dzierżoniów, Ełk, Gorlice, Nowa Dęba, Raciechowice, Poddębice.

The project’s objectives are to automatically monitor energy (electricity, gas, heat, etc.) and water data in 75-100 small/medium businesses (SMEs) from a range of sectors (manufacturing, commercial, etc.) in 5 different Member States (5 in Poland).

By organizing Municipal Intelligent Energy Days local authorities will have an outstanding opportunity to show their commitment to contribute to achievement of the EU energy and climate goals at the local level and show their citizens that they take a lead.

The aim of the project is to promote activities for climate protection through information and promotional campaign preparing for the implementation of the Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2002 on the energy performance of buildings in Poland and encouraging to energy saving at schools.

Coordinator: The Association of Municipalities Polish Network „Energie Cités” (PNEC)

Project beneficiaries: 10 municipalities from all over Poland: Bielawa, Dobczyce, Dzierżoniów, Ełk, Laszki, Lubań, Niepołomice, Nowa Dęba, Pałecznica, Wiśniowa.

Within the framework of the project in 40 selected public buildings (town halls and schools) following activities will be carried out:

conducting of energy audit
description of energy performance of the building,
preparation of the energy performance certificate.

The project supports the “Covenant of Mayors” initiative of the European Commission, which engages signatory municipalities (and their local communities) in activities for energy saving and climate protection. Covenant signatories commit themselves to go beyond the EU climate and energy goals set for 2020 by reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in their territories by at least 20%.

The Project is co-financed by the Polish aid programme 2010 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

Project coordinator: The Association of Municipalities Polish Network „Energie Cités” (PNEC)

Project partner: The Association „Energy Efficient Municipalities of Ukraine” (EEMU)

Duration: 1^st of April 2010 – 31^st of December 2010

Aim of the project: to promote and implement the Covenant of Mayors initiative among Ukrainian municipalities, contributing in this way to the improvement of living conditions, protection of natural environment and building civil society.

Projects finished in 2007

The primary objective of the project was improvement of the use of SF - and other financial resources - in the regional energy policy projects of at least 4 NMS (Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania and the Czech Republic) thus progressing towards a better integration of sustainable energy issues in their projects.

The aim of the project was promotion of renewable energy in Malopolska Region, increase of energy use in general energy balance and preparation of potential beneficiaries interested in RES use to submitting proposal to EU funds.

www.pnec.org.pl/smart

The project intended to help in strengthening local authorities in partner’s country through sharing experience and knowledge about creating local development strategy (esp. regarding to energy development and RES use).

Projects implemented in 2003-2006

The best innovative projects being were identified, described and disseminated as models for imitation.

Transfer of knowledge and know-how of Raciechowice municipality to partner from Kyrgystan - presentation of local development strategy according to the model tested in EU and the Climate Menu method.

The objective of the project was to transfer Polish experiences in energy management and RES use to the representatives of local authorities from Moldova.

The aim of the project was to improve the situation of energy consumers in Raciechowice municipality through developing and promotion of public-private partnership for sustainable energy development.

The objective of the project was to promote the climate protection activities through the information campaign preparing for the implementation EU Directive 2002/91/EC on Energy Performance of Buildings and promotion of RE in school buildings

Project operation comprised mainly: organising 22 training sessions (1 day each) in all counties of Malopolska Region, 10 probations in private companies (6 months each) for graduates from academies in Malopolska Region and preparing and publishing manual (1 000 copies) for the private sector interested in renewable “RES in Malopolska Region”.

During project operation CD–ROM “Energy and environment management – forming of public-social partnership” was prepared, published (10 000 copies) and disseminated in whole Poland. CD-ROM contains materials about public-social partnership and 60 good practices of co-operation between local authorities, private companies and NGOs in the area of energy management and environmental protection in European Union and Canada.

This project focused on the sustainable energy development in school and public buildings. It was aimed at rising awareness in energy management and RES energy use in school buildings in the Eastern and Central Europe.

The objective of the project was to prepare and publish 5000 sets of two CDroms – one is a translation of an English version entitled “Renewable energies in urban areas” and contains 105 examples of the best practice in cities and communities in 19 European countries, the second one “Renewable energies in Poland. 70 good practice” contains the description of 72 examples of Polish practice of the use of renewable energies.