Participation in the conference “Grafting cities: Cultivating our common future” – 17-20.10.2023
Sofia Energy Agency, as a part of BECKON`s consortium has the opportunity to present the energy poor office that works in Sofia at the premises of the Agency.
This office will be upgraded and transformed into Technical Assistance office for the needs of the BECKON`s aims.
The presentation was part of the conference “Grafting cities: Cultivating our common future” organized in Modena, Italy in the period 17.10.2023-20.10.2023.
In the workshop C called Municipal Solutions: Fighting energy poverty, that took place on Thursday 19 October, 15:00 – 17:00 h, in Room Sala Panini in the Camera di Commercio of Modena, participated also representatives of the Italian National Energy Agency ENEA and the European Commission.
After the presentation, the participants were divided in 2 working groups for an Interactive Peer Practice. Diana Paunova-Galeva, a chief expert in SOFENA together with the partners from Climate Alliance supported the 2 groups for discussing the following topics:
Socially just energy transition through increasing _energy efficiency of buildings_: renovation measures or newly built buildings with energy poor households;
Tackling energy poverty and socially just transition through energy provision – supporting measures of energy communities for energy poor households: models on setting up energy communities with supporting mechanisms for energy poor households.
The project Life-Beckon was presented also in the Learn & Share Marketplace on Friday, October 20.
Online event on 26.04.2023
Supporting mechanisms for local authorities to deploy energy communities
Duration: 11 – 12:30
This event will feature the concept idea of the Technical Assistance Cookbook and the online One-Stop-Shop platform being developed on behalf of the LIFE-BECKON project.
High-level speakers representing DG ENER and the Energy Communities Repository will share updates on EU policy on energy communities and the support available to develop energy communities at the local level. Furthermore, the variety of national energy community frameworks is presented through examples from Bulgaria, Denmark and Spain, highlighting challenges and opportunities for local authorities.
Participants will be invited to actively participate in the discussion, sharing concrete challenges and possible solutions.
This launch event of the LIFE-BECKON project funded under the LIFE programme is being co-organised with the Covenant of Mayors – Europe. The LIFE-BECKON project will focus on the state of play of supporting mechanisms for local authorities to facilitate the creation of energy communities.
Read more about the LIFE-BECKON project.
What supporting mechanisms exist to help local governments facilitate the creation of energy communities in their cities?
Discover the tools and mechanisms presented during the launch of the LIFE-BECKON project, a project aimed at supporting local and regional authorities deploy energy communities.
Energy communities are groups of citizens, businesses, and local authorities that come together to produce, consume, and share renewable energy. In cities’ transition towards sustainable energy sources, energy communities have an essential role to play. Local governments are instrumental in facilitating the creation of such communities.
There are several tools and mechanisms available to help local governments set up energy communities. Here are some of the key tools discussed in the webinar, organized under the initiative of the Covenant of Mayors, “Supporting mechanisms for local authorities to deploy energy communities”.
Tools being developed in the LIFE-BECKON Project
A few tools are currently being developed as part of the LIFE-BECKON project, just recently launched.
The Technical Assistance Cookbook: This is a guidebook that provides technical assistance to cities and communities that want to set up energy communities. It includes practical advice on legal and administrative procedures, governance, financing, and communication.
Capacity Building Program: This program provides training and capacity-building opportunities to local authorities, citizens, and businesses. It aims to empower communities to take an active role in the energy transition.
Online One-Stop-Shop Platform: This platform is being developed and tested in the three pilot areas of Copenhagen, Sofia, and Diputación de Ávila. The platform provides a range of services, including technical assistance, financing advice, and project management support.
For more information, please see also: https://eu-mayors.ec.europa.eu/en/what-supporting-mechanisms-exist-to-help-local-governments-facilitate-the-creation-of-energy-communities-in-their-cities
Project Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark
LIFE-BECKON project meeting took place in the city of Copenhagen on 16 and 17.05.2023.
The meeting was attended by representatives from all 8 partner organizations, and was hosted by officials from the Municipality of Copenhagen, who shared their experience in creating energy communities on the territory of the municipality.
During the first day of the meeting, the Energy Community “Havebyen Mozart” was visited, which consists of 78 households living on municipal land, in their own one-story buildings, which pay rent to the municipality for the land they live on and use. Contractual relations with the municipality are for a period of no less than 30 years.
Within the community, common spaces have been built with the donations and labor of the residents, such as: an orchard, a small zoo, playgrounds and a park for families to relax.
The cultural center, which is a municipal building, is maintained entirely with voluntary work and funds from the residents of the community, with the municipality only covering the costs of utility services. A library has been built to it, there are also conference rooms, childcare is provided in the form of various clubs, etc.
In the community, there are houses with installed photovoltaics on the roofs, the energy from which is currently used for personal needs. There is an idea to turn this community into an energy community, with the energy produced by individual households being available to everyone within the community.
During the two working days of the meeting, upcoming tasks were discussed, such as the creation of Technical Offices in the pilot cities – Sofia, Ávila and Copenhagen, as well as the “One-stop-shop” online platform to support the process of creating energy communities in the three cities .
The first project newsletter is now available, and we invite all, who are interested in the “Energy Communities” topic to register at the following link : link