ANKARA, TURKEY – Following a successful research phase, the CEATY project recently hosted a “Hybrid Seminar for Teachers” in Ankara, Turkey, on September 20th, 2023, bringing together a group of dedicated educators from its partner countries. Organized by APFL in collaboration with Gazi University, the seminar focused on developing a cutting-edge curriculum to inspire young people to learn about clean energy and climate action and to become Clean Energy Ambassadors for their communities.

On October 10 and 11, 2023, the international team of the DeRisk project gathered in Sofia for the second meeting of the partners.

The current tasks were successfully completed. According to the work package for which SOFENA is responsible, two reports have been prepared and submitted – PESTLE analysis and comparative analysis of market penetration of flexible services and Analysis of the regulatory impact of local flexible markets and services carried out in more than 10 European countries, including Turkey.

A review was also carried out of the implementation of the pilot projects in Ireland, Spain and Turkey.

The meeting ended with the assignment of tasks and agreement on the next steps in the work of the project.

VALENCIA, SPAIN – The CEATY project, an ambitious initiative dedicated to educating and empowering young people in the fight against climate change, recently held its second transnational meeting in Valencia. Partners from across Europe, including Bulgaria’s SOFENA, Slovenia’s LEAG, Spain’s SGS Tecnos, Türkiye’s APFL, and the Netherlands’ LIDI Smart Solutions, convened to discuss progress and plan future activities.

The CEATY project aims to educate students between the ages of 12 and 16 in the field of clean energy and climate change. A key component of the partners’ activities is the development of a curriculum through which children will learn about energy consumption and different energy sources in order to become ambassadors for clean energy. On 20 September, Ankara Pursaklar Fen Lisesi organised a workshop in Ankara, Turkey, to develop this curriculum. The lectures and exercises were available both live in the hall and remotely. More than 20 teachers and specialists in the field of school education participated, evaluated the developed methodology and shared their ideas on how to improve it.

During the annual meeting of Energy Agencies and Centres in Bulgaria (ABEA), which took place in Panagyurishte on 6-7 July, SOFENA presented the CEATY project, of which it is the coordinator. CEATY is a climate and energy education initiative that aims to contribute to achieving the EU’s net zero emissions target by 2050 through education, public awareness and cooperation. The target group is students aged between 12 and 16. They will be trained to acquire knowledge on energy consumption, energy saving, renewable energy sources, they will also develop environmental awareness and will become Clean Energy Ambassadors. The project was presented by SOFENA’s expert Marc-Antoine Andrieux.

During the Annual meeting of ABEA on the 6th and 7th of July 2023 in the city of Panagyurishte, Mrs. Nadia Nikolova presented the progress of the LIFE-BECKON project, in which Sofia is a pilot region.

Within the framework of LIFE-BECKON, SOFENA is implementing a demonstration project to open a technical office and an online counter to support energy communities.

A capacity-building program is being prepared through a “Train the Trainer” approach to increase stakeholder knowledge, and integrated services are being developed through a platform to facilitate access to information, tools and guides, to find partners and investors.

Interested municipalities are to be invited to receive consulting assistance and training, as well as to financially support the creation of an energy community.

During the Annual meeting of ABEA in July 2023 DE-RISK project was presented that aims to support the market entry of renewable energy systems by promoting local flexibility markets to enable safe and reliable integration of RES into the grid.

Four pilot projects are being implemented in the partner countries, and the flexible DE-RISK platform will reduce potential technical risks in the process of implementation and realization.

The project develops innovative business models that provide benefits, equity and sustainability for all participants, and financial schemes will be tested to democratize access to sustainable investments.

SOFENA, as work package leader, developed an “Analysis of the regulatory impact of local flexibility markets” in ten EU countries, and by the end of the project will prepare a package of regulatory proposals and roadmaps for the development of local flexibility markets in the 10 analyzed countries.