Here you will find up to date information on the Sustainable NOW project and other interesting news.

Project's final results brochure is out...

After the project's official completion at the end of this summer, the final (20 page) brochure is now available. It collects experiences of partners in developing their local sustainable energy action plans (LEAPs - also known as SEAPs) and offers newcomers advice on ways forward.

The brochure will soon be downloadable in Bulgarian, German, Hungarian and Italian, too.

The project results brochure is available here.

Focus on... Miskolc

„Sustainable Energy Management” – Hungarian National Conference in Miskolc-Lillafüred between 29-30 August 2011

All the biggest Hungarian cities (23 cities with county rights) and their energy companies were invited for the national dissemination conference of the Sustainable NOW project. Also the local, regional and national stakeholders, NGOs, ESCOs and other interested companies could attend.
On the first day the energy situation (past, present and future) of Hungary was presented by researchers, experts of ministries, national authorities and organisations. The Sustainable NOW project and the Covenant of Mayors were introduced by the Climate Alliance representatives and also City of Miskolc about the activities during the three years of the project. At the end of the day two site visits (a biogas boiler house and a heat pump) were arranged for the participants.
On the second day several local energy efficiency projects (about solar systems in prefabricated buildings; the modernisation of the municipal district heating system with biogas, biomass and geothermal energy; energy management in municipal institutions; sustainable and energy saving public transport; energy efficient waste management) were presented by experts from municipal and local companies in Miskolc.
Once again citizens and stakeholders from across the country showed their interest and support for the sustainable energy transition in Miskolc! We  believe that many are soon to follow these steps...

Focus on... Comunita Montana Lago Trasimeno-Middle Tiber

Comunita Montana reaches its objectives and gains visibility with support from its partners

The Mountain Community Trasimeno Medio Tevere, through the project Sustainable NOW, has been able to develop an energy plan, involving a territory composed of 13 municipalities and 100,000 inhabitants.
The objectives 20-20-20 were defined and divided by the productive sector. Specific actions have been identified and planned to reduce the CO2 emissions by 20,1% by 2020, starting from a photograph of the existing (baseline) in 2006.
This aspect has been illustrated during the twelfth National Assembly of “Agenda 21 Locale”, held in Siena on 8 and 9 April 2011, within the workshop dedicated to climate change and sustainable energy; all in preparation for COP 17 of Durban.
During the presentation of Siena, the representative of the Province of Modena became interested in the Mountain Community experience, inviting its representatives to the Energy Day of Pavullo, to sensitize the Mountain Community of Frignano on energy and the opportunities resulting from a strategic action on this issue. The event was organized by the Energy Agency of Modena, which, among other things, presented two other projects: Energy For Majors – Come 2 Com.
Another important result obtained by this project, was the confrontation with the experiences of Bologna, Munich and the Province of Siena, present at the Second Energy Week held in Magione in May 2011.
This event, thanks to the initiatives of Siena, was attended by Director of the Energy of Genoa, to introduce the PAES approved by the European Commission.

Sustainable NOW Congress: Local and regional energy concepts
June 30th, 2011 in Ludwigsburg, Germany

Sustainable energy concepts for municipalities and regions are becoming increasingly important. In fact, these concepts are often mandatory to apply for funding opportunities on the federal level as well as in the Baden-Württemberg region in Germany.
This is also true at EU-level, with the Covenant of Mayors, which provides channels to access funding for the implementation sustainable energy actions. Within the framework of the EU-project Sustainable NOW nine partner cities in Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Bulgaria and Italy have developed sustainable local energy action plans over the last three years. Experienced cities as well as city networks, including ICLEI, and other technical project partners have supported “learning cities” in developing their own plans. Tips concerning CO2 monitoring and financing were given, an internet tool for successful energy measures was established and experiences were exchanged in direct encounters through partner visits in the different cities.

In the framework of the final project meeting in Ludwigsburg all municipalities, local authorities, policy makers in the area of energy and stakeholders are invited to learn more about the energy strategies on the EU-, federal-, and local levels. Through an interactive format, the experiences of the project partners of Sustainable NOW can provide information and valuable advice for municipalities and local authorities seeking to develop their own sustainable energy action plans.

Focus on... Coordinamento Italian Local Agenda 21 Association
Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) is now Local Authorities’ key issue to contribute to the climate protection, by quantifying gas emissions reductions, the use of energy coming from renewable energy sources and the improvement in energy efficiency.

Coordinamento Agende 21 Locali Italiane (Italian Local Agenda 21 Association), in its role as a network of local authorities, was raised in order to provide a stage for all those good practices on sustainability that local governments may implement for reaching their goals of sustainable development and energy planning, with an integrated approach.

To this purpose, the association has recently published ‘Good practices from Local Governments and Regions for mitigations and adaptation to climate change’, presenting 72 good practices on the management of climate policies and activities. Issues tackled encompass impacts of climate change, energy production coming from RES, set up of carbon deposits and urban governance for climate.

The publication has been realised within the LIFE+ CHAMP project (with the support of LIFE+ Programme).

The document - in Italian only - is downloadable here. 

Focus on... Trecodome

Improving energy efficiency (EE) in buildings

What is EE in buildings? EE is about achieving comfort with less effort. Typical EE measures in buildings are insulation of walls, roofs and floors, but also improving windows, avoiding unwanted air leakages. Finally, EE is about providing a healthy indoor climate through the use of ventilation strategies whilst minimizing energy losses, and using efficient technologies.

The most far reaching energy efficiency concept in buildings is the passive house (Passivhaus) concept, which secures such a good energy performance of a building, that only a minimal amount of energy is needed to heat such buildings. Opaque elements are insulated to superb levels, windows are triple glazed and therefore very c

omfortable. Ventilation losses are minimal because heat is recovered to the incoming fresh air. It is enough to only add some heat to this incoming fresh air. If this little amount of energy originates from a renewable energy source, one gets close to a perfectly sustainable solution.
EE is a precondition for an optimal use of renewable energy technologies. The biggest improvements in buildings have been and can be achieved by means of EE. The potential of reducing the energy demand in buildings is phenomenal. With the Passivhaus concept in both new and existing buildings it is possible to reduce the energy demand in buildings up to 80%. If the remaining 20% is provided by renewable energy, an almost zero impact results from it.
The other benefit of EE in buildings lies in the significantly lower energy costs for tenants, resulting from the high performance of buildings.

Cities demand vast amounts of energy, which result in an increasing number of emissions and environmental impacts. Shifting to renewable energy can contribute to reducing these negative impacts. If we want to achieve a high fraction of renewable energy, we need, on one hand, to invest further on that field, and on the other hand and in parallel, to reduce total energy demand by applying EE measures more widely.

Note: The image shows the the first Passivhaus certified school in The Netherlands, which was inaugurated on 12 October 2011. The building has a very low heat demand due to superinsulation and heat recovery ventilation. Also 50 m2 of solar PV panels generate a significant part of the small energy demand, which makes this a nearly zero energy building.

Focus on... Province of Siena

Siena is starting its sustainable energy activities early this year, with a relevant programme of events starting Monday, January 17th, and running until Saturday 22nd.

The event's programme (in Italian language) is available here, and the registration form here. For questions please email petricci@apea.siena.it.

Everybody is welcome to attend!

Focus on... ICLEI

New report explores role of local and regional authorities in achieving sustainable growth...after the Lisbon Strategy

A report commissioned by the Committee of the Regions to Ecologic Institute, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability and REC, published this month, investigates the potential role of regional and local authorities in a new strategy (after Lisbon) for sustainable growth and better jobs. The study considers potentials of a future European strategy's compatibility with principles of environmental sustainability and social cohesion and sheds light on the role of cities and regions in achieving this objective. 
The second part of the study analyses the possibilities for cities and regions to cooperate in the development and implementation of Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs), or, as we call them in this project, LEAPs for 'local'.
Eight communities from different European countries were analysed in detail, including four partners of Sustainable NOW--Burgas, Munich, Province of Siena and Woking.

To view the report click here.

Focus on... Banca Popolare Etica

Supporting local governments in selecting the best option to invest in renewable energies and energy efficiency measures

Banca Popolare Etica will soon finalise a document that will describe the tools available for local governments (LGs) to finance investments in the field of renewable energies and energy efficiency. The document will also offer advise and propose guidelines for LGs on how to choose the most appropriate investment mechanism.

They include publicly and privately funded tools, such as EU initiatives, call for proposals and campaigns, State and Regional grants, funding, feed-in tariffs, guarantee funds and contests—as regards the public funding opportunities. In the private field options include bank products, leasing contracts, third party financing (ESCOs and energy consortia), shared ownership and private initiatives coordinated by public bodies. 
To inform our analysis, the comments of project partners -- gathered during the ad hoc Project Meeting in Brussels in March 2010 -- have been taken into consideration. 

For each financial tool considered, a SWOT analysis and an economic and financial evaluation have been conducted in order to focus on its most relevant aspects and features, and in this way to deepen LGs’ understanding. 
The tools described are complemented by concrete examples of projects in implementation (the so called "best practices"). These include projects involving the Susutainable NOW partnership and activities held in the countries represented in the consortium.

The document will be available—free of charge—in the Download area of the Sustainable NOW website in the coming days.

Focus on... Woking

Woking is a Circle of Excellence Partner in the Sustainable NOW Project, and has a lead role in the project to support the Circle of Learning Partners in developing their Local Energy Action Plans.

Some of the Council's activities, in direct or indirect relation to the project are summarised below:

Sustainable Homes

The Council has a track record of delivering sustainable energy solutions, particularly through the deployment of Combined Heat and Power and Solar Photovoltaic Technology.  The Borough has recently celebrated the success of the achievement of Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5 for a new Housing Development at Brookwood Farm in Woking.  This development is believed to be the first ‘occupied’ example to achieve this standard in the UK (previous buildings had been constructed for demonstration purposes).

Action Woking

The Action Woking project has been developed to encourage householders in the Woking Borough to take a range of steps to improve the energy performance of their homes.  Supported by the Action Woking Advice Centre, Web Site (www.actionwoking.org) and the Oaktree House Demonstration house, the aim is to encourage an initial 1,000 households to become part of the Action Woking Community, and to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes.

Staff Trainee Programme

Woking and Miskolc have been paired together under the Sustainable NOW Staff Trainee Programme module.  Representatives from Miskolc visited Woking in August 2010 to learn about sustainable energy applications along with the local and national energy policy situation.  The programme has led to further actions and exchanges between the two partners.

Energy weeks

As part of the Sustainable NOW Project, Woking Borough Council has arranged Energy Weeks to communicate key energy issues to residents and stakeholders.  The most recent Energy Week was arranged between September 9th and 11th 2010 at the Oaktree House demonstration home.  The activities were well received, with more than 100 visitors attending and more than 80 new participants enrolled to the Action Woking programme.

Focus on... Burgas

Sustainable NOW project and Burgas showcased in 'European Energy Innovation'

In its Winter 2010 issue, the publication has focused on the case of the Municipality of Burgas. It explains how Burgas -- in the context of the Sustainable NOW prooject -- has developed a vision for sustainable energy and gone on to develop a framework for implementing it, with the support of project partners.

The magazine refers to the project as a 'pioneer' in the sustainable energy planning at the local level in European cities and towns.

We have a limited number of issues in stock. Please feel free to ask us for a complimentary copy.

The website of the publication is www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu

Focus on... Munich

The Burgas – Munich partnership – a real success story!
The cities of Burgas (Bulgaria) and Munich (Germany), both partners in the Sustainable NOW consortium, form a learning twinning partnership – which so far has proved to be a fruitful interaction. All other city partners form twinning partnerships, too.

In September 2009, the representative of Munich, together with other project partners, had the opportunity to visit the city of Burgas during the 2nd project meeting. An intense exchange of experience and information took place during the three project days, and important decisions were taken – inter alia, that a future exchange of representatives (technical experts) of both cities should be organised. The aim of these exchanges was to give the learning partner an authentic and realistic impression of the daily working structure and processes within the more advanced partner administration. 
One of these exchanges was realised between 10 and 14 May 2010, when an engineer from the city of Burgas, spent nearly one week at the Health and Environment Department of Munich, in the Construction Centre and at the Munich Transport Company (MVG). 
The EU funder has declared a strong interest in the development of the Burgas – Munich – partnership: Both partners were invited to give a report on their co-operation during the Intelligent Energy Info Days on 3 and 4 February 2010 in Brussels. On this occasion, the Munich representative seized the opportunity to visit the permanent representation office of the city of Burgas, located in the same building as the Covenant of Mayors office in Brussels.
In summary, a very fruitful co-operation between two European city partners has been initiated in the course of the Sustainable NOW project: Fruitful in terms of the exchange of experience not only on a technical, but also on political and human scales. 

Focus on... Ecovision

Jointly Owned Photovoltaic Plants in Germany (JOPVs)
Ecovision GmbH  is as a professional organization striving for an ecologically sound and worldwide fair provision of energy. 
In order to reach this objective, ecovision projects Jointly Owned Photovoltaic (JOPVs) offer the purchase of shares at 1.500€ and above to a wide range of citizens. By investing in JOPVs, citizens may contribute ecologically and economically to a better world. 
Why a Jointly Owned Photovoltaic Plant?
Projects of Photovoltaics need a high amount of capital investment at the beginning of the project in order to build up the plant. In contrast to that the running costs to produce energy are relatively low. Therefore it is sensible to share the financial burden of the starting costs among many persons. 
The concept of a Jointly Owned Plant offers individuals with limited financial means to participate actively in the construction and operation of such a Photovoltaic Plant. In addition to that, individuals can become real producers of solar energy though they do not own a house and a roof. By integrating a wide range of citizens, a JOPV raises public awareness: many institutions and individuals are thus engaging in the subject of the production of environmentally friendly energy.  

What is a jointly Owned Photovoltaic Plant?
There exist different legal forms of jointly owned companies in Germany. Ecovision usually chooses the form of a “GmbH & Co. KG”, which is a limited partnership. The most important advantage of this legal form is that the mangement and full liability is with a GmbH (limited company), while the shareholders as limited partners are not responsible for technical and organisational details. They receive a yearly report and can take decisions in the Annual Gerneral Meeting, if they like. Their liability is limited to the amount of the share they hold. By buying a share, they are joint owners of the photovoltaics.
Ecovision is presently running successfully six JOPPs. One of these is the “Citizens’ Solar Fund” of Emmendingen of the municipal energy utility of Emmendingen in the South of Germany. Photovoltaic Plants in different sizes had been installed on six roofs of public buildings in Emmendingen, each of them fully owned by citizens. 
Initiatives to build up JOPVs are driven by locally rooted key-players, mainly individuals or NGOs, to a lesser extent by local governments. Nevertheless during the planning process until the commissioning of the PV plant, a strong cooperation between public and private partners is a necessity. 
The concept of JOPVs will be part of the programme of a financial workshop to be organized for the project partnership on October 6th.

Focus on... Bologna

The project partner Municipality of Bologna shares some relevant dissemination and training activities conducted in recent months.
Dissemination Activities
Within the European Mobility Week 2009, citizens of Bologna have been involved in a two day event, on Sept. 18th -19th , entitled "Pedalando per Kyoto" (Cycling Towards Kyoto), dedicated to healthy lifestyles and sustainablility, and focused on the bicycle. The whole campaign saw the participation of about 3.000 people involved in various events. During this event the Municipality's Environmental Sector distributed brochures and information leaflets on the Sustainable NOW project, sharing with citizens the content and relevance of this initiative. In the main square of the city we held workshops for kids and children, focusing on Sustainable Energy, by the city Showroom "Energy and Environment". 

At the beginning of 2010 other important dissemination and awareness-raising activities were organised in the context of Sustainable NOW: during "M'illumino di meno", on 12th February (the Italian event to recall the signing of Kyoto Protocol) and during the "Green Social Bologna Festival”, from 14th to 19th February, an event focused on the environment, energy saving, and sustainability for citizens. As part of the Sustainable Energy Week, on 23rd March the show-room “Energy and Environment” organized a public meeting with visits to the exhibition EnRi (Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation); SustainableNOW was presented, as well as two important tools for citizens: the "Kilowattene" software for the domestic electricity diagnosis, and Bologna Solar City, a geo-referenced application to know the potential of solar energy sustainability of city buildings.
LEAP guidance on development, based on expertise and experience
On 28th May 2010, during a Sustainable NOW financial workshop in the context of the "Terrafutura” event, in Florence, the Municipality of Bologna presented its experiences on energy retrofitting of public buildings.
On 16th June, expert and learner partners Bologna and Comunita Montana held a meeting, during which the staff of Bologna Energy Office described their experiences on how to best implement a LEAP (Local Energy Action Plan) or SEAP (Sustainable Energy Action Plan), how Bologna has overcome challenges, as well as lessons on the methodology of implementation of energy plans. Bologna shared knowledge on their energy audits of buildings of local heritage, the experiences of stakeholder involvement (including citizens and schools), and the creation of energy buying groups (eg. the ECHOAction IEE project).

Focus on... Climate Alliance

CLIMATE ALLIANCE offers various learning opportunities to all SUSTAINABLE NOW project partners
Within the Sustainable NOW project, Climate Alliance leads on capacity building in sustainable energy, supported by ICLEI Europe and other technical partners. Guidance is provided to local governments - from pioneers to beginners, for decision-makers and municipal staff. It includes providing support in developing CO2 emissions inventories and Local Energy Action Plans (LEAPs), as well as organising peer-to-peer exchanges and learning opportunities such as great study tours and staff trainee excercises. Through these activities we are also exploring some of the main challenges cities and towns are facing - gaining further understanding on local sustainable energy planning and implementation issues.

• Study Tours in Woking (UK) & Munich (DE)

In February 2009 and April 2010, study tours were organised in two advanced communities: Woking (UK) and Munich (DE). Model projects projects were visited, such as the Oak Tree House demonstration project and the Brockhill Retirement Village in Woking, as well as the Bauzentrum and a geothermal power plant in Munich. First hand observation works! The study tours focused on a range of different sustainable energy aspects and local stakeholder participation.

• Workshop on CO2 monitoring

A training workshop on CO2 emissions reduction planning and monitoring took place in Munich in April 2010. Experts from Climate Alliance and ICLEI Europe provided practical recommendations on how to collect energy data, and presented tools & methodologies for compiling a reliable CO2/energy database. These include the CA’s ECORegion Tool and ICLEI's basic GHG inventory spreadsheet. The methodology explored was the International Local Government Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis Protocol.
An additional CO2 monitoring training workshop will be organised in Rome in November (tbc). Please register your interest with us – l.blondel@climatealliance.org. Feel free to contact  our project GHG experts: Miguel Morcillo (m.morcillo@climatealliance.org) and Ian Shearer (ian.shearer@iclei.org) for more information.

• Staff Trainee Workshop & COE-COL twin partnerships

The learning communities have the opportunity to gain direct experience from their advanced 'twin' city partner - throguh the “Staff Trainee Programmes”. This will be a 5-day  in-depth learning exchange between: Miskolc with Woking; Rosignano Marittimo with the Province of Siena; Burgas and Ludwigsburg with Munich, Comunita Montana with Bologna. It will entail the exchange of information and know-how, addressing capacity development needs on issues identified during the project. Climate Alliance is coordinating this work. 

Focus on... Ludwigsburg

The City of Ludwigsburg developed in cooperation with the University of Stuttgart an energy- and climate protection concept for the whole city. This will be the base of Ludwigsburg’s “Local Energy Action Plan” in the context of the Sustainable NOW project. 
At the “Zukunftskonferenz Energie” interested citizens discussed about five topics: renewable energies, electricity, mobility, comprehensive measures and heating. The conference took place on the 9th  and 10th of July in the municipal film and media centre of Ludwigsburg.

The catalogue of measures was developed by the urban administration based on the city development concept “Chances for Ludwigsburg” and served as a base for the citizen’s discussion. The five topics are subdivided in several measures, e.g. the theme comprehensive measures is subdivided in the measures public relations, energy and school, Energetikom, co-operations, hybrid financial instruments, reaction on climate change and further education of experts. The catalogue of the five topics was discussed by about 70 participants from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm and 9:30 am to 2:00 am! A lot of different people took part in the conference, such as interested citizens, engineers, teachers and even two pupils from the 10th grade. This formation generated a lot of interesting and efficient discussions and proposals.
The concept is to serve also as a road map for the implementation of climate protection, sustainable energy-use, security of energy supplies and creation of value in Ludwigsburg.
In autumn 2010 the catalogue of measures will be discussed and concluded in the city council. The next step will be the start of implementation of the selected measures...

Outlook healthy for renewables according to Global Status Report
Global investment in renewables topped non-renewables for the second consecutive year in 2009, according to newly-released Global Status Report from REN21. The report also states that more new power capacity came from renewable sources than from fossil fuels in the USA and Europe during the same period.
According to REN21, almost 80 GW of renewable capacity was added worldwide, 37 GW of that in world-leader China. Despite the economic downturn, it seems as if investment in green energy grew and this trend carried on through to the start of 2010, which seen first quarter rise of over 50 percent on the same period a year before.
Worldwide, an estimated 3 million people are employed in renewable energies industries. With assistance from ICLEI, 180 cities and local governments were studied as part of the report and receive special praise for their willingness to establish future targets. REN21 are a renewable energy policy network.For further information, click here.

Focus on... Rosignano Marittimo

Energy education and PV installation in schools
Rosignano Marittimo has installed PV panels on seven of its schools. The total installed power of the plans is 102 kW, for an estimated production of 126.080 kWh, covering 44% of their total energy needs. With this action the municipality contributes to reducing 95 tons of CO2 emissions, saves 25 TEP per year, avoids 177 kg per year of SO2 and 240 kg per year of NOx. A special display located at the entrance of the schools show relevant data: installed power in Kw, produced energy in kWh, CO2 saved. This is a very useful tool for informing students and getting them interested in the topic of sustainable energy. Several activities were organised in these schools, placing the student in the center stage. 

After receiving some lessons, students went around the school taking measures of temperatures and lighting in various rooms, using instruments such as digital thermometer and a light meter. They then issued a report to the Municipality asking for some improvements of the school building: the installation of equipment to regulate the heat in the rooms, installation of double glazed windows, etc. Students also started an awareness-raising campaign at the school to inform ways to reduce energy consumption. At the end of the project some Info Days were organised where students presented their results to the Municipality, the headmaster, parents and other students. The Energy Agency of the Province of Livorno (EALP) has been appointed to conduct these exercises.

LEAP development news
One of the most difficult phases of LEAP preparation is gathering data. Some companies do not easily share this information with other organizations, even if it is the Municipality. Nevertheless, in Rosignano Marittimo data gathering is almost completed, and so is the energy balance. As a further step, the CO2 emission inventory will be started. In order to have a more detailed perspective we are evaluating the CO2 emission inventory of both the Town and the Public Administration, so that it will be easier and more effective to plan the actions to be implemented.

City guidance session in January 2010 
On January 29th 2010 a workshop was organised at Rosignano Marittimo with the presence of many local stakeholders, the Mayor, the local authorities, the Energy Agency of Livorno Province, the Energy Manager of R.M. and ICLEI representatives. The aim of the workshop was to share with all interested parties the Municipality’s plan to develop and implement a Local Energy Action Plan for the territory. This workshop represented a very important step, as it allowed all local stakeholders (both public and private) to get together, present their positions and discuss on concrete cooperation approaches.

Know the real cost of what your city is buying
Procurement decision makers can now calculate the life-cycle costs and carbon dioxide emissions of different innovative products and services they are considering purchasing with the help of the new SMART SPP Tool. The Tool was launched earlier this year in Spanish, English, Portuguese and Danish, and since today is also available in German.

Calculating the life-cycle costs of products is not always a straight-forward process and this is why a step-by-step user guide was also developed by the SMART SPP project partners to accompany the tool and provide further support to cities and public authorities - the users.

For further information click here.

Italy installs more solar PV than the US

In a dramatic display of the power feed-in tariffs have in driving markets, Italy installed more solar photovoltaics (PV) in 2009 than the entire U.S. Moreover, within the first quarter of 2010, Italy's total installed solar PV capacity was expected to exceed that of the US. Italy installed 720 megawatts (MW) of solar PV in 2009, nearly all of that on rooftops. 

 Italy introduced a system of feed-in tariffs for solar PV in February, 2007 after concluding that the previous program of Tradable Green Certificates was not delivering the results desired. 
 By the end of 2007, Italy had installed five times more solar PV than in the previous year. Despite numerous bureaucratic roadblocks, the solar industry took off in 2008 and installed nearly 350 MW, then a record-breaking number. Solar PV installations have been doubling since then and are expected to reach 1,500 MW in 2010. 

To read the article click here. 

Car fumes raise spectre of 1980s revival nobody wants...acid rain

Nitrogen emissions from motor vehicles and agricultural fertilisers, are combining with rain to produce nitric acid, and are starting to replace the sulphuric acid resulting from power-station emissions as a major source of the environmental scourge of the 1970s and 1980s, according to American experts.

To read the article click here.

EUSEW 2010 highlights a strong European movement
With its 5th edition, the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) held from 22 to 26 March 2010 encompassed 86 events in Brussels and across Europe - brining together energy experts in vibrant dialogue.  The European energy community discussed important developments and trends, with financing, cities and the use of low-carbon technologies three key issues covered in a number of sessions.
During the opening the new Energy Commissioner, Günther H. Oettinger, focused on the vast potential for renewable energy and energy efficient technologies – an attractive investment, especially when considering that Europe needs to replace about half its power generation capacity by 2030. “We have the technology, we have the organisational capacity, we have the finance”, said Claude Turmes, Member of European Parliament, who stressed the political nature of existing barriers. Despite the clear 20-20-20 EU targets, is political will to act still lacking? How can more widespread motivation and active engagement be stimulated?
Many speakers and experts have stressed the role of cities in this context, viewing them as catalysts to bring about a quicker transition to RES and EE implementation across Europe. The vital role of the Covenant of Mayors (CoM), as a major city initiative, supports local climate and energy action. A number of organisations and local government networks, many of which are Supporting Structures to the CoM, shared their approaches in providing guidance and expertise to local governments.
The Sustainable NOW project workshop “Guiding cities towards an effective, integrated Local Energy Action Plan (LEAP)”, was one of a number of interesting sessions hosted by local government networks. In a room filled to capacity, eight communities shared their enthusiasm and developments in planning and implementing local sustainable energy solutions. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability presented the integrated management approach as a basis for Local ENERGY Action Plan (LEAP) development, with Climate Alliance sharing highlights of the capacity development activities in the project such as study tours, staff exchanges and expert workshops on financing.
“A sustainable energy week should not happen just once a year, but 52 times”, said Miguel Sebastián, Spanish Minister for Industry, Tourism and Trade, addressing the daily relevance of sustainable energy. Efforts from all stakeholders should merge to achieve a sustainable energy society, in particular the dialogue between the local and national level needs to be intensified to further unfold potential. The roles of local governments and their contribution to achieving national and European climate and energy targets are addressed through the project LG Action (www.lg-action.eu), exploring needs, challenges and replicable experiences that can support achieving a sustainable energy future sooner rather than later.

Europe's path to 40 percent emissions cuts

The EU could double its 2020 target for cutting greenhouse gases.  Cutting emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 90 percent below by 2050 would be possible with radical changes to European lifestyles.

To read the article click here.

Solar panel costs 'set to fall'

The cost of installing and owning solar panels will fall even faster than expected according to new research.
Tests show that 90% of existing solar panels last for 30 years, instead of the predicted 20 years.

To read the article click here.

The second Sustainable NOW e-newsletter has been published today. A pdf copy [257 kb] can be downloaded here.

Towards Sustainable European Infrastructures, EEAC Statement

19 Councils from 11 countries, all established by their governments to give expert advice on environment and sustainable development issues, endorsed a statement on sustainable European infrastructures. The EU will need a new more integrated and strategic approach in planning for electricity, transport and green infrastructure networks, in the view of its long term decarbonisation, biodiversity and sustainable development targets. The Councils therefore call for a review of the conventional "predict and provide" approach. A key challenge will be to establish a Transeuropean long-distance grid for renewable electricity based on sustainability principles. 

Download the statement of the 19 Environment and Sustainable Development Councils from 11 European countries here.

Event announcement

Invitation to join an exclusive 1.5 day long expert workshop on the topic ‘Developing new carbon neutral districts’ in Copenhagen (Denmark), 19 – 20 November 2009.

Find the invitation here.

Find the final programme here.

Event Announcement:

Solar Summits Freiburg - International Conference on Renewable and Efficient Use. Subject:Solar Buildings14 - 16 October 2009, Freiburg (Germany)

For further information, click here.

Event Announcement:

Open Days - European Week of Regions and Cities Global Challenges, European Responses

5 - 8 October 2009, Brussels (Belgium)

For further information, click here.

Event Announcement:

6th European Conference on Green Power Marketing 2009 - The future of green powers - Achieving an energy revolution in challenging times

1 - 2 October 2009, Geneva (Switzerland)

For further information, click here.

The Sustainable NOW Project leaflet as well as the 1st E-newsletter are now available for download in all five project languages here.

Covenant of Mayors - Sustainable Energy Action Plan Template now on-online

On 9 July 2009, the Covenant of Mayors Office released a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) template, which was developed together with the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.

The Local Energy Action Plans (LEAPs), which will be developed within the Sustainable NOW project, will use these SEAP templates as reference.

Download the documents here:

SEAP template

SEAP instructions

More information on the Covenant of Mayors: www.eumayors.eu.

The first Sustainable NOW e-newsletter has been published today. A pdf copy [302 kb] can be downloaded here.

The Sustainable NOW project leaflet is now available for download here.