PANEL2050

PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW ENERGY LEADERSHIP 2050

(Partnership for New Energy Leadership 2050)

The EU has set itself the target of reducing emissions by 80 % to 95 % compared to 1990 and to stimulate the economy, create new jobs and strengthen European competitiveness through high energy efficiency and a low-carbon economy. For the EU to successfully achieve this target, the public sector at local and national level must develop locally tailored energy policies and plans with strong participation of local stakeholders, including private sector energy production, renewable energy production and representatives of the general public, focusing on renewable energy production and stakeholder participation in the field of energy efficiency. The project will focus on the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which are still lagging behind the EU average in this area.

The countries of Central and Eastern Europe face similar energy policy challenges in the areas of renewable energy production and energy efficiency. Some of these challenges are:

1. low priorities for sustainable development
2. low capacity for energy management at the local level
3. lack of cooperation in jointly addressing challenges

In order to address these challenges in Central and Eastern European countries, the PANEL2050 project was developed, which aims to develop the capacity and coordinate “forerunners” whose task will be to connect and encourage relevant local stakeholders, from different regions of Central and Eastern European countries, to be involved in a sustainable energy network, of course with the participation of the LEA Spodnje Podravje. Although these energy networks will differ in composition at the local level (depending on the country/region), together they will develop unique local energy policies common to Central and Eastern European countries.

Objective of the PANEL2050 project

The main objective of the PANEL 2050 project is to establish long-term sustainable energy networks at the local (municipal/community) level, in which relevant influential stakeholders will participate, with the aim of creating local energy visions, strategies and action plans for the transition to low-carbon communities by 2050. In the past, interested stakeholders have rarely been involved in the development and preparation of local policies in the field of sustainable energy development. The PANEL 2050 project will establish sustainable stakeholder involvement in the formulation of these policies by establishing energy networks, namely:

• Identification and support for local energy leaders - forerunners, who will be able to take on the role of leading the development and implementation of local energy plans, spread the idea to other municipalities/communities and will maintain the local energy network in the long term, of course with the support of appropriate organizations, in our case LEA Spodnje Podravje.
• Help establish a local network of stakeholders who will develop a shared and widely supported vision and policy for a low-carbon community by 2050.
• Develop a new joint local sustainable energy strategy.
• To exchange and consolidate the concept of a network of local stakeholders through cooperation with other local communities, regions, countries and public European bodies, e.g. in Slovenia with the municipalities of Spodnje Podravje and beyond.

The project involves 13 partners from 11 countries (Estonia, Czech Republic, Austria, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, Poland and Slovenia).

• Tender type: Horizon 2020 (H2020 Energy)
• Project duration: 36 months, starting in March 2016.
• Project value: EUR 1.79 million