Nine EU projects shortlisted for Sustainable Energy Awards 2015

BRUSSELS – Nine nominees have been announced for the Sustainable Energy Awards 2015 which reward the most innovative EU projects on sustainable energy. The winners will be unveiled on 16 June by Climate Action & Energy Commissioner, Miguel Arias Cañete, and the Chairman of the European Parliament's Industry Committee, Jerzy Buzek, as part of the 2015 EU sustainable energy week: the premier event dedicated to energy and climate goals, this year focusing on the role of responsible consumers in the new Energy Union.

The nine projects fall under three categories: Renewable energy, Energy efficiency, and Cities, communities and regions.

Renewable energy

1. The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (Poland): Support for solar thermal collector installations for household owners and residential communities.
2. The Cooperative Energy Hub (UK): Responsible business approach to the energy market, providing low-carbon, community-generated energy to customers.
3. Women in Europe for a Common Future (Germany), Switch to the Sun – Live in Comfort!: Building local capacity for domestic solar heating, hot water and insulation for rural and remote areas in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus Region.

Energy efficiency

1. The Magyar Innováció és Hatékonyság Nonprofit Kft, Virtuális Erőmű Programme (Hungary): Virtual Power Plant designed to compile, organise, quantify and publish the energy efficiency achievements of the companies enrolled in it.
2. Cité Régionale de l’Environement d’Ile-de-France (France), Energies POSIT'IF: Public-private-partnership that has helped remove financial and bureaucratic barriers holding back the renovation of existing residential buildings.
3. Austrian Energy Agency (Austria): ecoGator: Smartphone app that scans a product’s EU energy label to calculate its annual electricity consumption and the cost of that in euros.

Cities, communities and regions

1. Gemeente Apeldoorn (the Netherlands), Loenen Energy Neutral: Energy-neutral village that can be replicated locally, regionally and across north-west Europe.
2. Reggio Emilia Municipality (Italy), BiciBus-PediBus: Volunteer programme helping children get to school in an environmentally friendly and safe way following predefined routes..
3. Consell Comarcal d'Osona (Spain), The Desendolla't Project: Training in the efficient management of energy resources in public education centres in this region of Spain.

Background

Now in its tenth year, the EU Sustainable Energy Week is the annual event for public authorities, energy agencies, private companies, NGOs and industry associations helping to meet the EU's energy and climate goals. It features activities dedicated to energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions across Europe. First launched by the European Commission in 2006, the event is organised with the support of the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME).

During the Conference, the Sustainable Energy Awards ceremony will recognise projects helping to achieve EU energy goals, while hundreds of Energy Days will take place across Europe throughout June. These public events promote secure, clean and efficient energy through exhibitions, workshops, educational events and more.

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