ALLIES
Energy efficiency is the most economical and environmentally sound solution for Europe’s energy needs, but the exploitation of its full potential is hampered by transaction costs and its less tangible nature relative to the more visible options on the energy supply side. The ALLIES project aims to activate more investment in cost-effective energy efficiency by reducing the transaction costs and making the benefits more tangible through a local approach that involves citizens as investors and contributes to the performance of local businesses and public facilities. These investments should generate steady returns and, more importantly, provide citizens with the tools to improve local economic and environmental sustainability via an entrepreneurial approach.
The project acronym ALLIES stands for Activating and Learning from Local Investment in Energy Savings, in Poland another name has been adopted “PARTNER”. The mechanisms to be established through the project are intended to focus on investments at the local level that are refinanced through the generated energy cost savings. The capital for these investments is intended to at least partially be contributed by the local community, for whom the investments should provide both worthwhile financial returns and an opportunity to contribute to local economic and environmental sustainability. The decidedly local approach of the investment mechanisms is also intended to reduce transaction costs and thus improve the viability of energy efficiency investments in medium-sized and smaller facilities, be they private or public. Nonetheless, the experiences gained from these local pilot projects will be shared among the fellow pilot communities across six European countries, thus facilitating the exchange of best practices. It is intended that the investment mechanisms established in the pilot locations become financially and organizationally self-sustaining by the end of the project period and provide models for wider implementation among localities across the European Union.
The objective of the ALLIES project is to establish and learn from local energy efficiency investment mechanisms in three pilot locations situated in Germany, Hungary and Poland.
The pilot projects thus initiated in chosen localities will include a strong component of continuous learning, exchange of experiences, and dissemination of results, so as to foster enduring energy efficiency business models that continue to provide local benefits but can also serve as examples for similar efforts across Europe. This project is financed by
Short information about the project (leaflet).
More info: www.allies-project.eu
If you would like to join project’s team or share your ideas contact FEWE’s team at:
- Szymon Liszka, s.liszka@fewe.pl, tel. +48 603 621 333
- Jan Twardowski, j.twardowski@fewe.pl, tel. +48 32 203 51 14