Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development
Energy: project to measure energy efficiency at territorial level takes off
Measuring energy efficiency and sustainability of regions and cities using a tool assessing the impact and adequacy of the measures implemented by administrators and citizens to reduce dependence on fossil fuels is the objective of SEED MICAT[1], the 1.5 million euro three-year European project comprising eight partners[2] from six EU countries[3], including ENEA, ISINNOVA and RSE for Italy.
ENEA will test the tool analysing data from the Metropolitan City of Milan and the Regional Energy Plan of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, currently under review with the technical support of the Agency.
The evaluation will be conducted on a considerable database and taking into consideration the effects of the measures on three different areas: social (health benefits and reduction of energy poverty); environmental (energy saving and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions); economic (positive impact on economic growth, employment, innovation and competitiveness). At the end, scenario analyses will be formulated by the researchers, highlighting the areas for improvement. ENEA will also be involved in training of local administrations for the application of the tool.
“The tool could become a valid instrument for local administrators to evaluate the effects of the energy efficiency actions undertaken, not only from a technical point of view but especially from an economic and social point of view”, explained Salvatore Tamburrino of the ENEA Division of Integrated Services for Territorial Development and ENEA contact person for the project. “It will also help policy makers make more informed decisions about energy efficiency policies and investments in order to facilitate the adoption of legislation and actions to optimize energy consumption for greater sustainability. ” he concluded.
The results of the pilot study will be replicated in other regions and cities in Italy and the European Union.
Notes
[1] Support Energy Efficiency Deployment with the Multiple Impacts CAlculation Tool
[2] Other partners of the project: Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (coordinatore), Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy (IEECP), Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH (WI), E3-Modelling S.A. (E3M), International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), SEVEn, The Energy Efficiency Center, z.ú. (SEVEn)
[3] Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Czech Republic