The energy transition is going local. Citizens and stakeholders are organising European Union Energy Days throughout the month of June to activate the transition to secure, clean and efficient energy. The events are held in Europe and beyond as part of European Commission’s initiative EU Sustainable Energy Week (Eusew), which first took place in 2006. There will be presentations, workshops, conferences, tours, displays and other activities to spread the word about energy efficiency and renewables, organizers said.
Over 30 gatherings are planned for Brussels alone around the Eusew Policy Conference and Sustainable Energy Awards. The three-day conference will start on June 14 to debate policy developments, best practices, initiatives and ideas concerning sustainable energy, with a focus on the power of consumers and citizens. The Sustainable Energy Awards for outstanding innovation in energy efficiency and renewables take place on day one. Winners will be chosen from a shortlist of nine of the year’s most successful projects for clean, secure and efficient energy, with prizes from an expert jury in three categories (consumers, public sector, businesses) and a further prize from European citizens through a public vote.
“Consumers are being empowered by European Union’s actions to reduce energy poverty and vulnerability, to develop an energy market that boosts competition, to protect citizens’ personal energy consumption data and to support citizens to engage directly in energy markets as prosumers – producing energy as well as consuming it. This year, citizens and local authorities are invited to take the lead in promoting renewables. Now going from strength to strength, this sector is breaking through early consumer resistance, so that a wider public can access its opportunities,” the press release said. By helping consumers learn more about renewables and invest in the next generation of clean energy, citizens and public bodies can create value in a growing sector, spread development risks and rewards more evenly, and allow consumers to get involved directly in sourcing their energy from renewables, organizers noted.
The Diamond Solar Cooking Show is a public tutorial scheduled to be held in Limassol, Cyprus, with a chance to try the results and a children’s solar cooker workshop. HalfScreen Day is a month-long campaign across Luxembourg to persuade computer users to switch off that second screen to save energy. E-Drive Day will be organized at the H2 research centre in South Tyrol, Italy, where the public can learn about hydrogen production and test different electric vehicles. Event ‘Discover Molenbeek through its Sustainable Buildings’ is a guided tour of the Brussels municipality, showcasing its sustainable solutions to citizens’ needs.
Energy Poverty in South-East Europe, a high-level stakeholder debate in Brussels on measures to face the region’s challenge, will be organized by the Reach project. Discover Energy Days can be discovered on the Energy Week map.
The deadline for registrations for other events is May 31. Organised by private citizens, consumer associations, public bodies, city networks, energy agencies, trade and industry organizations, businesses and NGOs, Energy Days promote the transition to Europe’s sustainable energy future, according to the announcement. They are targeted at diverse audiences, from families interested in saving energy to industries keen to green their technology.
