Twelve projects shortlisted for EU Sustainable Energy Awards 2017

The nominees have been selected from a pool of applicants across Europe, each project demonstrating initiatives to support the transition to clean, secure, efficient energy. The top award recipients will be chosen in each of the four jury-assessed categories – Consumers, Public Sector, Businesses and, new this year, Energy Islands. A fifth award, Citizens’ Award, will be chosen by a public online vote. A panel of experts will be reviewing the nominated projects and selecting the winners to be announced on day one of the EUSEW 2017 Policy Conference.

This year’s EU Sustainable Energy Award finalists are:

Consumers category

1. Codema (Ireland) – Dublin’s Energy Agency, Codema, has developed an Energy Saving Kit – a set of tools the public can borrow from Dublin’s libraries to find potential energy savings in their homes;
2. Topten (France) – This multi-country web portal guides consumers to energy-efficient appliances, gives energy saving tips, and enables policy support, production and retail of greener goods;
3. Municipality of Santorso (Italy) – Volunteer citizens run a local-authority backed help desk to advise other residents on energy saving and solar panels, and to support group buying for more affordable energy technologies.

Public Sector category

1. Bucharest Sector 1 (Romania) –  This local authority is making hundreds of buildings more energy-efficient, by insulating apartment blocks, improving public buildings and installing renewable-friendly heating systems;
2. Diputació de Girona (Spain) – The Beenergi programme supports 70 municipalities to save energy through buildings insulation and more efficient street lighting, and helps SMEs develop green local industries;
3. Göteborg Energi AB (Sweden) – This company represents the CELSIUS network, in which over 50 towns and cities across Europe help each other develop sustainable, efficient district heating and cooling.

Businesses category

1. Eandis (Belgium) – This pilot project is testing smart technologies that integrate wind energy into the grid more smoothly, manage networks more efficiently and better match production and demand;
2. Sonae Sierra (Portugal) – In its Bright programme this property company is making its shopping centres significantly more energy-efficient, through energy audits with support for and monitoring of changes.
3. Trebišovská energetická s.r.o. (Slovakia) – A biomass boiler and heat distribution system has been developed outside the city centre in this company’s SINBIO project, for low-CO₂heat that recycles agricultural waste and creates jobs.

Energy Islands category

1. Bornholms Energi & Forsyning (Denmark) – Bornholm is home to 40 000 people and is on track to be carbon-neutral by 2025, now relying 100% on renewable power and switching to zero-carbon transport.
2. Piraeus University of Applied Sciences (Greece) – Greece’s first hybrid renewable energy storage (RES) battery has been installed on the remote island of Tilos, reducing its reliance on oil-based energy imports and providing back-up during power cuts.
3. European Small Islands Federation (Finland) – Renewables power two energy-intensive businesses and soon the ferry for Simskäla’s 35 permanent residents, making the island economically and environmentally sustainable.

EU Sustainable Energy Week

The European Sustainable Energy Week is a yearly series of activities to build a secure energy future for Europe. It includes the EUSEW Policy Conference, Networking Village, the EU Sustainable Energy Awards and Energy Days.  Launched in 2006, it is organised by the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) in close cooperation with Directorate-General for Energy. It brings together public authorities, private companies, NGOs and consumers to promote initiatives to save energy and move towards renewables for clean, secure and efficient power.

The Policy Conference brings together representatives from the European Commission, public authorities, energy agencies, industry associations, businesses, civil society organisations and the media to discuss new policy developments, initiatives and ideas on sustainable energy. This year’s theme is Clean Energy for all Europeans, following the European Commission’s November proposals to facilitate the move towards the Energy Union.