SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
JOINT ACTION PLAN
A Platform for Collaboration and Implementation of Sustainable Energy Projects
RES GENERATION
- From
Research
Infrastructure
2 Emissions
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SUSTAINABLE
ENERGY
JOINT ACTION
PLAN to Sustainable Energy and Reduction of COBack
1
Project Partners
The RESGen consortium brings together nine partners, from four different EU regions and countries. Each region is
represented by businesses, academic/research institutions and local/regional government bodies. The partners are:
Finland: Regional Council of
Spain: Tecnalia, Ente Vasco de la
Hungary: NORRIA - North Hungarian
United Kingdom: Cornwall Development
Ostrobothnia, University of Vaasa -
Energía and Cluster de Energía del
Regional Innovation Agency Non-profit
Company (CDC)
Vaasa Energy Institute, Oy Merinova Ab.
País Vasco.
Corporation and Károly Róbert College.
RESGen is supported by the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme (Regions of Knowledge)
Photo credits: Heikki Mahlamäki (P2 & P10), Kensa Engineering (P21), Regen SW (P23), Miller Pattison (P20) and Wave Hub (P24, P25)
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
04
Introduction
07
Background to the Joint Action Plan
12
Joint Action Plan
13
- Smart Grids
14
- Regional Sustainable Energy Management
16
- Wind Energy
18
- Energy Efficiency
20
- Green Public Procurement
22
- Marine Energy
24
- Energy Technology Cluster Cooperation
26
Taking Steps towards Successful Implementation
27
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
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Executive Summary
The Sustainable Energy Joint Action Plan (JAP)
to 2020 defines the agreed steps for future
collaboration between the four RESGen partner
regions of Basque Country (Spain), Ostrobothnia
(Finland), Cornwall (UK) and Northern Hungary
(Hungary). This action plan aims to drive economic
development through sustainable energy research
and technological development.
In taking collaborative action to strengthen mutual
regional economic structures with a high RTD
absorption capacity and allowing actors and
stakeholders to exploit research, the RESGen
regions will take significant steps towards energy
self-sufficiency and CO2 reduction.
At the core of this plan is the desire to work across
the triple-helix to achieve sustainable energy
outcomes. It is strongly believed by the RESGen
partners that through engaging key stakeholders
from the research, private and public sectors,
regions can drive forward collaborative action to
achieve sustainable energy goals.
The JAP itself comprises of a series of individual
action plans to 2020 centred around seven
sustainable energy priority themes. Each of these
action plans aims to work across the triple helix
and involves two or more of the RESGen partner
regions. Key objectives, activities and indicative
sources of finance for implementation are identified
for each plan.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
The prioritised sustainable energy themes and
their associated objectives include:
Smart Grids
To support an increase in renewable energy supply,
the electricity network needs to be upgraded
to allow for the intermittent nature of renewable
energy sources and to enable two-way digital
communication between the supplier and the
consumer. Through the Smart Grid Action Plan,
RESGen regions will both widen and deepen
the collaboration that already exists between the
research clusters in Cornwall, Basque Country,
Ostrobothnia and Northern Hungary.
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Energy Efficiency
Wind Energy
The scope of the energy efficiency priority has
been limited to focus on the domestic and public
sectors. Both Cornwall and Northern Hungary
aim to work together through this action plan
to reduce energy consumption and limit energy
wastage within the regions through a collaborative
approach towards smart energy management. This
will be achieved by developing and implementing
new energy efficiency projects including forming
links with the Smart Grid Action Plan to develop
a ‘smart homes’ project. In addition a long term
strategy of cooperation and communication
between the two regions will allow sharing of
knowledge and best practice, support mentoring
and the development of new energy efficiency
policies and strategies.
Linking in with the Smart Grid Action Plan, this
priority theme focuses on encouraging and
supporting the establishment of community
wind energy schemes with the integration of
smart grid solutions. Community support of wind
power will be encouraged through innovative
financial mechanisms which will offer incentives
to help facilitate the planning stages of wind
energy projects. This will be achieved through a
collaborative approach between Ostrobothnia,
Basque Country and Cornwall to share knowledge
in relation to technological developments, business
models and innovative financial mechanisms,
through the support of new community based
developments and the identification of business
opportunities.
Green Public Procurement
Through Green Public Procurement (GPP) it is possible to direct the combined spending power of
Government across the EU Member States towards more sustainable products and services. It can also lead
to innovative solutions by encouraging the public sector to support the development of more sustainable
technologies. The key objective of this action plan is to increase the understanding of GPP policies in both
Cornwall and Northern Hungary and develop regional capacity through a collaborative approach.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
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Regional Sustainable
Energy Management
Energy Technology
Cluster Cooperation
A sustainable micro-region is a complex system
of sustainable supply networks with the use of
sustainable energy at its core. This action plan aims
to implement two pilot projects in Northern Hungary
and Ostrobothnia to support sustainable energy
management in the sustainable micro-region to 2020.
The key objective of this collaborative approach is to
define the relationships within the sustainable supply
networks and to prepare and implement the action
plans for the delivery of the two pilot initiatives
Both the Basque Country and the Ostrobothnia
regions have large energy technology clusters
comprising companies who are global technology
leaders in certain renewable energy product
segments. During the RESGen project, the
cooperation potential between the technology
clusters was identified.
Marine Energy
There is a strategic commitment to develop marine
energy in the regions of Basque Country and
Cornwall. This action plan will focus on wave energy
and offshore wind due to the promising resource
potential, technological & industrial capabilities and
a favourable political & regulatory framework.
The first phase of the cooperation will be
implemented in the REINA project - a joint cluster
cooperation project coordinated by the Basque
Government and involving the energy clusters
in the Basque Country, Ostrobothnia and Upper
Austria. The project facilitates the first cooperation
activities, such as company mapping and
positioning on the energy segment value chains,
as well as for the joint establishment in countries
outside the EU.
The objective of this action plan is to accelerate
marine energy in both regions by taking a
coordinated approach and addressing common
barriers, including those in relation to:
consenting, environment, safety, resource, grid
integration, technology & business feasibility and
social acceptance.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
In the development of the individual action plans
each priority theme was considered in relation to a
series of identified areas. This allowed for comparison
between the participating regions and supported the
identification of an appropriate set of actions.
The areas for comparison included:
•Policies and strategies (economy, innovation, entry
barriers, sustainable energy).
•Energy matters (consumption, supply, RES,
natural/climatic resources).
•Research (clusters, R&D intensity, R&D
employment, education & qualifications).
•Economic structures (regional income, dominant
actors, competitive fringe, sectoral specialisms,
labour force characteristics).
•Systematic communication between key actors
(organised communication within networks).
•Finance (pathways and instruments).
Collectively the RESGen partners have a wealth
of experience in implementing sustainable energy
measures relating to the priority themes and
through collaborative working it is hoped that
this knowledge can be transferred between the
participating regions.
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Introduction
RESGen brings together a partnership of nine
organisations representing four regions across the
EU. The RESGen Project aims to create realistic
grounds and practical tools for developing
regional energy self sufficiency, and potential
innovative regional research-driven clusters
across the EU.
This Joint Action Plan therefore aims to maximise
the impact of the knowledge sharing and mutual
learning for high quality research through the
identification of key linkages to the economic
sector, concentrating on existing strengths and
regional characteristics, and achieving a critical
mass in R&D activities.
The Sustainable Energy Joint Action Plan
contributes to this by providing a platform for the
collaboration and implementation of sustainable
energy projects. Partner regions have developed
critical links and synergies between the local RTD
research driven clusters through the delivery of the
RESGen project.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
The four RESGen regions are shown below and
include Cornwall, Northern Hungary, Ostrobothnia
and Basque Country. Each of these regions is
committed to working collaboratively, involving
actors from across the private, public and research
sectors, to support the advance towards energy
self-sufficiency.
The following pages provide a brief
background to the four RESGen regions.
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Cornwall, United Kingdom
Cornwall is a rural and maritime region with
approximately 700 km of coastline situated at
the far south-western peninsula of England.
With a total land area of 3606km2 and a population
of 532,200 (in 2010) Cornwall is a predominately
rural region containing a wide scatter of small
towns and villages. The dispersed population
reflects an economy that has been historically
dependent on farming, fishing and metalliferous
mining. Cornwall imports the vast majority of its
energy and has no major power stations but there
is increasing political support and investment in
renewable energy production, particularly wave
energy. The research infrastructure in Cornwall has
changed dramatically in recent years, primarily due
to European investment.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
As a result Cornwall’s education sector has
grown rapidly with the number of people studying
in Cornwall likely to exceed 7,500 by 2011.
Investment in research is already generating new
knowledge and new commercial opportunities
in the county. The organisation representing
Cornwall in the RESGen partnership is Cornwall
Development Company.
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Basque Country, Spain
The Basque Country is located in the north of
Spain by the Bay of Biscay, with a population
of 2.1 million inhabitants. The region is one
of the most important industrial areas in Spain,
with an economy largely based on industry,
namely in the metal and machinery sectors, with
SMEs predominant. The energy system is 95%
based in energy imports, with natural gas widely
available for the industry and the household
sectors. The energy sector in the Basque
Country includes around 350 companies with a
turnover of more than 15,000M€ and employs
approximately 25,000 workers. The annual R&D
expenditure is 185M€. The R&D energy policy,
“Energibasque”, was approved by the Basque
Government in December 2011 as a part of the
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
Science, Technology and Innovation Plan 2015.
The organisations representing Basque Country in
the RESGen partnership are the research centre
Tecnalia, the public regional energy agency Ente
Vasco de la Energía which belongs to the regional
Government and the association of enterprises
in the energy sector Cluster de Energía del
País Vasco.
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Ostrobothnia, Finland
Situated on the West Coast of Finland,
Ostrobothnia is an international and bilingual
region with a population of ca 180000 and the city
of Vaasa (ca 60000 inhabitants) as its centre. The
region consists mostly of rural areas with a network
of small towns along the coast. The employed labour
force can be divided into primary production 6.3%
(3.7% average Finland), Industry 32 % (23.9%) and
Services 60.7% (71.4%). Vaasa is the energy capital
of Finland, and the energy cluster in the region is
the largest in Scandinavia. It comprises over 100
enterprises, more than 10000 employees, and total
net sales of ca 7,000M@. The share of exports
is 70%. Over 800 employees work in R&D in the
enterprises and universities in the Vaasa region.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
At least half of these R&D employees are working with
Sustainable Energy. The organisations representing
Ostrobothnia in the RESGen partnership are Regional
Council of Ostrobothnia, University of Vaasa
-Vaasa Energy Institute and Oy Merinova Ab.
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Northern Hungary
The region has an important ecological
potential with 13 % of its territory classified
as national park, accounting for 22% of the
nation’s natural parks. The economy was largely
dominated by heavy industry in the past, most of
which was affected by the industrial restructuring
of the early 1990s. Miskolc, which is the third most
populous city of Hungary, is the most important
educational and science centre of the region. The
economy is dominated by the presence of SMEs
who employ most of the labour force. The strengths
of the region lie in its potential for natural resources,
its cultural heritage and the centres for education
and science. Regional weaknesses include high
unemployment which rose to 10.6% in 2006.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
Employment figures are also low with only 44.6% of
the population working either full-time or part-time.
The organisations representing Northern Hungary
in the RESGen partnership are NORRIA - North
Hungarian Regional Innovation Agency Nonprofit
Corporation and Károly Róbert College.
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Background to Joint Action Plan
The Sustainable Energy Joint Action Plan has
been developed around a small number of priority
themes which were identified based on existing
synergies between the RESGen partner regions.
The process of prioritisation was both interactive
and collaborative with potential areas of interest
identified and then rationalised through a
prioritisation exercise with partners working
together to agree a final list of joint collaborative
opportunities. The final list includes both
technological collaborative areas as well as areas
more oriented to policy development.
Once the priority themes were identified, a working
group was formed involving experts from across
the triple-helix within each of the participating
regions to begin drafting the individual action plans.
The primary focus of the plans was to support
research and technological development for each
of the priorities to contribute towards the wider
goal of sustainable energy production and regional
energy self-sufficiency.
The following table gives an overview of the priority
themes and shows which regions are involved in
each of the individual action plans.
Priority Theme
Participating Regions
Smart Grids
Basque Country,
Ostrobothnia, Cornwall and
Northern Hungary
This communication will be achieved using a
learning platform, in this case the RESGen website
www.resgen.eu. Among the seven selected priority
themes outlined above, three of them are in line with
the key EU technology challenges to meet the 2020
targets and to meet the 2050 vision defined in
the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan
(SET-Plan):
Regional Sustainable Ostrobothnia, and Northern
Energy Management Hungary
•Developing larger wind turbines;
Wind Energy
Ostrobothnia, Cornwall and
Basque Country
•Enabling a single, smart European electricity grid; and
Energy Efficiency
Northern Hungary and
Cornwall
Green Public
Procurement
Cornwall and Northern
Hungary
Marine Energy
Basque Country and Cornwall
Energy Technology
Cluster Cooperation
Basque Country and
Ostrobothnia
Where one or more of the RESGen regions are not
involved in a priority theme, the outcomes of the
individual action plan will still be communicated to
the full RESGen partnership as well as more widely
where the opportunity arises.
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•Achieving breakthroughs in enabling research for
energy efficiency.
Green public procurement, energy technology
cluster cooperation and regional sustainable energy
management are not a key priority in terms of RTD
at a European level, but on the other hand they
need to be developed further in order to help the
contribution of the regional and local authorities
to the European policies. With respect to marine
energy, it has been selected by two RESGen
clusters because of its large potential in their
respective regions.
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Joint Action Plan
- Smart Grids
14
- Regional Sustainable Energy Management
16
- Wind Energy
18
- Energy Efficiency
20
- Green Public Procurement
22
- Marine Energy
24
- Energy Technology Cluster Cooperation
26
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
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Smart Grids
Smart Grids are expected to play a big role in
tackling one of the most critical challenges in
Europe; the challenge of ensuring the efficient
and sustainable use of natural resources.
Smart grids allow two-way digital communication
between suppliers and consumers by incorporating
intelligent metering and monitoring systems. It
has been said that without serious upgrading of
existing electricity grids and metering, renewable
energy generation will be put on hold, security of
the networks will be compromised, opportunities
for energy saving and energy efficiency will be
missed, and the internal energy market will develop
at a much slower pace.
The RESGen partner regions have joined forces
to take action on this critical challenge. This
action plan aims to reinforce the well established
collaboration between regional research driven
clusters in Ostrobothnia, Basque Country, North
Hungary and Cornwall with each of the regions
aiming to work together across the public, private
and research sectors to achieve the objectives and
actions outlined below.
Over the last decade over 5,500M@ have been
invested in Smart Grid projects. However, despite
the huge investments, Europe is still far from full
deployment of Smart Grids and in 2011 only
around 10% of households across the EU had
smart meters installed (JRC, 2011).
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
Objectives:
1)Set the basis for widening collaboration between
the four regions: To include new actors (i.e.
companies, research organisations) thought to be
essential to fully take advantage of the synergies
and complementarities between the regions.
2)Set the basis for deepening collaboration between
partner and other EU regions: develop new project
proposals in the identified common interest areas.
Expected impacts:
Develop new business and collaboration
opportunities for the regional companies and
research organisations in the field of smart grids.
Take advantage of the already identified synergies
and complementarities among the regions in
smart grids research, policy development, or
business opportunities.
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Smart Grids
Actions:
Establish a “Virtual pool of experts”
Bringing together regional smart grid experts from
the public, private and research sectors.
Activity: Set up a web based tool on the RESGen
webpage where experts in the smart grids field
can add their expertise and ideas for improved
understanding of identified common interest areas.
Estimated Cost: 5000@
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
Organise “match-making-meetings”
Targeted meetings where the representatives of the
local companies and research organisations can
meet and learn from each other’s activities.
Activity: Plan and organise at least one match
making event in 2012.
Estimated Cost: 15,000@
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
Develop new project proposals
In the first instance this will focus on
preparing proposals for three FP7 calls (FP7ENERGY-2012-1, Topic ENERGY.2012.7.1.3;
FP7-ENERGY-2012-1, Topic ENERGY.2012.7.1.2;
REGIONS-2012-2013-1).
Activity: Participate actively on new proposal
drafting; Search for new potential partners within
RESGen regions and from elsewhere.
Estimated Cost: Varying
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
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Monitor progress towards objectives
Activity: Organise six meetings (via Skype) to
monitor progress towards objectives; Organise
one feed-back meeting (via Skype) in December
2012 to analyse the experience so far, plan future
activities for 2013.
Estimated Cost: Varying
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
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Regional Sustainable Energy Management
A sustainable micro-region is a complex
system of sustainable supply networks with the
use of sustainable energy at its core.
This action plan aims to implement two pilot
projects in Northern Hungary and Ostrobothnia to
support sustainable energy management in the
sustainable micro-region until 2020.
In order to link renewable energy sources,
three key issues have been identified. These
are strategic research and innovation agendas;
decentralised sustainable energy solutions; and
regional innovation. The participating regions aim
to investigate the tasks of the regional sustainable
energy mix: the necessary product and process
innovations to it, the possibilities of a successful
business (market) model and value chain (system)
and the supporting tools for the stakeholders
(partners). When considering how to fit sustainable
energy management into regional development,
actors need to realise that it is a tool in serving
the sustainable life of a community and not the
purpose. It must therefore be fitted into this wider
context otherwise the focus will be solely on the
technical and organisational questions instead of
the social, environmental and economical ones.
A model of the sustainable micro-region of
‘Gyongyos’ has been elaborated and tested.
This model has five pillars: sustainable community;
sustainable local community; sustainable
infrastructure; sustainable public services;
sustainable natural environment.
The sustainable energy management must be fitted
within this frame and must be in harmony with all
of the projects targeting the establishment of a
micro-region.
Objectives:
1)Define relationships amongst the subsystems in the
micro-region.
2)Prepare action plans for the sustainable
pilot-programs in the selected micro-regions.
to the successful implementation of the
pilot-programs.
4)Establish a program management team responsible
for leading and operating the pilot programs based
on regional experts.
5)Monitor the implementation and advisory activities.
Expected impacts
1)Increased regional economic growth and
competitiveness through the definition of
joint strategies.
2)Improved response to the needs of regional
business communities.
3)Mobilisation of local, national and community
funds to implement defined regional action plans in
support of regional economic development.
4)Increased, and more effective investment in R&D
at a regional level, more regions in the European
Energy Research Alliance (ERA).
3)Define the social, economic, financial and
organisational background considered necessary
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
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Regional Sustainable Energy Management
Actions
Mentoring activities (preparation)
To build capacity and define a new action plan for
setting up a regional research driven cluster.
Activity: Select local teams; discuss and finalise
method; define regional sustainability visions
for 2020.
Estimated Cost: 15,500@
Source of Finance: Public
Dissemination activities among regional
economic actors
Activity: Develop a variety of publicity mediums
including a website, leaflet (English / Finnish /
Hungarian), and press releases. Organise and hold
conferences and EU-wide events.
Estimated Cost: 76,000@
Source of Finance: Public / Private
International cooperation activities
Activity: Develop a sustainability strategy to 2020
and supporting action plan.
Estimated Cost: 74,000@
Source of Finance: Public
Measures to support implementation
Activity: Elaborate on the regional activity plan to
2020; Organisation development; Financial
sources timing.
Estimated Cost: 21,500@
Source of Finance: Public / Private
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Wind Energy
Wind energy is becoming increasingly
competitive as a result of new technical
solutions, increased turbine size and higher
hub height, which have lowered the investment
cost along with rising electricity prices.
However, there are still some issues which need to
be resolved to increase wind energy deployment,
the key one being in gaining the support of local
inhabitants. Experiences from many countries
have shown that the best way to gain this local
commitment is through offering financial incentives.
Through collaboration regions can study and
develop different ways of gaining the involvement
and acceptance of the local community through
different kinds of shared ownership structures
involving local inhabitants and actors.
This action plan aims to investigate both
community initiatives and the use of smart grids
as a way to optimise the link between energy
production and consumption. Participant regions
will be supported in the establishment of wind
energy based smart grid solutions.
Objectives:
1)Shared information, mentoring and dissemination:
4)Technology Development:
a)Wind energy smart grid solutions for
isolated communities;
Form links between key research institutions
to facilitate the sharing of research findings in
the fields of wind energy, smart grids and the
development of community owned renewable
energy initiatives.
b)Wind energy business models both for energy
production, construction and maintenance;
c)Community owned wind power: financial models
and methods to gain local support for wind
power establishments.
Expected impacts
2)Regional development:
1)Community benefits of cheaper electricity.
a)Support establishment of new wind energy based
smart grids;
2)New regional economic opportunities and a
‘green’ image.
b)Support new community/co-operative owned wind
energy production enterprises as part of a smart
grid solution;
3)Development of a technology testing site, including
showcasing smart grid technology, increased
public acceptance of wind developments and the
trialing of new financial mechanisms.
c)Gain commitment and acceptance for wind
energy amongst local communities through shared
ownership schemes.
3)Business models and opportunities:
4)Research into integrated smart grid solutions,
knowledge of different ownership structures and
identification of new research lines.
Promote new wind energy production businesses
and support other business opportunities across
the supply chain.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
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Wind Energy
Actions:
Sharing information, mentoring and dissemination
Activity: Establish a virtual pool of expertise;
undertake study visits and personnel exchange;
produce a manual to outline best practice.
Estimated Cost: 5000@ per partner to establish
virtual pool
Source of Finance: Participating partners and
regional funds
Regional Development: Facilitating access to
funding for RTD and innovation
Activities: Develop project proposals to support
the use of smart grids in community initiatives,
share knowledge of community initiatives and
innovative financial models.
Estimated Cost: 15,000@ per region
Source of Finance: Participating partners and
regional funds
Business Models and Opportunities
Activities: Develop a business network to share
knowledge and learning across the triple helix,
identify key barriers to new wind developments
and growth in the supply chain, identify financial
pathways to support businesses in developing
community renewable schemes.
Estimated Cost: 5,000@ per partner to establish
network
Source of Finance: Regional funds and company
funding (to be requested)
Technology Development
Activities: Identify and share knowledge of relevant
RTD projects, exchange of research personnel,
improve access to SME and innovation
support services.
Estimated Cost: 10,000@ per partner
Source of Finance: Regional funds and company
funding (to be requested)
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
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Energy Efficiency
The scope of this priority theme is very
broad and it has therefore been necessary to
concentrate on energy efficiency in homes
and the public sector for the purposes of this
action plan. Both of these sectors are responsible
for a significant proportion of carbon emissions in
Cornwall and Northern Hungary. Reducing energy
consumption and eliminating energy wastage are
among the key goals of the EU. This agenda is
gathering pace due to recent legislation at both an
EU and National level. This includes the UK’s Carbon
Budgets, Carbon Reduction Commitment and
imminent introduction of the Green Deal. Hungary
has also introduced the Energy Efficiency Directive
and the National Energy Strategy. In addition, there is
strengthening support for energy efficiency measures
to increase competitiveness adding to its strategic
importance.
There is significant potential for reducing energy
consumption for a relatively low cost through
implementing large scale energy efficiency schemes.
These kinds of programmes combined with
behavioural change and the use of smart meter
technology could lead to large reductions in carbon
emissions at the regional level.
Objective:
To develop understanding and implement smart
energy management at the regional level through:
1) Planning, developing and implementing projects at
the European, national and regional level, including
a ‘smart homes’ project. Please see the Smart
Grids Action Plan for further information.
2) Long-term strategy of cooperation/communication
to share best practice and innovative schemes
through the establishment of an international
expertise pool to facilitate a permanent dialogue.
3)Mentoring between regions using virtual technology
and participation in study visits to share best
practice.
4) Develop and share regional policies and strategies
to promote and action energy efficiency measures.
Expected impacts:
1)Consumers better equipped to control
energy consumption.
2)Reduced energy costs for public sector through
more efficient buildings, products and services.
3)Regional economic growth and competitiveness
through the definition of joint strategies.
4)Response to the needs of regional
business communities.
5)Mobilisation of local, national and community
funds (including Structural Funds) to implement
defined regional action plans in support of regional
economic development.
6)Increase in, and more effective investment in R&D
at a regional level; more regions in the European
Energy Research Alliance (ERA).
5) Develop and share innovative finance pathways
and instruments to support the roll-out of energy
efficiency programmes, with a particular focus on
community programmes.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
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Energy Efficiency
Actions:
Develop an international pool of expertise to
share knowledge and increase competence
Activity: Set up a password protected database.
Estimated Cost: 3,000@
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
Disseminate outcomes of local projects and
local agendas
Activity: Produce and disseminate e-newsletters.
Estimated Cost: 1,000@ per partner per quarter
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
Transfer of knowledge relating to available
tools and best available technology
Activity: On-line video conferences, a shared
server space to share documents.
Estimated Cost: 1,500@
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
Raise awareness amongst stakeholders
and consumers
Activity: Deliver joint presentations at international
professional conferences, hold online national and
international workshops.
Estimated Cost: 3,000@ per partner annually
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
Share information on financial mechanisms and
the roll out of large domestic insulation schemes
Activity: Online video conferences on domestic
insulation programmes, and active mentoring of
less experienced regions.
Estimated Cost: 1,000@
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
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Facilitate access to EU funds to plan, develop
and implement projects
Activity: Target programmes are FP7-Energy, RoK,
CIP-IEE, and NER300.
Estimated Cost: 500@ per partner per month
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
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Green Public Procurement
Green Public Procurement (GPP) can be
defined as “an initiative where environmental
considerations are taken into account within the
procurement process.”
Through GPP it becomes possible to direct the
combined spending power of government across
the EU members toward more sustainable products
and services. The public sector has a very large
spending power with public authorities across
the EU collectively spending around 16% of the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Through GPP
this expenditure can be used to encourage the
development of greener products and reduce
environmental impact. GPP is also seen as a key
mechanism for driving the Europe 2020 Strategy
which aims to achieve smart, sustainable, inclusive
growth.
Objective:
Increase understanding and implementation of
Green Public Procurement policies and develop
regional capacity by:
1)Sharing experience of developing and implementing
green public procurement policies and practices.
2)Sharing and joint development of information
and training resources to support green
public procurement.
3) Developing a long-term strategy of cooperation/
communication, e.g. establishment of “Virtual pool
of expertise in Green Public Procurement or a
virtual network”.
Expected impacts:
1)Develop further collaboration between European
regions in the area of Green Public Procurement.
2)Establish links and share learning between
European regions to raise awareness across
the triple helix about the need to provide lowcarbon products and services to public sector
organisations.
3)Encourage large organisations to use their
spending power to drive low carbon requirements
through the supply chain.
4)Encourage businesses to reduce their carbon
impact and ‘de-carbonise’ the supply chain.
4)Identifying finance pathways and instruments to
support ongoing interregional cooperation.
GPP can also drive the development of innovative
solutions through a combination with Public
Procurement of Innovation, thereby encouraging and
supporting the private sector in the development
of sustainable technologies to compete in the
expanding global market for low-carbon and
resource-efficient goods and services.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
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Green Public Procurement
Actions:
Sharing experience of developing and
implementing Green Public Procurement
policies and practices
Activity: Involve NORRIA in the Clear about
Carbon Project; Undertake mentor exchange
visits; Undertake training of relevant personnel;
Use Skype and video conferencing to share
best practice.
Estimated Cost: 5,000@
Source of Finance: Clear about Carbon Project
Developing a long-term strategy of
cooperation /communication
Activity: Establish a “Virtual pool of expertise in
Green Public Procurement or a virtual network”;
Develop a short – medium term work plan
between Cornwall and North Hungary to support
implementation of activities.
Estimated Cost: 6,000@
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
Sharing and joint development of information
and training resources to support Green
Public Procurement
Activity: Set up a web based tool through
which experts in Green Public Procurement
can share learning.
Estimated Cost: 5,000@
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
Identifying financial pathways and instruments
to support ongoing interregional cooperation
Activity: Develop joint projects to further embed
Green Public Procurement within Cornwall and
NORRIA’s public sector; Apply for further funding
to support new initiatives.
Estimated Cost: 500@ per partner per quarter
Source of Finance: Participating organisations
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
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Marine Energy
The potential for marine energy to make a
contribution to Europe’s energy mix is well
recognised, and is reflected in the current level
of activity across European countries.
The most important advantage of marine energy
is that it is a high energy density resource, which
means that a large quantity of energy can be
obtained from a small occupied surface area.
The major disadvantage is the great difficulty in
extracting the energy in such a hostile environment.
Furthermore, Europe has the oldest maritime
industry, vast marine energy resources and it is a
pioneer in marine energy technologies. Therefore,
it is well positioned to lead the world in harvesting
marine energy.
The Basque Country and Cornwall have recognised
the strategic importance that marine energy can
play in contributing to their energy, industry and
RTD policies. Large schemes are already underway
in both regions including the Wave Hub and
FaBTest in Cornwall and the Biscay and Mutriku
Marine Energy Platforms in Basque Country.
For the purposes of this action plan marine energy
is defined as renewable energy production which
makes use of marine resources or marine space.
Based on resource potential, technological and
industrial capabilities, and a favourable political and
regulatory framework, wave energy and offshore
wind are considered as target candidates for
collaborative action between Basque
Country and Cornwall.
Objective:
This action plan aims to accelerate marine energy
in the Basque Country and Cornwall by resolving
barriers and coordinating action. Current barriers
and / or uncertainties include: consenting,
environment, safety, resource, grid integration,
technology & business feasibility, social acceptance.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
Expected impacts:
1)Long-term regional economic growth and
competitiveness, particularly for the marine and
energy sectors.
2)Increased private investment attraction for Cornwall
and Basque Country.
3)A new flow of high quality job creation.
4)Contribution to EU energy policy, specially securing
energy supply at a regional level (subsidiary).
5)Response to the needs of regional business communities.
6)Mobilisation of European community funds.
7)Increased and more effective investment in R&D at
a regional level.
8)Progress towards a knowledge-based economy, both
the state-of-the-art technologies/methods and the
development of an integrated supply chain.
9)A more committed and participative society
convinced of the benefits of the marine energy as
one of the most powerful renewable sources.
10)A technological, socio-economic and regulatory
reference framework at a regional level on marine
energy that can be considered as a reference point
for other regions.
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Marine Energy
Actions:
Mentoring Activities
Activity: Inter-regional coordination board and
agreements between regional authorities.
Estimated Cost: 3,000@ per year per partner
Source of Finance: Atlantic Power Cluster
(Interreg), IEE, FP7
Research & Development
Activity: Formal agreements between research
institutions aimed at fostering researcher mobility
and sharing laboratory RTD infrastructures offshore
experimental facilities; joint research and industrial
alliances to organise joint training courses, early
stage research training and staff exchange;
definition of common research projects.
Estimated Cost: 30,000@ per year per partner
Source of Finance: RTD national and regional
funds through ERANET in marine energy, FP7
Marine Business and Innovation
Activity: Involvement of industry representatives
facilitating participation channels in the action
plan; produce a baseline of both regions to identify
current projects and research; undertake a SWOT
analysis of the marine energy industry and develop
an overview of the supply chain, identifying any
future needs.
Estimated Cost: 20,000@
Source of Finance: ERANET
in marine energy, FP7
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Dissemination Activities
Activity: Organise international seminars on
marine energy.
Estimated Cost: 5,000@ per year
Source of Finance: Regional and National RTD
funds, IEE, FP7
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Energy Technology Cluster Cooperation
Both the Basque Country and the Ostrobothnia
regions have large energy technology clusters
composed of global technology leader
companies in the fields of smart grids and
wind power.
Energy Cluster
Companies
Basque
Country
Ostrobothnia
Total number
351
120
Since the competence profiles of the cluster
companies are rather similar, there is a great
potential for cooperation. However, at present
there is very little cooperation between the clusters.
During the RESGen project, the cooperation
potential between the clusters was identified and
cooperation initiatives were requested by some
cluster companies. The size and type of the cluster
companies are summarised in the following table.
Objective:
To increase the cooperation between the energy
cluster companies in the Basque Country and
the Ostrobothnia region, according to the export
market preferences and R&D priorities of the
companies.
1)Mapping of the cluster companies according
to energy segments and internationalisation of
experiences and priorities.
Size
Large companies
61
17 % 7
6%
Medium companies 73
21 % 10
8%
Small companies
62 % 103
86 %
217
Activities
Type
2)Match-making events organised by the cluster
management organisation.
3)Preparation of cooperation agreements and
contracts.
4)Joint technical and commercial cooperation.
Utilities
9
3%
4
2%
Manufacturers
175
49 % 65
54 %
Services companies 167
48 % 51
44 %
Expected impacts:
1)Increased turnover of the cooperating companies.
Estimated costs: 100,000 - 500,000@ /
2012-2020.
Source of Finance: Company funds, National
internationalisation funds, EU FWP funding.
The cooperation initiative will initially be funded by
the cluster management organisations, CEPV and
Merinova, as a part of their regular on-going activities.
2)Joint cooperation agreements and contracts for
technical and commercial cooperation.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
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Taking steps towards successful implementation
The wider RESGen project comes to an end in
June 2012 and the Sustainable Energy Joint
Action Plan will continue as a legacy of the
project with each of the partners committed
to seeing the individual priority action plans
delivered by 2020.
Communication is vital
to success
The success of this plan largely depends on the
strength of communication between the partner
regions. With RESGen coming to a close it is
essential that collaboration between the partners
continues to support successful delivery of
actions. Continued communication channels
will be achieved through interregional meetings
and the use of the RESGen website to support
discussion forums relating to each of the priority
themes. Through transnational learning the ideas
and concepts, which have been developed both
through this action plan and the wider RESGen
Project, will become embedded. It is an objective of
this Plan to also share learning with regions outside
of the RESGen partnership. Representatives from
across the private, public and research sectors will
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
be supported in taking good practice developed
through the Sustainable Energy Joint Action Plan
and translating it for use within a different context.
This systematic communication will allow the
abstraction of findings to transfer learning into
a different scenario by asking questions about
findings, such as ‘how did this occur’ and ‘why has
this happened’.
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Taking steps towards successful implementation
Focussed on delivery
The commitment to delivery across the RESGen
partnership has already seen some early results
with several successes being realised. The most
notable developments to date have been as a
result of the Marine Energy, Smart Energy and
Energy Technology Cluster Cooperation Action
Plans. These are detailed below.
Smart Grid:
All four partner regions are involved in the Smart
Grid Action Plan and to date, two FP7 project
proposals have been developed; SIERRA and
CUSTOM POWER. Partners are currently awaiting
news as to whether these proposals have been
successful in being awarded funding. CUSTOM
POWER will identify the barriers, opportunities
and solutions for the participation of users in active
demand and in energy efficiency of the overall
electricity system. To achieve these targets, a wide
range of suitable socio-economic and technology
analyses will be carried out with household and nonhousehold customers in various case studies within
8 European countries. The Custom Power proposal
has been submitted to the FP7 2012 Energy call
for proposals. The objective of the SIERRA project
is ‘to facilitate the transition to a low carbon,
resource-efficient economy through fostering
strong transnational research-driven clusters and
systemically integrating Smart Grids in regional
research agendas and economic development
strategies’. The project aims to offer a valuable
opportunity to build further knowledge around the
so far neglected importance of systems innovation
required by the transition to Smart Grids. The
SIERRA proposal has been submitted to the FP7
2012 Regions of Knowledge call for proposals.
Marine Energy:
Stakeholders from Cornwall and Basque Country
have been working with partners from several
other European regions to develop a marine
energy FP7 Project. If successful this project, titled
InterCORE, will create a network of well-developed
regional clusters to coordinate research that will
foster innovation in a resource efficient Europe
towards the development of the nascent ocean
renewable energy industry. InterCORE will provide
the necessary resources to drive development and
integration, within and between seven Regional
Research Driven Clusters (RRDC’s) across Europe,
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each of which is focusing on the exploitation
and mobilisation of Ocean Renewable Energy
(ORE - wave and tidal power). A core value of the
proposal is to accelerate commercialisation through
cooperation and smart specialisation.
Energy Technology Cluster
Cooperation:
The REINA project is a joint cluster cooperation
project, coordinated by the Basque Government
and involving the energy clusters in the Basque
Country, Ostrobothnia and Upper Austria. The
project was accepted for funding by the European
Commission (DG industry and Enterprise/ Promoting
international cluster activities in the CIP participating
countries) in late 2011.
The project’s aim is the joint establishment of cluster
companies in selected markets outside the EU. The
project facilitates the first cooperation activities such
as company mapping and positioning on the energy
segment value chains. The company maps will also
be used to increase cooperation and to prepare
match-making events scheduled to commence in
late 2012.
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The Sustainable Energy Joint Action Plan has been
developed as a living document and as such there is a
commitment across the partnership to review the plan
on a regular basis, alongside the Regional Roadmaps,
to ensure that actions are being taken forward.
For more information about the Project please visit the RESGen website.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY JOINT ACTION PLAN
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