Municipalities for Energy Efficiency

Advancing the energy efficiency capacities of municipalities in the Baltic Sea Region and helping them to increase their share of renewable energy usage.
In the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), municipalities differ significantly regarding energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy. In some municipalities, like Bordesholm in Germany, electricity from renewable sources accounts for 80 percent of the energy mix. Municipalities located on the Polish and Latvian coastline are still at the starting point of both making best use of renewable energy sources and developing municipal energy efficiency capacity.
German electric utility company Bordesholmer Versorgungsbetriebe, Large-scale battery storage system. Public administration of Bordesholm. Photo: (c) Public administration of Bordesholm
Between these participating municipalities, the project enables the exchange of knowledge and capacities, aiming for increased energy efficiency and raising awareness on the topic. The project implements several technical measures: drafting an energy management plan for each municipality, conducting energy audits of public buildings, and installing climate-friendly technologies. For example, municipalities replace old lighting in pilot educational institutions. To determine the success of this, the project hosts an energy saving competition between the participating institutions.
Furthermore, the project hopes to demonstrate to citizens that individual action counts in climate action. Therefore, further key activities of the project are knowledge exchange through workshops and trainings as well as conferences informing entrepreneurs, education institutions, and citizens in general on how to make their daily habits more sustainable.
While the direct beneficiaries of the project are the 60,000 inhabitants of the partner municipalities, the results of the project are accessible by other municipalities as well through specialised sections on the municipalities’ websites.
Updated: May 2021
Countries: Germany, Latvia, Poland
Project duration: 11/20 - 10/22
Funding: 282,499 €
Target groups: Cities, towns and municipalities, Civil Society, Private sector
Implementing organisation: Ķekava county local government
Partners: Community of Gostyn, Public administration of Bordesholm
Mrs Inga Bilko
Organisation:
Ķekava County local government
Address:
Gaismas Str.19, k-9-1
LV 2123 Ķekava
Latvia
Email:
inga.bilko∂kekava.lv
This project is part of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI). EUKI is a project financing instrument by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). The EUKI call for project ideas is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. It is the overarching goal of the EUKI to foster climate cooperation within the European Union (EU) in order to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
European Climate Initiative (EUKI)
Potsdamer Platz 10
10785 Berlin – Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)30 338424 570
info∂euki.de