SACCHI consulting, a EU-consultancy and public affairs company organised during the european sustainable energy week a hgh-level conference: “Economy and community: a partnership for development”.

Different speakers were present: Evelyne Huytebroeck, brussels government minister for environment and energy; Merja Haapakka, policy officer European Commission; Dirk Vansintjan, president of REScoop.eu for ecopower bvba; Johan Blom, co-manaing director Windcentra; Marleen Mouton, regulatory director PwC; Peter Garré CEO bopro. De discussions were moderated by belgian journalist Alex Puissant.

Different issues were discussed during this morning. Some of them: the legislative framework of the EU and its member-states; community energy – succes stories; prospects of economic development ; local energy and new mobility: how to create synergy.

The European Commission’s goal by organising the sustainable energy week are, in practical terms

– to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 20% compared with 1990 levels

– to meet 20% of our energy requirements based on renewable energy sources

– to reduce primary energy consumption by 20% by improving our energy efficiency.

During the symposium of this friday, the organiser wanted to invoke the following topics:

– local: public participation is restrited to a clearly-defined geographical area

– private: projects will be run by the “private party” even if the public sector plays its part through governmental departments.

– profitable: private investment in the shape of a crowd-funding becomes profitable for investors

– development: participatory projects must promote local development, involving either economic evelopment or social development.

– respect: for the planet and is natural resources, combined with efforts also being put in the public sector.

Succesful examples of participatory economies were given to the audience: in Italy (europe’s largest photovoltaic power plant at Montalto di Casto) , in the Netherlands (financing of a 2 megawatt wind-powr via a crowd-funding platfortm), in Belgium (Ecopower, the people’s renewable-energy cooperative).

A very nice networking cocktail ended this conference.

 

Miguel D. DESNERCK