Joint Seminar Krakow – Tuesday 29th November 2005

alpheoa regional information and exchange of experiences network

designed to better involve local authorities in sustainable energy schemes

Sébastien CONTAMINEManaging DirectorAduhme, Local energy agency

Aduhme, a local energy agency Created in the framework of the SAVE II

programme City of Clermont-Ferrand and ADEME Energy efficiency, renewable energy

sources and sustainable development Territories: urban area of Clermont-

Ferrand and since 2002 Puy-de-Dôme County (650 000 inhabitants)

6 employees Annual budget: 350 000 € Financial partners: local authorities, and

energy local partners involved in Aduhme’s projects

Les collectivités territoriales et l’énergie…

Local authorities have a major role to play in what concerns following topics

Climate changes Rational use of water and search for a better quality

Why ? Local authorities are consumers Local authorities can produce and distribute Local authorities are in charge of the development of their territory Local authorities can encourage the citizen to get involved in these

environmental topics

Local authorities gets all the key factors to develop their territory in a sustainable way

A significant lack of interest concerning sustainable energy topics

Structural reasons Lack of knowledge/competence from municipal personnel

(especially for small cities) Energy falls outside the scope of local authorities’ activities

Lack of knowledge of local energy stakes Why?

A so complicated topic for non-expert people (elected and municipal administrative staffs)

Energy is so cheap! Other municipal priorities (security) Elected people and municipal technicians know so little things

about energy stakes Huge lobbies in France such as EDF and Gaz de France for

instance Lack of information and disinformation (opened energy markets)

Lack of involvement from the Regional Council !

Regional situation was… Because of no information, no

involvement Main idea: communication and regular

information Major point to develop: exchange of

experiences Coherent territory scale: regional area Stimulate local and regional partnerships

with energy experts and operators in order to set up a genuine network

Set up a kind of a long-term marketing strategy

Main objectives Information, advise and raising awareness

towards elected people and technicians Stimulate exchange of experiences Make the identification of local sustainable

energy experts easier for municipalities Set up and experiment an administrative and

technical assistance scheme towards municipalities holding a sustainable energy project

… « I know nothing about it, so I do nothing »

Target groups

1,310 cities 250 municipalities

communities County councils (4) Regional council Any other public

communities

Several topics

Energy efficiency Renewable energy sources Rational use of water… sustainable development of our

territories

Identified means

A local actors network: local authorities and energy experts

A technical guide as starting point of a global strategy Technical information sheets (50) Regional good practice sheets (20) An Internet website (www.aduhme.org/alphéo) An information letter regularly sent to local authorities …

Communication actions to be programmed and carried out later

Communication actions to be carried out…

New sheets to be integrated into the technical guide Information about new technologies, public subsidies,

etc. Good practices: new sites to be visited

Visits of new good practice sites Technical training sessions Working groups Regional conferences… a sustainable network for a regional

action programme

One first example…

A 2-day journey for elected people to attend the national energy conference in Grenoble - December 2002)

Topic : « Decentralized energy production: the role of local authorities

40 participants from Auvergne Region

Local parterships… Financial contribution from ERDF: 1.7 Measure

« environmental impact » Financial partners

ADEME Auvergne Conseil Régional Auvergne Conseils Généraux DIREN Auvergne Agence de l’eau Loire Bretagne Parcs Naturels Régionaux EDF/Gaz de France Dexia Crédit Local FG3E

Technical partners Amorce, AFE, AITF, ATEE, Auvergne Promobois, CLER, SER,

Université Blaise Pascal, Energie-Cités, etc.

Financial contribution from structural funds

Total cost of the project: about 126,000 € Contribution from ERDF: 49% 1.7 measure: “environmental impact” Administrative follow-up for structural

funds: Regional council since 2003 Administrative bid: very easy to fill in

(different from new calls for proposals – EC)

Positive point: large involvement from local partners and local authorities

Technical advisor for this measure: ADEME

Technical information sheets

50 sheets Available

information– Local situation, energy

stakes– Technical approach– applications for local

authorities and recommendations

– Available subsidies and technical/administrative assistance

Les fiches de bonne pratique

20 regional good practices sheets

The city of Dunières gets its own biomass boiler »

Main objective: promote biomass and try and convince local authorities to get their own wood boiler

Obstacles we have to face… 2 upon 4 county councils get involved into the

regional network (political differences) About 12 months to gather all financial

contributions Administrative service in charge of ERDF: not in

habit to get/manage such projects Communication activities: local authorities have

difficulties in understanding concrete results We are currently facing problems to gather the

interest of Regional and county councils (other priorities)

One solution would be to have a contract which lasts several years

Factors of success

More than 150 elected people attended the council conferences (KOM)

A technical support well appreciated by anyone

Local partners are waiting for new actions in the framework of the network

alpheo network helps local elected people to think about sustainable energy topics