Funded Projects 2014-2020

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Project HANDIHEAT

Project Acronym HANDIHEAT
Project Title Heat and Anaerobic Digestion For District Heating
Project subsite

Summary

HANDIHEAT will focus on energy performance in rural housing and public infrastructure challenges in peripheral and arctic regions. It will support the development of jobs and renewable energy business opportunities provided by extreme conditions in rural communities. The overall objective will be to develop a set of resources; implementation toolkits, decision making guides and a roadmap for the rural community housing sector. Pilots will provide visible proof and an enduring guide to what can be achieved.
Challenges including a lack of critical mass, widely dispersed settlements, poor accessibility and vulnerability to climate change effects are all well recognised. HANDIHEAT will equip stakeholders in the communities with the skills and confidence to overcome these challenges.
Identification of energy resources and knowledge of innovative solutions in other regions will stimulate renewable energy and attract investment. We will review both policy and non-policy drivers in each NPA jurisdiction. Policy drivers many contain gaps which may be addressed by non-policy driven practices from across the NPA region. The viability of these will be assessed. Any gaps or barriers will be addressed through a robust community engagement and communications plan including lobbying activities.

The project focuses on energy networks for rural communities such as housing, both social and private, which are subject to fuel inequity/poverty and reliant on imported fossil fuels for energy. The development of community energy systems will increase the vitality of rural businesses and lead to a reduction in fuel inequity for those identified as vulnerable. It is aimed at identified opportunities for example to identify anaerobic digestion feedstocks and other underutilised local energy resources.

Sustainable solutions will protect rural communities from energy price fluctuations and improve the social wellbeing and quality of living throughout NPA regions.

Objectives

Document current policy and practice across NPA
To assess the current policy across NPA regions and also to assess non-policy driven practices which have been adopted and proven to address rural challenges in NPA regions. Includes a gap analysis of areas of policy which are lacking.

Develop viable and rural appropriate business models
Through shared knowledge, present alternative energy models, suitable for rural areas, which combine innovative solutions to achieve policy objectives.

Secure energy supply
Market access issues are addressed by identifying opportunities and local resources in each region and overlaying a suitable energy model. This is then demonstrated through a pilot project comprising two elements.

Impacts

Tangible

Improved access to services:

In its Toolkit, the project collected valuable information for anyone interested in building insulation or installing systems using renewable energy sources such as micro wind turbine, solar, or heat pumps. In case of biogas, a calculator was created to calculate the profitability of a biogas plant investment.

 

Intangible

Raising awareness:

As fuel poverty is a reality for many rural households in NPA regions, the HANDIHEAT project analysed the level of fuel inequality across the NPA area and collected regional responses. To increase people´s awareness about fuel poverty, the project prepared three webinars tackling fuel poverty, renewable technologies and community energy.

 

Lead Partner

Partners

Project Info

Theme
Renewable energy, eco products
Priority
3 Renewables and Energy Efficiency
Objective
3 Increased use of energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions
Project duration
01-10-18 to 30-09-21
Total budget
1 850 515 EUR
NPA co-financing
1 165 027 EUR
Target groups
local public authority
national public authority
regional public authority
sectoral agency
infrastructure and (public) service provider
interest groups including NGOs
enterprise, including SME
business support organisation
General public
education/training centre and school
Other
Joint Secretariat Desk Officer
Christopher Parker