Nearly 70 representatives of cities and municipalities met on 13 and 14 June in Jadwisin during a seminar entitled 'Cities and municipalities on the way to climate neutrality', organised by the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités”, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Participants had the opportunity to listen the experts from many organisations, among others: the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the National Energy Conservation Agency, the Institute for Sustainable Development, the Frank Bold Foundation, the CoopTech Hub, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management and the Team Europe Direct Network of Experts at the European Commission in Poland, as well as participants of a debate on accelerating the energy transition at local level, and to take part in best practice sessions held in small groups.

The seminar was opened by Marek Bąbolski - deputy mayor of Serock, Adam Ruśniak – deputy mayor of Bielsko-Biała and deputy chairman of the Board of the Association of Municipalities of the Polish Network “Energie Cités” and Anna Jaskuła – director of the Association's office.

The session focusing on the directions of climate and energy reforms in Poland until 2050 was opened by Adrian Kondaszewski, Deputy Director of the Department of Strategy and Analysis at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, who discussed the update of the National Energy and Climate Plan in his speech on the strategic approach to the energy transition. Next, Dariusz Koc, Director of the Department of Energy Efficiency and Energy Transformation at the National Energy Conservation Agency, presented the amendment to the law on energy efficiency and energy performance of buildings and the challenge of meeting targets in this area. In the first part of the seminar, the floor was also taken by PhD Andrzej Kassenberg of the Institute for Sustainable Development Foundation, who gave a presentation on energy and climate in local government authorities, noting that preparing for climate change is as important as minimising it. The speaker also emphasised that the transformation of Poland's electricity system should take place through the creation of energy communities based on local renewable energy sources.

This introduction was followed by a debate attended by Leszek Drogosz – Director of the Infrastructure Department of the Warsaw City Hall, Tomasz Bońdos from the Bydgoszcz City Hall, Adrian Kondaszewski from the Strategy and Analysis Department of the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Andrzej Kassenberg from the Institute for Sustainable Development Foundation and Dariusz Koc – Director of the Energy Efficiency and Energy Transformation Department at the National Energy Conservation Agency. The discussion on accelerating the energy transition process at the local level was moderated by Romuald Meyer of the Pomeranian Consulting Group S.A.

Participants in the panel discussion emphasised the need to involve local governments more widely in consultations with national authorities, which would help to align decisions taken at a higher level with the real needs and capacities of the entities and units that subsequently implement them. They raised the idea of setting up a consultation and advisory team under the Ministry of Climate and Environment, bringing together representatives of local authorities, business, NGOs and government, and emphasised the need for an energy advisor in each municipality. The speakers were consistent in talking about the key role of local authorities in the decentralisation of the electricity system, without whose involvement the transformation will not be possible.

The next part of the seminar was devoted to energy communities and their importance for a successful fair transition process. Agnieszka Stupkiewicz from the Frank Bold Foundation discussed the forms of citizen energy available to local authorities under Polish law. Next, Rafał Krenz from CoopTech Hub presented the benefits of creating energy cooperatives and their financing options, as well as the process of setting up the first urban energy cooperative in Poland – Otwarty Jazdów. Before a short coffee break, Justyna Janosz-Klus from the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités” also took the floor. The topic of her presentation was the analysis of barriers and local conditions for the creation of energy communities.

Then, the participants were invited to take part in a best practice session, during which, in smaller groups, they could benefit from the experiences of the invited guests related to local energy efficiency measures. Zuzanna Sasiak from the Polish Green Network, referring to the previous presentations, addressed the topic of involving citizens in the development of energy communities. With Anita Cieślicka from the Energy Forum, participants had the opportunity to discuss possible energy transition scenarios. In turn, Dawid Brożek, lead auditor of the certification body, discussed effective energy management in municipalities according to the ISO 50001 standard. At the table of Tomasz Bondos from the Bydgoszcz City Hall, participants were able to find out more about energy trading and the necessary changes to the energy law. Meanwhile, Izabela Kuśnierz from the Association discussed with participants how to effectively prevent inefficient renovations in cities, and Iwona Korohoda introduced them the CaPABle training e-learning platform on improving the efficiency of public buildings for public sector employees and building administrators.

At the end of the first day of the seminar, a General Meeting of the Association's members was held, attended by representatives of the member municipalities and cities and other interested parties in joining. During the General Meeting, elections to the Association's authorities were also held.

The second day of the seminar, dedicated to new perspectives in the development of cities and municipalities, began with a presentation given by Witold Retke of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, who outlined the financial support currently available and planned in the near future for the process of local transformation. Next, PhD Paweł Brusiło from the Team Europe Direct Network of Experts at the European Commission in Poland discussed the role of hydrogen in the energy transition, the current experience of its use in, among others, Rybnik, and gave an overview of legislative initiatives and strategies at national and EU level. The final presentation on the development and integration of documents shaping the city's energy and climate policy was given by Beata Kempa from the Bydgoszcz City Hall. The speaker emphasised the need to reduce the number of duplicated strategic documents and proposed integrating repetitive content within, for example, the Environmental Protection Programme, which has a legal basis.

After a short coffee break, participants again had the opportunity to take part in a best practice session, where topics related to energy transition at the local level were discussed. Anna Szewczyk from the City and Municipality of Niepołomice and Jakub Szymański from the City and Municipality of Serock discussed the benefits, challenges and practical aspects of energy cooperatives. In turn, Anna Fijas from the Association and Marcin Łojek from the Municipality of Palecznica presented a simulator for calculating carbon footprints and creating climate scenarios to all interested participants. At the last table, participants discussed the practical aspects of energy management in the city on the example of the experience of the Bydgoszcz City Hall and the solutions proposed in the DUET project.

The seminar "Cities and municipalities on the way to climate neutrality" was a great opportunity to learn more about the energy transition at local level, the role of citizen energy in this process and local climate actions. Participants were able to meet each other, make new contacts, exchange experiences and broaden their knowledge, as well as engage in inspiring discussions behind the scenes. We would like to thank all local government representatives, experts and speakers for their presence and involvement in the event and invite you to read the materials below.

Agenda

Presentations

Day I

1. Projekt Krajowego Planu w dziedzinie Energii i Klimatu do 2030 r. , Adrian KONDASZEWSKI, Departament Strategii i Analiz, Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska
2. Nowelizacja prawa w zakresie efektywności energetycznej i charakterystykienergetycznej budynków , Dariusz KOC, Departament Efektywności Energetycznej i Transformacji Energetyczne, KAPE
3. Energia i klimat w jednostkach samorządu lokalnego , Andrzej KASSENBERG, Fundacja Instytut na rzecz Ekorozwoju
4. Energetyka obywatelska dla JST - formy dostępne w świetle przepisów prawa , Agnieszka STUPKIEWICZ, Fundacja Frank Bold
5. Wspólnoty energetyczne w miastach. Obywatelska społeczność energetyczna w formie spółdzielni , Rafał KRENZ, CoopTech Hub, PLZ Spółdzielnia
6. Badanie barier i uwarunkowań lokalnych dla tworzenia społeczności energetycznych , Justyna JANOSZ-KLUS, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
7. Skuteczne zapobieganie nieefektywnym renowacjom w miastach , Izabela KUŚNIERZ, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
8. Efektywne zarządzanie energią w gminie według normy ISO 50001 , Dawid BROŻEK, audytor wiodący jednostki certyfikującej
9. Jak angażować mieszkańców w rozwój społeczności energetycznych , Zuzanna SASIAK, Polska Zielona Sieć
10. Plan transformacji energetycznej Włocławka do 2040 roku , Anita CIEŚLICKA, Forum Energii

Day II

1. Wsparcie finansowe procesu lokalnej transformacji , Witold RETKE, Narodowy Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej
2. Rola wodoru w transformacji energetycznej – inicjatywy legislacyjne i strategie na poziomie krajowym i unijnym , Paweł BRUSIŁO, Sieć Ekspertów Team Europe Direct przy Komisji Europejskiej w Polsce
3. Dokumenty kształtujące politykę energetyczną i klimatyczną JST na przykładzie miasta Bydgoszczy , Beata KEMPA, Urząd Miasta Bydgoszczy
4. Korzyści i wyzwania związane z działalnością spółdzielni energetycznych , Anna SZEWCZYK, Urząd Miasta i Gminy w Niepołomicach, Jakub SZYMAŃSKI, Urząd Miasta i Gminy w Serocku
5. Zastosowanie symulatora do wyliczania śladu węglowego , Anna FIJAS, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”, Marcin ŁOJEK, Urząd Gminy Pałecznica
6. Praktyczne Aspekty zarządzania energią w mieście , Tomasz BOŃDOS, Urząd Miasta Bydgoszczy

Galery

Seminarium zostało zorganizowane w ramach: projektu CommitClimate (W drodze do transformacji energetycznej i neutralności klimatycznej w gminach Regionu Morza Bałtyckiego), finansowanego z programu Interreg Region Morza Bałtyckiego o numerze #C026; projektu OUR-CEE (Skuteczne zapobieganie nieefektywnym renowacjom w Europie Środkowej i Wschodniej), finansowanego z instrumentu Europejska Inicjatywa Klimatyczna (European Climate Initiative - EUKI) o numerze grantu 81302186; projektu OwnYourSECAP (Wsparcie władz regionalnych i lokalnych w opracowaniu i wdrażaniu Planu SECAP), finansowanego w ramach programu LIFE+ i umowy grantu nr 101077109; inicjatywy Centrum Doradztwa ds. Ubóstwa Energetycznego UE prowadzonej przez Komisję Europejską na zlecenie Parlamentu Europejskiego oraz w ramach inicjatywy Komisji Europejskiej – Europejski Pakt na rzecz Klimatu.