Over 70 people, mainly representatives of local governments, but also banks, universities and companies interested in the development of renewable energy use and the improvement of energy efficiency gathered in Serock on 28-29 November 2017 for the seminar „Cities and towns on the path to energy transition”.
Participants were welcomed by Sylwester Sokolnicki, mayor of Serock and Anna Jaskuła, director of the Association of Municipalities Polish Network "Energie Cités" office.
During the meeting, the most important challenges faced by Polish cities and municipalities following the path of sustainable development were presented, the possible solutions to many current problems, as well as inspiring good practices. A lively panel discussion on the future of renewable energy in Poland was moderated by Leszek Drogosz, deputy President of the Board of the Association of Municipalities Polish Network "Energie Cités" and director of the Infrastructure Office in the Capital City of Warsaw.
An introduction to it was the speech of Andrzej Kaźmierski, director of the Renewable Energy Department of the Ministry for Energy, regarding actions undertaken for the development of distributed energy, especially energy clusters as a tool for local development.
In the session devoted to their creation and operation, the following clusters were presented: "Energy Cluster Michałowo", "Żywiecka Energia Przyszłości", "Kraina Jeziorki" and "Płoński Klaster Energii".
The participants had the opportunity not only to listen to the experts’ presentations, but also to take advantage of the consultation and exchange of experiences during the interactive small groups session.
The second part of the seminar focused on the integrated solutions that improve the energy efficiency of public buildings. Based on the experiences of the TOGETHER project, co-financed from the INTERREG CENTRAL EUROPE program, there were discussed the possibilities of using various energy saving measures, including technical, financial, analytical, organizational and user behavior changes, in one building (or group of buildings).
Practical use of these solutions was presented on the example of comprehensive energy modernization of public buildings in the Niepołomice municipality.
The participants could also learn about the possibilities of obtaining funds and financing investments in the field of low-emission economy in cities and municipalities, especially with the use of new tools, i.e. ESCO, PPP or municipal bonds.
Presentations (in Polish) are available here.
