Structural Funds for Sustainable Energy Investments

Duration: 2010 – 2012 ● Client: European Commission (IEE) ● WIP Role: Financing, Policy developent ● www.sf-energyinvest.eu

SF Energy Invest stimulates investments on sustainable energy using Structural and Cohesion Funds (SCF) within the final phase of the programming period 2007-2013.

SF Energy Invest helps to improve the political and practical framework conditions for sustainable energy investments in the upcoming SCF programming period 2014-2020.

To achieve this mission, the project team is active in 12 European countries to:

• organize mobilization campaigns with the aim of increasing the awareness and knowledge of the benefits of sustainable energy amongst stakeholders from the public and private sector.
• Campaigning activities include Energy Investment Days (EIDs), round tables, panels and study trips.
• enable project developers to apply for SCF, by producing a project application manual and by preparing and initiation 5 pilot projects in 5 pilot regions.
• promote the success stories of already realized “good practice” SCF sustainable energy projects, with the help of high-end promotional materials such as multi-lingual exhibition posters, brochures and an image video.
• assess practical framework and financing opportunities for SCF investments by analyzing the Operational Programmes in each of the campaigning regions.
• define a sustainability assessment matrix for the evaluation of sustainable energy project, using a pool of existing criteria.
• develop practical policy recommendations for increasing the importance of sustainable energy in the upcoming SCF programming period 2014-2020.
• discuss and disseminate practical policy recommendations amongst decision makers on EU and national level in the scope of a panel discussion and a workshop in Brussels.