Fighting energy poverty is more than ever on the agenda of local governments and energy agencies across Europe, in winter as in summer. But how can they efficiently facilitate the participation of vulnerable households in a fair energy transition? How can they set it down in their official strategies such as Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs)? And, most importantly, how can they finance it sustainably?
The project Sun4All, of which ICLEI is a coordinating partner, offers local and regional governments, public and private utilities, energy agencies etc. a Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing Programme to its financial support scheme for renewable energy access. It offers stakeholders the chance to gain insights from Sun4All pilots and Community of Practice members, early adopters of the scheme. Participants can engage in informative webinars addressing strategies for addressing energy poverty at the local level, take part in technical visits to Sun4All demonstration sites in France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, and utilise Sun4All learning materials to raise awareness and educate the public. Moreover, stakeholders can plan the incorporation of Sun4All into their city's SECAP and explore the adaptation and replication of the innovative financial scheme tested by the Sun4All project.
In the first half of the year, a series of online and onsite capacity building activities are organised as part of this Programme to empower stakeholders to implement sustainable energy solutions in their communities:
- 20 February 2024 - ICLEI Europe´s 45th Breakfast at Sustainability´s | Potential for energy poverty alleviation through an inclusive and democratic European Green Deal 2.0
- 19 March 2024 - National technical visit to Coeur de Savoie pilot
- 19 March 2024 - Spanish Capacity-Building and Policy webinar
- 4 April 2024 - French Capacity-Building and Policy webinar "Empowering Communities: Bridging the Gap between Energy Security and Social Equity - Insights from European Policy to Local Implementation in France"
- April 2024 - Portuguese Policy webinar (date to be announced)
- 5 June 2024 - Portuguese Capacity-Building webinar
- 5 June 2024 - National technical visit to Almada pilot
- June 2024 - Final conference of Sun4All (date to be announced)
For more information, subscribe to the Sun4All mailing list or follow on LinkedIn or X to be informed when registration opens for these different events!