Oct 12
Xavier Dubuisson from XD Sustainable Energy Consulting visited Kolding, Billund, Aarhus and Aalborg to learn from EU district heating experts and work with his SmartReFlex partners on Irish district heating projects.
Xavier Dubuisson (MD from XD Consulting) demonstrating the interactive pedal power exhibit at the newly opened Sustainable Energy Information Office in Chisnau, Moldova
The inauguration ceremony of the Moldova Sustainable Energy Information Centre took place on 15 April 2016 in Chisinau, Moldova with the participation of Mr. Valeriu Triboi, Deputy Minister of Economy of Moldova together with Mr. Alexandre Darras, Attaché-Project Manager at the EU Delegation to Moldova, Mr. Mihail Stratan, Director of the Energy Efficiency Agency of Moldova (AEE), and Mr. Adrian Twomey, INOGATE Project Team Leader.
Tanya Daniel Lujanskaya and Irina Plis from Alliance for Energy Efficiency and Renewables in Moldova, with whom XD Consulting teamed up to open the centre, enjoying the kids’ corner.
The Chisinau Sustainable Energy Information Centre, housed in the Moldovan Agency of Energy Efficiency, will serve as a hub for a number of initiatives by NGOs, businesses and education institutes, aiming to inform and educate citizens. The centre’s staff will focus on outreach activities and will be equipped with interactive exhibits, demos of sustainable energy products, and lots of information material. They will work closely with the hub members and run regular roadshows to local communities to promote country-wide awareness on energy efficiency. A strong emphasis is also given to the use of social media and digital communication to engage with younger audiences.
During the ceremony, the participants had the opportunity to interact with interactive displays and exhibits prepared for the Sustainable Energy Information Centre and to collect information materials. XD Consulting, together with local partners, provided advice and technical assistance to the Agency for Energy Efficiency to establish the centre, as part of a EU-funded project under the INOGATE programme for energy policy co-operation in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Apr 23
XD Sustainable Energy Consulting Ltd was among 14 organizations from 5 EU countries which participated to their first meeting on 14-15 April in Rome to kick-off their new project “SmartReFlex”, supported by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme. Six regional authorities from Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain, with the help of consultancy and research partners as well as expert coaching from Denmark, will work at a local and regional level to support the development of district heating with high shares of renewable energy. The SmartReFlex group also include district heating utilities, which will bring their needs and their technical expertise. The project, which ends in February 2017, also includes a very ambitious capacity building programme with training workshops and ongoing consultancy support for relevant stakeholder groups.
XD Consulting will work closely with Kerry County Council and the Tipperary Energy Agency as the Irish team in the project. District heating is an effective solution for the transition of Irish towns and neighbourhoods towards smart, resilient and renewable energy supply.
The SmartReFlex Team
If you are interested in the project activities, please contact:
Xavier Dubuisson, MD at XD Consulting
Email: xavier@xdconsulting.eu ; Tel: +353 (0)86 0476124
Riccardo Battisti, Project coordinator, Ambiente Italia
Email: riccardo.battisti@ambienteitalia.it
The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the funding authorities. The funding authorities are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
Xavier Dubuisson participated to a seminar organised by Transition Town Corca Dhuibhne in Dingle on Saturday 26 January. The event focussed on local energy planning and the role of communities in taking responsability for the development of their future energy systems. The event took place at the Goat Street Cafe (well worth a visit for coffee or lunch if you are in town) and was attended by a lively, passionate group of people. Here is a copy of the slides used by Xavier to introduce the Kerry Sustainable Energy Community Roadmap study undertaken by XD Sustainable Energy Consulting on behalf of Transition Kerry and Kerry County Council, and to offer a vision for the movement towards 100% renewable energy communities.
Community group Transition Kerry has launched a project which aims to make Kerry the first county in Ireland to produce 100% of its energy from local renewable sources. It will demonstrate how Kerry can switch from its high reliance on imported fossil fuels to a decentralised energy system harnessing local energy resources for the benefit of its community. Instead of haemorrhaging hundreds of millions of euros every year in energy bills, the people of Kerry can invest in their own sustainable energy infrastructure. The project will be mapped out by XD Sustainable Energy Consulting Ltd over the next 6 months in co-operation with the Kerry Sustainable Energy Community initiative. This research has been commissioned by Transition Kerry and is co-funded by South Kerry Development Partnership and North East Kerry Development Partnership. The research project will involve three steps: Firstly, it will analyse the current energy usage in the county, the cost to its economy and how much of this could be saved. Secondly, it will investigate the potential of different renewable energy resources, such as wind, sun, wave and biomass and then recommend the optimal energy mix for a 100% locally-produced renewable energy supply. Thirdly, the group will investigate suitable models for community-led development of renewable energy projects and define a practical roadmap for the next 20 years that will maximise job and wealth creation in the county.
Ciaran Nugent, Chair of Transition Kerry Energy Group said “We are very excited by this project. It will give us a strategy to move forward with the practical implementation of our 100% renewable energy vision for the county. We look forward to engage with the people and businesses of Kerry in that regard”.
In the short term, the work of this study will contribute to the much needed Covenant of Mayors report, which is due to be submitted by Kerry County Council in January 2013.
