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Strong partnerships connecting urban energy demand with rural energy supply

The RegEnergy initiative aims to increase the use of renewable energy by creating demand–supply partnerships between urban and rural areas, leading to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions

The project will show case best practice in supporting partnerships with rural renewable energy initiatives, which often involve community groups.

The initiative is led by Climate Alliance and includes project partners from France (Brest métropolis), Belgium (Flux50), the Netherlands (Waterstromen), Ireland (3 Counties Energy Agency, Waterford Institute of Technology and Ormonde Upgrading Limited), Switzerland (Planair) and the UK (Plymouth City Council). These organisations, which represent metropolitan regions, cities, rural communities, regional agencies, scientific institutions and renewable energy producers, will develop strategies and models to illustrate how these partnerships can be built.

North West Europe is the highest energy consuming region in the EU and the share of renewable energy in the region’s energy mix remains low. The project will lead to investment in pilot partnerships which will:

  • explore balancing of regional demand-supply and profiles (including the role of smart grids and storage capacity),
  • support regional supply-demand chains,
  • address issues with limited grid capacity and intermittent RE supply,
  • improve renewable energy infrastructure,
  • explore how to improve the institutional and administrative frameworks for organisations that both generate and consume energy.

Project funding period: October 2018 – September 2022
RegEnergy is supported by the INTERREG North-West Europe Programme. The total project budget amounts to €11.1 million with ERDF funding amounting to €6.1 million.

Want to learn more?  Contact John Green via john.green@plymouth.gov.uk