Energy-efficient Grids for Municipalities
The energy concept of September 2010 sets ambitious energy efficiency targets for the German Federal Government. To achieve these challenging energy efficiency goals government policies promote the recruitment of municipalities for the establishment of energy-efficient grids and professionally managed network collaborations over several years.
About 12,000 German municipalities and administrative districts use two thirds of the public sector energy. Therefore, these regions offer great opportunities to save energy. Communities may cooperate in a joint support programme to discover and realise ways to save energy with the support of a network team. Grid and energy experts will initiate these energy-efficient grids, identify suitable measures to kerb the energy use, and support the implementation of energy-saving goals set by the network participants themselves.
A collaboration between bifa and the Energie- und Umweltzentrum Allgäu (eza! – Energy and Environmental Centre Allgäu) combines the extensive experiences of both institutions and pairs existing knowledge with the practical expertise of the Lechwerke AG. In a joint action, all three offer to initiate the construction and implementation of energy-efficient grids for municipalities. In the process, the collaborating partners manage and technically administer and moderate the grid for the area around the Lechwerke AG. Energy-efficient grids offer interested municipalities a platform for the regular exchange of expertise in matters of saving energy as well as information and presentations on increasing the energy efficiency of enterprises. During walking tours through public facilities, the participants see how other municipalities deal with energy topics. The participants will network with each other and learn from the experiences of others. The grid meetings will take place every three months and cater to the needs of the participants. If required, external experts will join these meetings. The regular exchange of experiences will reveal potential opportunities to save energy. Once implemented measures result in energy savings in one community they can be implemented in other municipalities as well.
