Sustainable Energy Europe Awards - Deadline Extended

The EU Sustainable Energy Week 2015 (EUSEW2015) will take place on 15-19 June and as part of this continent-wide array of events the Sustainable Energy Europe Awards are back. Launched by the European Commission in 2006, every year since the Awards have highlighted the very best sustainable energy projects taking place across Europe. And there is still time for you to take part! The closing date is 16 March.

The Sustainable Energy Europe Awards show where you -  private companies, public authorities, energy agencies, NGO’s, cooperatives, chambers of commerce, industry and consumers associations, media, academic institutions and research and technological centres - can make a difference. The awards are the EU's reference prize for sustainable energy projects in Europe. Are you proud of your company’s efforts in reducing its carbon footprint? Does your city deserve further recognition and visibility for its achievements in sustainable energy? If so - don’t hesitate. The Awards are made for you.

If you are involved in a sustainable energy project take part in the Awards competition and get the recognition and visibility you deserve! The winners will be announced in a ceremony to take place in Brussels during EUSEW2015.

Apply now!
The deadline for applications is now 16 March 2015. And applying is easy. Just submit a draft description of your project that you can then adjust after receiving our personalised eligibility feedback.

For the Sustainable Energy Europe Awards 2015 there are three entry categories:

• Renewable energy
• Energy efficiency
• Cities, communitites and regions

Don't delay apply today!

What is EUSEW?

The EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) is an initiative of the European Commission that first took place in 2006. Today, it is coordinated by the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), in close cooperation with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy.

The EU Sustainable Energy Week showcases activities dedicated to energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions. It is designed to spread best practices, inspire new ideas and build alliances to help meet the EU’s energy and climate goals.

Our aim is to form a bigger picture out of multiple individual efforts to motivate change through a varied programme of events.

For more information please contact the EUSEW Secretariat. You can also follow EUSEW activity on twitter (@euenergyweek) and the hashtag for EUSEW2015 is #eusew15.

Final call for Sustainable Energy Awards 2014!

Is your company investing in energy efficiency, renewable energy or clean transport? Are you keen to gain EU recognition and visibility for your company’s sustainable energy investments? If so, the European Commission invites you to participate in the Sustainable Energy Europe Awards 2014. But you'll need to be quick: the deadline for entries is 28 March!

Every action counts; whether it’s a freshly refurbished energy efficient office, a clean mobility project, an energy efficiency campaign, or your energy saving software for customers. For 2014 the Sustainable Energy Europe Awards include five categories:

• COMMUNICATING: rising awareness actions
• LEARNING: educational and capacity building programmes
• LIVING: exemplary buildings
• CONSUMING: energy saving and renewables in consumption and production processes
• TRAVELLING: clean mobility projects

Winning projects will receive recognition and communication support, press promotion and a free audio-visual production featuring the project’s results. In addition, short-listed (five projects per category) and final winners will be invited to Brussels to present their project in a special conference and networking event to take place during the upcoming EU Sustainable Energy Week (23-27 June 2014). Travelling and accommodation costs for one representative will be covered. SusChem, of course, will be supporting #EUSEW 2014 as we did in 2013.

The winners will be announced during the EU Sustainable Energy Week 2014 in the presence of Energy Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger.

Why not share your company’s contribution to the EU 2020 energy targets and bring home the EU’s most important sustainable energy award?

More information
For more information visit the ManagEnergy and Sustainable Energy Europe Awards websites. Check out the competition’s eligibility and assessment criteria or click here to complete the short application form. You will need to register with the website before you can complete the form.

Don't forget the deadline for the competition is 28 March 2014. For queries or specific issues contact David Crous at the EUSEW organisers.

EUSEW13: Top Speakers share SusChem Priorities

Yesterday (June 26), the High-Level Conference of the European Union Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) officially came to an end. Over three days top-level speakers from the European Union, Member States and from civil society organisations discussed the priorities for energy in the years to come. It was clear that SusChem’s priorities in the areas of sustainability and efficiency in energy are shared by many of the speaker at EUSEW.

SusChem was present at a number of the over 100 events organised in Brussels alone and can report that our vision of the coming challenges is widely shared. In future society will need a more efficient and sustainable use of energy if we want to maintain our quality of life and be competitive on the world scene. And that means we have to support innovation in technologies, legislation and the market.

As explained by Paul Hodson, the Head of Unit for Energy Efficiency in DG Energy at the European Commission, we must overcome “financial, administrative and regulatory” barriers if we want to achieve our targets for energy efficiency in 2020. He was speaking at the EUSEW13 event 'Towards EU2020 and Beyond - Local and Regional Actions'. Following his stimulating keynote speech, a series of successful projects were presented: ranging from energy-savings measures for the street lighting of the city of Pula to the renovations of school heating system in some Paris district: it is now clear that the sustainable and efficient use of energy is a priority across the continent.

Chemistry role
And chemistry has a big part to play in overcoming the challenges of energy efficiency. One of the best examples of possible SusChem contributions to this field are the cooling and heating innovative insulations for buildings presented at the recent Smart Cities Platform Stakeholders Conference in Budapest.

Aside from being voted among the top three innovations at that conference, at EUSEW events it was made clear that this type of innovation is exactly what Europe will need to achieve its targets. At the conference event on Energy Efficiency, Mr. Pascal Eveillard, president of EURIMA – the European Insulation Manufacturers Association – made clear that cost-efficient solutions which can resolve technical challenges for the renovation of buildings will be crucial in achieving the proposed energy targets. This description fits SusChem’s key innovations like a glove.

Incentives
On top of this, local authorities are developing new incentive schemes to promote energy-efficient buildings and construction. Mr. Hoogelander of the Dutch NL Agency part of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs presented one such scheme that includes tax reductions calculated on expenses incurred while refurbishing buildings, bank capitalisation support for mortgages for energy-efficient houses and an additional index in the calculation of the building’s market value according to their energy savings. A similar scheme, though wider in scope, was presented by Mr Gatier of the French Ministry for Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing.

It is clear that SusChem, and sustainable chemistry in general, will have further opportunities to contribute solutions for the current energy dilemmas. If solutions on par with those already proposed can be made available, it will become evident that chemistry is a key area to involve in the planning of a society that can use energy sustainably and efficiently.

For more information on SusChem’s winning proposals for Key Innovation for sustainable buildings download the SusChem report.

SusChem and Smart Cities at #EUSEW13

SusChem will be actively engaged at the EU’s Sustainable Energy Week 2013 (EUSEW 2013) this week (24 to 28 June). SusChem's chemistry-based key innovation proposals was a big hit at the Smart Cities Stakeholder Platform Annual Conference in Budapest and information on our Smart Cities Innovation initiatives will be available at the Smart Cities desk in the exhibition area on the 5th floor of the Jacques Delors building at the Committee of the Regions venue in Brussels.

EUSEW 2013 is set to be an exciting event that is packed full of activities bringing together energy stakeholders and the general public - and a great opportunity to further promote the message on chemistry and energy efficiency to a wider audience.

Full details can be found on the EUSEW 2013 website. This site contains all you need to know about attending events, submitting projects for the annual Awards or organising Energy Day activities that are taking place across Europe. The core message of this eighth edition of EUSEW is: 'One small step from you, one giant leap for Europe!'

If you haven't yet registered for any events, on-the-day registration is possible for some. But check the website for details.

SusChem will be reporting back from a number of Smart Cities orientated sessions at the high-level policy conference taking place in Brussels in particular:

• Towards EU2020 And Beyond – Local And Regional Actions taking place in the European Commission's Charlemagne Building in Brussels on the morning of 25 June
• Energy Efficiency taking place in the Charlemagne building during the afternoon of 25 June
• Towards smart cities and smart housing in Europe also taking place in the afternoon of 25 June in the Committee of the Regions Building, room JDE 51
• Innovation In Energy Efficiency Buildings And Districts For Smart Built Environment taking place on the morning of 26 June in the Committee of the Regions building in Brussels and organised in association with the Energy Efficient Buildings Association (E2BA) and
• From Ambition to Action: How to best deliver European building sector policies on the ground? on the afternoon of 26 June in the Committee of the Regions building and organised by the Buildings Performance Institute Europe.

Look out for our blog report later in the week!

What is EUSEW?
The EUSEW event is organised by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy, the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI), the European Institutions, major energy actors and private companies. EUSEW 2013 celebrates innovative energy initiatives for a sustainable future – very much a SusChem theme.

You can follow EUSEW 2013 on Twitter by searching for the hashtag #EUSEW2013. For more information on SusChem's Key Innovations in Energy Efficiency in Buildings for Smart Cities access the SusChem report here.

EU Sustainable Energy Week 2013

Following the tremendous interest in SusChem’s chemistry-based proposals for increasing energy efficiency in buildings shown at the Smart Cities Stakeholder Platform Annual Conference in Budapest stakeholders will be interested in the events being organised during the EU’s Sustainable Energy Week 2013 (EUSEW 2013) in late June.

One small step from you, one giant leap for Europe! That’s the core message of this eighth edition of the EUSEW. The event takes place from 24 to 28 June and registration is open now!

EUSEW 2013 is set to be an exciting event that is packed full of activities that bring together energy stakeholders and the general public - and a great opportunity to further promote the message on chemistry and energy efficiency to a wider audience.

Details can be found on the EUSEW 2013 website that has been designed to ensure all participants can easily manage their involvement in the Week. The site contains all you need to know about attending events, submitting projects for the annual Awards or organising Energy Day activities that are taking place across Europe.

To participate in the high-level policy conference taking place in Brussels, or any event happening in your region or city, you must first create an account and then register for the conference, workshop, guided tour or exhibition of your choice.

A number of events taking place as part of the high-level conference in Brussels have caught SusChem’s eye:

• Towards EU2020 And Beyond – Local And Regional Actions taking place in the European Commission's Charlemagne Building in Brussels on the morning of 25 June
• Energy Efficiency taking place in the Charlemagne building during the afternoon of 25 June
• Towards smart cities and smart housing in Europe also taking place in the afternoon of 25 June in the Committee of the Regions Building, room JDE 51
• Innovation In Energy Efficiency Buildings And Districts For Smart Built Environment taking place on the morning of 26 June in the Committee of the Regions building in Brussels and organized in association with the Energy Efficient Buildings Association (E2BA) and
• From Ambition to Action: How to best deliver European building sector policies on the ground? on the afternoon of 26 June in the Commitee of the Regions building and organised by the Buildings Performance Institute Europe.

What is EUSEW?
The EUSEW event is organised by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy, the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI), the European Institutions, major energy actors and private companies. EUSEW 2013 celebrates innovative energy initiatives for a sustainable future – very much a SusChem theme.

The first EUSEW took place in 2006 and showcases activities dedicated to energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions. It is designed to spread best practices, inspire new ideas and build alliances to help meet the EU’s energy and climate goals.