PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The general objective of GEO.POWER project, 2 years long, is exchange best practices related to low enthalpy energy supply and - after a technical and cost/benefit assessment to evaluate the potential of reproducibility - to prepare the ground to the transfer some of the selected best practices within the Mainstreaming Programmes of the regions participating into the project by addressing applications mainly during the current programming period 07-13 as well as in the future regional framework instruments.
This will be achieved through the development of one action plan per each involved region where technical guidelines, potential regional legislation and financing schemes will be transferred to the Managing Authority / Intermediate Body responsible of the EU Structural Funds mainstreaming programmes: according to these action plans, every MA could subsequently shape their political endorsement and address call for the concession of grants or negotiating procedures between local authorities and public-private stakeholders for spreading GCHP (Ground Coupled Heat Pumps) within its administrative boundaries. The specific objectives are listed as follow:
- investigation over the present status and future potential towards reducing greenhouses emissions and primary energy consumption / demand by spreading geothermal energy option in the regions involved in the project;
- evaluation of some of the most representatives best practice experienced all over Europe and analyses of their potential contribution/adaptation at local scale in line with EU environmental and sustainable energy legislation
- development of legislative, technical, economic and marketing initiatives and measures to address the introduction and/or spread of the heat pump techniques in the housing & industrial sector within every regional operational plans; and improvement of the expertise and capacity building of policymakers, local technicians & professionals by delivering training actions and by sharing knowledge based on the best practices under evaluation;
- realization of a broad promotional campaign addressing the awareness and attitudes of key public and private stakeholders and professional groups (e.g. energy agencies, technicians, representatives of the managing authorities, house-yards associations, chamber of commerce, urban planners etc..) towards the potentialities of GCHP as effective instruments to improve the local energy balance and reduce greenhouses emissions.
The achievement of these objectives could contribute at promoting the switch to green energy both in residential and industrial sectors (whom buildings represent some of the most relevant greenhouses and energy dispersion sources) and thus curbing emissions in compliance with EU 2020 goals.
