Regional Sustainable Energy Policy

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The project aims to introduce in practice, test, evaluate and distribute within the framework of the public administration and the business sector a new comprehensive method for urban management and regional planning in the field of proposing and assessing energy projects. The main viewpoint is efficient utilisation of natural resources and the real environmental protection so that the number of wrongly assessed projects of renewable energy sources is reduced by 50%. The new method will use an innovative software tool – an interactive map of conditions for renewable and alternative energy sources including biofuels. The project will create an environment and tools for effective implementation of the EU policy and regulations with emphasis on municipality and natural resources planning in all territories of the Czech Republic. It defines the possibilities and parameters for utilisation of the renewable energy sources and biofuels on the long-term scale with respect to the principles of environmental, economic and social sustainability, as well as preservation of biodiversity, food safety and local energy-supply self-sufficiency in the given locality. Objective(s) of the project The goals of the project are: •Create and bring to the legislative level a new comprehensive methodology for assessment of building and operating RES and production plants of biofuels, with the aid of an interactive map showing the conditions for renewable and alternative energy sources. •On the basis of existing software and data sources, create an innovative tool for objective decision-making about the utilisation of natural resources and environment for the energy-supply purposes, establishing the conditions for development of sustainable energy while preserving the biodiversity, food and energy safety, and respecting the local conditions and environmental impacts. As a basis, the geographical technology and online application will be used – an interactive map, which will gather all available data into one source and tie the data with a cadastral area as a basic unit. This map will include all source information necessary for decision-making by key persons – from an overview of soil types to types of biomass grown to biowaste and other natural resources, to competitive technologies and options for output utilisation, to local specific features or restrictions of the landscape. •Implement the new methodology including the interactive map and bring it to the attention at the regional level, including town and municipalities, both in the public administration and among the business and in the general public, including enhancement of relationships with science and research. Planned project activities including deadlines or duration The project started in 2011 and was completed at the end of 2014. In 2015 multiplication to macroregional level within the EU Strategy for the Danube Region is planned via submission of application to the DANUBE Transnational Programme. Need and added value for Danube Region Strategy Various RES utilization approaches are exercised in different parts of the Danube region mainly with respect to protection of local sources and environment. Through the exchange of good practice and elaboration of a common methodology for the whole Danube region while respecting diversities between urban and rural areas, we will achieve a significant improvement of preconditions for an efficient utilization of RES technologies as a future fundament of European energy policy. Therefore, it is required to ensure their application and utilization with highest possible efficiency while mitigating their impact on environment. Transboundary impact The project has been selected to be one of the top ten projects dealing with responsible development and innovation in the Czech Republic. Due to its characteristics the methodology can be used within the whole Danube Region to support good agriculture practice, common approaches for urban/rural areas within the Danube region and common upper-regional methodology.

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