Event Date: 25 October 2023
Location: Atelier 29, Brussels 

The two-day event, “RE-Energising Europe,” was successfully concluded in Brussels over the past days. At a beautiful venue in Brussels, experts from seven energy projects, EU institutions, and key players in the energy market were brought together to exchange ideas, hear from the research developed in the past 3 years and openly discuss with panels of speakers from within and outside the projects.  

In the context of the event, the Final Dissemination events of BECoop and W4RES took place, where the projects’ results were presented. Great emphasis was given to the legacy of the projects, and the exploitation of their results. 

BECoop, funded by the European Horizon 2020 program, empowered 12 communities across EU for local renewable bioenergy generation and responded to the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive II, emphasising community energy’s role in the future RE market.Through the activities conducted in the four pilot regions, BECoop showcased that bioenergy offers significant potential, especially in heating, with benefits like emission reduction, job creation, and energy security.

W4RES also received funding under the Horizon 2020 framework program. The project focuses on tapping into the potential of women to support renewable energy in the heating and cooling (RHC) market across Europe. It delivers business and technical support services to women-led RHC projects, conducts studies on RHC market conditions, establishes regional hubs, conducts national awareness-raising campaigns, hosts seminars on gender mainstreaming, and creates a learning toolkit. 

The seven projects’ representatives presented insights on best practices, tools and models, one-stop shops, as well as results from awareness raising and nudging campaigns. Among the various insightful presentations, engaging discussions took place regarding the influence of EU national policy frameworks on the establishment of energy communities and the prevalent barriers hindering community energy uptake. The event featured presentations on effective techniques for nudging toward more efficient energy usage and recommendations for a more gender inclusive renewable energy sector.  

To conclude the session with insights from a success case, there was also a visit to the SunSud energy community, the first solar energy redistribution project in social housing in Brussels. 

While the event was not live-streamed, it was professionally recorded and will be available in full and short versions. The event’s sessions will continue to serve as a valuable resource for those interested in the latest developments in the renewable energy sector and for the role of women in the field. 

NUDGE; newTRENDs; MICAT; BECoop; NRG2PEERS; UP-STAIRS; W4RES. 

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