CZECH REPUBLIC
The Czech Energy Efficiency Centre SEVEn is one of the key regional partners in the MUNEE program.
SEVEn was established in 1990 as a non-profit consultancy company. The Centre concentrates on advisory services for business development and economically efficient energy use. Through its work SEVEn tries to overcome barriers, which prevent the adequate use of economically effective energy savings in everyday life, household situations, industry, commercial and public spheres.
For more information please visit www.svn.cz. For a closer look at SEVEn, its recent and current projects in MUNEE region, please see projects listed below.
RUSE - Redirecting Urban Areas Development towards Sustainable Energy
The aim of the RUSE programme is to spread information on, and to make accessible, the experiences of partners regarding the use of EU Structural Funds and other public grant sources on saving energy and on renewable energy sources. SEVEn takes part in the project as organiser for the South Bohemian Regional Energy Agency, who is the general partner of the project for the Czech Republic. The project includes the organisation of informational activities, exchange of experiences and case studies, which help to increase the use of sources for permanently sustainable energy projects. For interested parties, there is information, foreign experiences, instructions and case studies, as well as contacts for partner organisations available through seminars, information material, the www.ruse-europe.org website and other media that are available to interested persons from the south Bohemian region as well as from the entire Czech Republic.
South Bohemian Regional Energy Agency (KEA)
KEA has been managed by SEVEn since 2003 by the decision of the South Bohemian Regional Authority, in accordance with the Czech Energy Agency's Government Programme for the Support of Energy Savings and the Utilisation of Renewable and Secondary Sources of Energy. Recently, activities focused primarily on cooperation with the South Bohemian Regional Authority in the area of providing energy effective management of the assets of the south Bohemian region and recommendations for energy savings measures, evaluations and completion of the south Bohemian region's planning documents as well as the preparation of documentation for the economical handling of energy sources. The Regional Energy Agency was involved in many international projects and several training seminars have taken place. This, and other, information is available on the agency's website www.keajc.cz, which serves for the dissemination of information on the agency's work in the region.
TREAM - Transforming the Market for Energy Efficient Appliances and Products through the Use of Appliance Information Systems
SEVEn was a member of a consortium of partners from 8 European countries, who dealt with a project aimed at contributing to the protection of the environment by providing "manuals" for reducing energy consumption to the general public. Specific tools of the project were the organisation of training programmes on saving energy at home for elementary schools, which promoted energy saving awareness amongst pupils and their parents in the form of exercises and competitions. Also forming part of the project is the updated www.uspornespotrebice.cz website, which contains a large database of home appliances and their operational parameters and promotes information on energy signs and the possibilities of rational utilization of energy at home, or also the creation of a simplified energy analysis for the home that can be done through the project's internet site.
News at SEVEn
The magazine entitled "News at SEVEn" is a bulletin that has, since 1993, been providing clear information on the effective utilization of energy and renewable energy sources both in the Czech Republic and abroad. The bulletin is issued in Czech and in English and is sent free-of-charge to readers in the Czech Republic and also across the globe. Each issue is also available on SEVEn's website www.svn.cz.
Support of district heating systems in candidate countries
The project was aimed at the processing and distribution of experiences and good examples for the use of remote heating among managers, owners and decision-makers on a municipal level. An international team under the leadership of the British BRE drew up five manuals of which two were created by SEVEn - the Institutional Guide and the Ownership Guide). A comprehensive overview of the development and current trends on the remote heating market including its form of ownership and unbiased form of evaluation became the basis for publication Coming in from the Cold -- Improving District Heating Policy in Transition Economies by the International Energy Agency. The manuals are published, among others, on the pages of the International Association for District Heating, District Cooling and Combined Heat and Power - Euroheat and Power.
Forbiom - Biomass market forming
The aim of the project was support for development of the biomass market in Central and Eastern Europe. The subject of this solution was aid for investors in finding the best locations for the economic use of biomass for the production of heat from the point of view of biomass demand on the part of district heating and the potential offer of biomass. Part of the project was the implementation of an estimate on potential and costs for the acquisition of biomass in regions throughout the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Poland. In terms of the project, consultation support was also carried out on implementation of specific projects for the use of biomass for district heating.
Technical Assistance Contract on the Implementation of Prototype Carbon Fund Energy Efficiency and Renewable Projects
Identification of potential domestic Joint Implementation projects for inclusion into the Czech Energy Agency portfolio for the Prototype Carbon Fund of the World Bank. The evaluation of individual proposed projects and their holders, drawing up of documentation for the PCF, including comprehensive information on Project Annex, the evaluation of technical due diligence of projects and the financing of due diligence projects and project holders, the drawing up of reference development scenarios (Baseline Study) and monitoring plans, support of process for the creation of reference development scenarios, particularly in the electricity and heat generation sector, the verification of total emissions, the drawing up of annual reports and yearly reports on actual emission reduction achieved (Emission Reduction Reports) for individual approved projects. Evaluation of current, and preparation of new, projects for signature of agreement on sale of saved greenhouse gas emissions PCF with a total reduction of greenhouse gas of 650 kton CO2e., a total of 16 new projects for the greenhouse gas emission reduction were approved for signature, a calculation of projected emissions saving in new projects and the verification of actual emissions in approved projects. Seminars and training on the issue of trading with saved greenhouse gases, preparation of JI projects, drawing up of project documentation for PCF and the method of their evaluation, including calculation and verification of greenhouse gas savings achieved.
Energy efficiency housing in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other Balkan countries
As part of the Czech development assistance financed through UNDP, a project was realized aimed at the distribution of practical experiences from the Czech Republic in the preparation, implementation and utilization of economically effective energy savings in the municipal sphere, in the reconstruction and construction of buildings, including financing. SEVEn organised the visit of a number of experts representing civil services, municipal bodies, NGO's, business entities and international development and financial institutions active in Bosnia and Hezogovina to the international professional EEBW conference held in Prague, which mediated contacts and the latest experiences from the transforming countries as well as new EU member states. SEVEn subsequently organised a two-day professional seminar in Sarajevo, where it presented practical experience in the preparation of cost-effective projects related to energy saving in a municipal and state sphere and in the area of housing reconstruction. The working seminar was aimed at the actual needs and situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Evaluation of regional and local EU energy agencies
The aim of the project was to evaluate the past situation, the current situation and possible future direction of regional and local energy agencies in all EU states. SEVEn, as a member of a consortium of four partner organizations, was responsible for the Central European region. The project was processed custom-made for the European Commission with the aim of proposing measures that would lead to the improvement of organizational, financial and expert ability of each agency. The examination took place with the help of a questionnaire-based survey and individual interviews that helped secure the main problems and initial possibilities of individual energy agencies. The output of the project was a report to the European Commission containing an integrated set of recommendations for its further activities in the area of support for the establishment and activities of regional energy agencies.
Project for the modernization of district heating systems in Serbia.
The European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) is planning on implementing a project for the modernization of the remote heating system in several Serbian cities. The company SEVEn acted as consultant to EAR in the selection of suitable cities and in verifying their preparedness. The outcome of this stage was the selection of 5 cities (Čačak, Pančevo, Subotica, U?ice and Valjevo) and the preparation of documentation for the oncoming stage, which will be the announcement of a public tender for suppliers of the proposed measures.
Contact:
SEVEn, Stredisko pro efektivni vyuzivani energie, o.p.s.
The Energy Efficiency Center
Americka 17
120 00 Praha 2, Czech Republic
website: www.svn.cz email:seven@svn.cz
ph.: - 420- 224 252 115; fax: - 420- 224 247 597