PA: ENEA, outcomes of ES-PA project in support of energy and sustainability policies

Over 100 products and services available to Public Administrations, 150 training events involving thousands of participants, pilot projects and a single energy register of the Sicilian Region are the main results of the project ENEA ES-PA (Energy and Sustainability for Public Administration) presented in Rome during an event at the Chamber of Deputies.

Funded by the National Operational Program Governance and Institutional Capacity with 9.7 million euro, the five-year ES-PA project was coordinated by ENEA in support of regional and local administrations for an optimal use of European and national resources in the energy-environmental field, particularly in regional energy planning; seismic safety; environmental certification of public buildings; smart cities and smart lighting; energy production plants from renewable sources; energy efficiency and renewable sources for SMEs; circular economy and industrial symbiosis; electric smart grids.

 “The ES-PA project is a concrete demonstration of how to transfer innovation into the PA for a more efficient management, closer to the needs of citizens and businesses”, pointed out ENEA President Gilberto Dialuce. “To facilitate local and regional administrations to make use of European and national funds and plan energy and environmental sustainability policies – he continued – we have worked with mayors, regional technical and planning offices, making available technical personnel, products and operational services and training courses ranging from energy efficiency to the circular economy, up to the smart city".

In Sicily, the first national single energy cadastre was created in collaboration with the Region, which integrates the Energy Performance Certificates (APE) with heating systems and virtual buildings data and enable the geolocation of the buildings on the cadastral regional cartography.

Among the pilot projects implemented, Livorno has become the 'capital' of the ENEA PELL (Public Energy Living Lab) programme, which includes a network of smartLED street lights, remotely controlled traffic lights, sensors and cameras to manage traffic and vehicle parking and environmental monitoring, with energy savings of up to 70% and a cut of over 1,400 tons of CO2 per year. Other projects were carried out in Lampedusa and Matera to promote new production chains taking up the principles of the circular economy through the application of innovative technological, methodological and governance solutions and the strengthening of local skills on these issues.

 “We have had over 5 thousand downloads of the 114 products available on our virtual shelf as technical know-how available to those who shape territorial policies. Furthermore, we contributed to the creation of 150 dissemination events which reached over 2,500 participants", explained Alessandro Coppola, head of the ENEA Technology Transfer Directorate. “The project – he said – has had positive effects on many other players in the sector like SMEs, Universities, professional associations, consultancy firms, Energy Managers and EsCos, with whom we have created a network for sharing good practices”.

The project offered general policy and implementation tools which can also be adapted to individual needs. Furthermore, accompanying actions were performed in all phases of programming, mainly in the Southern Regions.

“Consistent with its mission, ENEA proposes itself as a partner of the PA in a future ES-PA Evolution program to improve the implementation effectiveness of cohesion policies and encourage the transfer of innovations and good practices on energy and sustainability, extending the pilot projects and successful experiences achieved so far to other territories, as in the case of Livorno, Matera, Lampedusa and the Sicilian Region", concluded Dialuce.