ELENA
ELENA, "Eu Local ENergy Assistance", is an EU grant scheme for financial support and advice for energy projects, which aims to create significant energy savings. The grant scheme is administered by the European Investment Bank.
Avedøre Fjernvarme has applied for an ELENA grant for the renovation of the district heating in the supply area for low-temperature district heating, as well as for energy renovation of the homes in Avedøre Stationsby South and North (part of "Avedøre Green CIty". The ELENA organization has recommended this to the EU Commission, which has now approved the application.
The project is described and agreed within 3 years, which is the ELENA program's time frame. Within the project, an average energy saving of 30% must be provided.
Facts - ELENA
• ELENA stands for European Local Energy Assistance
• ELENA is a joint initiative between the European Investment Bank and the European Commission.
• ELENA supports with technical advice on projects that focus on the implementation of energy efficient solutions as well as sustainable energy and transport projects.
• ELENA supports with up to 90 per cent. of the costs of technical advice, but the total subsidy can be a maximum of five per cent. of the total construction costs in the individual projects.
• For more information - see: http://www.eib.org/products/advising/elena/index.htm.
Project financing
The ELENA project provides grants for technical assistance for energy projects, both external and in-house technicians.
There is also the possibility of financing in the form of loans from the EIB (European Investment Bank) and mortgage credit associations, supplemented by own funds allocated to the purpose.
Purpose
ELENA gives Avedøre Fjernvarme the opportunity to investigate, develop and improve the technical and planned preparatory work for the energy renovation project. This means that Avedøre Fjernvarme can form a special “ELENA PROJECT ORGANIZATION”, which has the task of developing, implementing and completing the energy renovation projects, gaining experience in getting the best possible price and practice for the improvements.
Avedøre Green City’s vision
Avedøre Green City (AGC) is a visionary collaboration between citizens, companies, organizations and institutions that want the area to be sustainable. Across the cadastres, consumption and production are combined. Therefore, AGC is geographically defined by the area that Avedøre Fjernvarme covers.
Based on the UN 17 sustainable development goals (SDG), concrete initiatives and projects are created, developed and carried out in an interaction between the parties. The SDGs are incorporated into all projects with a view to creating sustainable and holistic solutions. As mentioned above, these include energy renovation, energy production, mobility, health, education, equal democracy, circular economy, job creation, gender equality, smart IT, climate adaptation and biodiversity.
Economy
At least € 24,031,800 or approx. DKK 180,238,500 is dedicated to the project. An investment of that size is the prerequisite for obtaining the grant. There is € 1,201,590 from the European Investment Bank to the ELENA Secretariat, but expenses of € 1,335,100 must have incurred, with a self-financing of 10%.
A little more than half will be external advice, while the other part is used by employees of Avedøre Fjernvarme, by so-called “seconded personnel”, who come from EBO Consult A / S and European Green Cities and the social housing prganisations in the area.
Development and experiments
With the project, Avedøre Fjernvarme expects to be able to develop systems and methods for establishing a 4th generation low-temperature district heating system in the entire supply area. The low-temperature district heating system is balanced in relation to the renovation and optimization of the buildings that the system is to supply.
At the same time, the district heating system is optimized to the maximum for a sustainable energy supply - with solar cells and heat pumps.
In the project, Avedøre Fjernvarme collaborates with the energy industry, researchers and developers as a natural necessity to achieve the best possible effect of improvements and efficiency in energy consumption.
Technical Assistance - ELENA Secretariat
The work program for technical assistance from ELENA activities involves:
1. Establishment and operation of a coordination unit in Avedøre Green City
2. Technical investigations and analysis with regard to optimization of district heating
3. Energy certification, feasibility and design studies to optimize energy efficiency (EE) in blocks, terraced houses and a family houses
4. Resident involvement and involvement of other stakeholders and communities
5. Tender procedures
6. Fundraising (“financial engineering”)
7. Energy management program
If you want to learn more or visit Avedøre Green CIty, please contact the secretariat by contacting:
Erik Christiansen, director and project manager - erc@ebo.dk
Elsebeth Terkelsen, ELENA Secretariat - et@greencities.eu
