Over the medium-to-long term, the project aims to help rural regions cover up to 100 % of their energy demand from local sources, boosting renewable energy and increasing security of supply in the process.
- 04 December 2014
VIS NOVA can be seen as an initial point for a sustainable energy development in the rural regions and the Transnational Cooperation Agreement can be origin of further projects between the project partners.
The project works by seeking to ensure that regional development policies include systemic efforts to use local renewable energy sources and reduce energy waste. It does this by helping local and regional authorities to develop and implement new energy plans and pilot projects based on best practices.
These pilot projects have helped create a transnational exchange of best practices. For instance, the scheme can provide information about new cutting-edge energy innovations in use elsewhere in Europe to encourage authorities to also implement these technologies in their local areas.
Successful pilot projects
The benefits provided by the VIS NOVA can be seen in the success of the pilot projects it supports, such as the geothermal heating system installed in the Szekszard Spa and Sports Centre in Hungary. Heat generation in the centre used to come from natural gas but by boring 350 meters into the ground around the centre, it became possible to tap into ground water at a temperature of 32 degrees centigrade. Combined with a solar thermal system on the Southern side of the spa, the overall result was a 56 % reduction in the cost of heating the centre.
Other examples include the installation of a modern power management system to reduce electricity use at the Ignacy Łukasiewicz school in Gorlice (Poland) on the initiative of the Gorlice County Council; and a new 30MW Biomass Energy Centre in Mohács (Hungary) that uses local by-products instead of natural gas for the production of heat. The establishment of a Virtual Power Plant at Delitzsch in the District of Northern Saxony is another pilot project, aiming to achieve a full energy autonomy of the municipality buildings.
These projects, among several others, plan to reduce energy costs and energy consumption, while promoting the independence of rural areas in terms of their energy generation. They aim at strengthening the economic competitiveness of regions and promote territorial cohesion. Locally produced cheap and sustainable energy also helps drawing businesses to an area, resulting in the creation of new jobs.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “VIS NOVA” is EUR 2 665 661, of which the EU’s European Regional Development Fund is contributing EUR 2 106 626 from the Operational Programme “CENTRAL EUROPE” for the 2007 to 2013 programming period.