With many countries addressing climate and energy issues, the IMEAS project aims to support local and regional administrations, government agencies and other actors involved in the implementation of low-carbon energy initiatives in the Alpine Region. The project, whose lead partner is based in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, increases these actors’ capacity by providing guidance, fostering collaboration, and helping to create roadmaps for sustainable energy strategies.
- 14 January 2019
IMEAS worked with many stakeholders to create the right collaboration mechanisms, analysing actors’ roles and responsibilities in implementing low-carbon energy strategies. The project partners developed useful tools and concrete practices to support the actors in their initiatives. They created the IMEAS web platform to provide easy-to-use tools and documentation, along with case histories and networking opportunities. IMEAS will provide blueprints for the development of a low-carbon model beyond 2020 in partners’ territories.
One of the main problems facing the diverse organisations interested in promoting low-carbon policies is the difference of approaches across both sectors and borders. IMEAS recognises the need for coordinated, sustained action and is developing activities to support local and regional initiatives. The aim is to promote an integrated approach between partners; provide practical tools and guidelines; and to maximise the Alpine Region leadership in the new European energy union while limiting carbon emissions.
Universal message, integrated approaches
The transition to low-carbon energy policies involves changes to the political landscape: implementing new technologies, radical changes to business models, and greater public awareness of the effects of failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
A working model for a low-carbon energy transition must be realistic and robust, acknowledging the many public and private actors responsible.. With this in mind, IMEAS is developing a stakeholders’ network model, which will be used to describe the networks of public and private actors involved in the process – taking into account the relations among them and the incentives behind their decisions.
IMEAS also supports low-carbon initiatives via its web platform, which provides comprehensive guidance to make actions more efficient and effective. These tools and guidelines provide practical support and help projects and individuals share their innovations and experiences. The platform also includes roadmaps for long-term, low-carbon energy development throughout the region after 2020.
Bringing a low-carbon future to life
Understanding the need to change how we think about the energy system is one of the biggest challenges facing both the EU and the rest of the world. Recent studies have shown how effective partnerships between government agencies, individuals and private enterprises can drive the achievement of climate and energy targets.
However, without a proper understanding of how the players in the energy market can work together to design sustainable low-carbon strategies, local and regional administrations will continue to find it difficult to implement them. IMEAS addresses these difficulties by recognising the multidimensional nature of the process, involving multiple economic sectors, competences and governance levels, thereby promoting integration.
While the project has not directly created any jobs, it addresses many issues related to energy and climate planning, which represents a growing research and innovation sector.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “IMEAS Integrated and Multi-level Energy models for the Alpine Space” is EUR 2 146 210, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 1 580 876 through the “Interreg - Alpine Space” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.