Summer School in Thessaloniki / Greece
28-30/June/2022 - the citizen energy movement in the Balkans
Organized by: EUCENA project, COMPILE project
- Thessaloniki, Greece
- 28/06/2022 - 30/06/2022
- Duration: 3 days
- Participants: Citizens, community leaders, institutions, municipalities, supporting organizations
CC4.0-Photo by Dockashi
Description
The citizen energy movement is evolving all over Europe, crystalizing the need for citizens and local communities to access renewable and affordable energy, such as solar and wind energy, and to contribute actively to the transition to a just, democratic and inclusive energy system across Europe.
This summer school will foster networking at the Balkan level and cross-country exchange of ideas, tools, knowledge, and good practices. It will also begin consolidating the community energy movement in Eastern Europe, where citizen energy is just developing, and foster collaboration with partners from Central Europe and Western Europe, which already has a strong tradition of citizen energy.
The overarching objective of the summer school is to start forming a Balkan Community Energy Network through a growing community of practitioners/ambassadors and to support the growth of energy communities in the Eastern region of Europe.
The key themes of the training are networking, capacity building and knowledge transfer.
What is included?
- Free of charge participation in all sessions of the summer school
- Travel expenses
- Accommodation on 27, 28 and 29 June
- Breakfast, coffee breaks and lunch on 28, 29 and 30 June
- Dinner on 28 June
- "Balkan citizen energy ambassador" accreditation
- Free access to training material
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Application
If you are interested in participating in the summer school, you can send your application through the link below.
Due to limited venue capacity, not all applications will be successful. Applicants will be chosen on a range of criteria including, but not limited to, country of origin, gender and background. Successful applicants are expected to stay for the whole 3-day duration of the summer school.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The application period for national and international applicants closed on 09/05/2022. Only applicants located in Thessaloniki can still apply.
Day 0 - 27/06/2022
- Venue: Ypsilon hub
- Starting from 17:00
Session: Informal get together meeting (prior to the official
launch of the summer school)
Description: Welcome Space
- Venue: Warehouse C, Thessaloniki port
- 09:00 – 10:45
Session: PLENARY 1
Description: Summer school opening session
- Introduction and welcome (20’)
-
Antonia Proka, PhD (RESCOOP.eu / EUCENA project), Valbona Mazrecu (Milieukontakt Albania), Dimitris Kitsikopoulos (ELECTRA energy coop)
- Stanislas Herbemont (RESCOOP.eu / COMPILE project
- Michael Koupkas, Deputy Mayor & chief resilient officer (City of Thessaloniki)
- Keynotes (70’)
-
Dirk Vansintjan (president RESCOOP.eu): Challenges, opportunities and next steps for citizen energy in Europe -
Prof. Nikos Hatziargyriou (National Technical University of Athens): The role of citizens in the energy transition
-
Krisztina Andre (president BBen): Growing the citizen energy movement in the Balkans -
Prof. Konstantinos Tsitselikis (University of Macedonia): Social, geographical and cultural bonds among Balkan countries
- Venue: Warehouse C, Thessaloniki port
- 10:45 – 11:00
Coffee Break
- Venue: Warehouse C, Thessaloniki port
- 11:00 – 12:45
Session: P1.1
Description: Gender justice
Challenges and proposals
Co-organizers (tentative): REScoop.eu, WECF
Session: P1.2
Description: Just transition in coal regions
- Challenges and proposals
- Examples from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and the UK
- Co-organizers (tentative): GreenTank, Ophelos energy communities network, Greenpeace
- Venue: Warehouse C, Thessaloniki port
- 12:45 – 14:15
Lunch Break
- Venue: Warehouse C, Thessaloniki port
- 14:15 – 16:00
Session: P2.1
Description: Energy poverty
Securing access to clean and affordable energy through
citizen energy projects: challenges, ideas and solutions
Co-organizers (tentative): University of West Attica,
RESCOOP.eu, WECF, INZEB
Session: P2.2
Description: Energy markets and the role of citizens
How do electricity and gas markets work? Is there room for
citizen energy initiatives?
Co-organizers (tentative): SmartRue Lab (Technical
University of Athens), REScoop.eu (REScoop VPP team)
- Venue: Warehouse C, Thessaloniki port
- 16:00 – 16:15
Coffee Break
- Venue: Warehouse C, Thessaloniki port
- 16:15 – 17:45
Session: P3.1
Description: Citizen energy and the role of Municipalities
- Challenges and opportunities
- Procurements for energy communities
- Case studies: Albania, Bulgaria, N. Macedonia, Romania, Croatia, and Greece
- Co-organizers (tentative): Energy Cities, REScoop.eu, Municipality of Krizevci
Session: P3.2
Description: Social impacts of citizen energy projects
Understanding and measuring the social impacts of citizen
energy projects
Co-organizers (tentative): Heinrich Boll Stiftung,
REScoop.eu
- Venue: TBA
- 20:00
Dinner
- Venue: MOMus, TIF
- 09:00 – 10:45
Session: P4.1
Description: HOW TO START: Building a citizen energy initiative
- Citizen engagement, team building, legal registration, networking, communications, governance
- Digital tools, guides, repositories.
- Co-organizers (tentative): BBen, RESCOOP.eu
Session: 4.2
Description: Transposition process of European directives
Co-organizers (tentative): RESCOOP.eu
- Venue: MOMus, TIF
- 10:45 – 11:00
Coffee Break
- Venue: MOMus, TIF
- 11:00 – 12:45
Session: P5.1
Description: WHAT TO DO: Citizen energy projects, services and business models (PART I)
- Technologies (solar, hydro, wind, green hydrogen, biomass, biogas)
- Self-consumption, supply and production, energy-saving and efficiency, citizen-led renovation, energy management, electric mobility
- Comparative analysis among different east-European countries
- Co-organizers (tentative): BBen, Ecopower, ZEZ, Karditsa cooperative, RESCOOP.eu
Session: P5.2
Description: Citizen energy policy making and advocacy
- Key international, European, and national citizen energy laws, strategies, directives, and policies
- How to design and run successful citizen energy advocacy actions
- The importance of networking
- Co-organizers (tentative): RESCOOP.eu
- Venue: MOMus, TIF
- 12:45 – 14:15
Lunch Break
- Venue: MOMus, TIF
- 14:15 – 16:00
Session: P6.1
Description: WHAT TO DO:
Citizen energy projects, services and business models (PART II)
- Technologies (solar, hydro, wind, green hydrogen, biomass, biogas)
- Self-consumption, supply, and production, energy-saving, and efficiency, citizen-led renovation, energy management, electric mobility
- Comparative analysis among different east-European countries
- Co-organizers (tentative): BBen, Ecopower, ZEZ, Karditsa cooperative, RESCOOP.eu
- Venue: MOMus, TIF
- 16:00 – 16:15
Coffee Break
- Venue: MOMus, TIF
- 16:15 – 17:45
Session: P7.1
Description: HOW TO FINANCE IT: Financing citizen energy projects
Tools, solutions, models, and mechanisms
Co-organizers (tentative): DBU, Genervest, Compile
partners, REScoop SCCALE partners
- Venue: M. Anagnostakis room, Thessaloniki Town Hall
- 09:00 – 10:30
Session: PLENARY 3
Description: Citizen energy projects development: Key findings
Building on and combining P4.1, P5.1, P6.1, P7.1
- Venue: Thessaloniki Town Hall
- 10:30 – 10:45
Coffee Break
- Venue: M. Anagnostakis room, Thessaloniki Town Hall
- 10:45 – 12:45
Session: PLENARY 4
Description: Summer school summary and next steps
- Summer school summary
- Balkan Citizen Energy Ambassadors – building a pool of citizen energy experts in the Balkans (accreditations to be awarded)
- Next steps
- Venue: Thessaloniki Town Hall
- 12:45 – 13:15
Lunch Break
- Starting from Thessaloniki
- Departure 13:15
Trip to Halkidiki (optional)
- Field trip to WenCoop solar park
- Closing event: Networking and wine at a beach hotel in Halkidiki.
We will arrange the return trip back to Thessaloniki on the same day at a time that will be decided closer to the day of the event. Please note that it is the participant’s responsibility to arrange departures from Thessaloniki back to their home countries, or accommodation for the night of the 30th of June either in Thessaloniki or Halkidiki.
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