During the International Conference of Climate Alliance (4-7 October) we investigated together with the CITYnvest pilot region Rhodope practical examples of financing energy efficiency for the people and by the people. Participants first brainstormed on recurrent barriers they face when attempting to launch participatory financing models and then were given the opportunity to look at a variety of financing models, ranging from:
- Launching a “one-stop-shop” between municipalities to get energy efficiency investment projects off the ground in Bulgaria presented by Eftima Petkova (CITYnvest pilot region Rhodope). Ms Petkova illustrated how her municipality Smolyan collaborates with five others in the Rhodope Region to launch a one-stop-shop model, aimed at getting energy efficiency investment projects off the ground while mobilising the entire value stakeholder chain
- ESCO financing: Energy Performance Contracting models explained by Konstanze Stein of the Climate Protection and Energy Agency (KEA presentation) of Baden-Wuerttemberg,
- Local authority use of crowdfunding and cooperative models introduced by Nuno Brito Jorge (Citizenergy presentation).
During the discussion, bridges between the first challenges identified and potentials to overcomes these were explored. Main issues concerned the debt ceiling, the challenge to cluster projects, the community ownership and many more. Read about them and the future steps here.
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