What is Local Sustainable Energy Planning?
    
 
Sustainable energy is a way of describing the production and use of energy in a way that does not threaten the ability of future generations to meet their own energy needs.

It encompasses the principles of generating energy from sustainable resources - Renewable Energy - and using that energy less wastefully - Energy Efficiency.

Sustainable energy planning is planning that focuses on ways to utilise renewable energy and energy efficiency to:

  • generate new investment and business opportunities

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  • create new employment

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  • provide new revenues for local needs

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  • improve the environment

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  • give local people and businesses new opportunities to grow using local resources and local power
 
 
How can successful Local Planning be achieved?

  
  • The first thing to remember is that sustainable energy planning is NOT JUST ABOUT ENERGY!
  • Local participation is a key element to a successful plan. This means understanding local people's priorities, needs and aspirations and, naturally, these will not necessarily revolve around energy. Issues of employment, health and education are more likely to be priority areas.
  • A successful plan must also fit with what local government is already planning, doing, investing in and promoting. So, any plan must address local needs and priorities, and build on local successes.
Who should be interested in the project?

In this project, case studies will be performed in the pilot regions of Biržai, Nové Zámky and Pivka. Other regions in Lithuania, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia respectively can also benefit by keeping a close eye on the project's progress.  Every region in each of these countries has the opportunity to develop a similar approach to planning, and to benefit from the prospects it can offer.