IRDA Energy
From Septemper 2010 till February 2012, six island energy groups from Ireland and Denmark will participate in a joint project to produce energy action plans.
This transnational project is environmentally based and builds on initial work undertaken during the National Rural Development Programme.
It is a joint initiative to address issues common to the islands in both countries.
It pools know-how and promotes networking and sharing of information across different jurisdictions.
Work and training
The partners in the project are the LAGs with responsibility for offshore islands in Denmark and Ireland.
Three Danish and three Irish island energy groups, which are already established and working with energy on their islands, will be trained by experts in the field in putting together frameworks for development of a sustainable energy strategy for their island.
The training will ensure that they are capable of planning and scheduling implementation stages for the achievement of the objectives of their strategy. The groups will be assisted by Consultants to achieve this.
Inspiration from Samso The groups will visit the island of Samso in Denmark, a small island that has succeeded in achieving an energy positive status, to meet with representatives of the group that developed their plan and to study the lessons learned in that process.
Sharing of experience
Workshops will be organised locally, nationally and in the partner countries to enable cooperative working under expert guidance.
Groups will be brought together nationally in their own countries to exchange experiences and to develop their energy plans in a shared environment.
Furthermore, all groups will meet up for joint activities three or four times in each of the two countries, making the participant groups able to exchange information, experience and best practice.
Presentation of plans
Each participant group is expected to produce an energy strategy and implementation plan during the project.
The project will culminate in a final conference where the energy action plans of each island will be presented to a wide audience.
Various impacts
The project is anticipated to have the following impacts:
• A heightened awareness of energy conversion and efficiency on the participant islands
• An immediate economic gain
• Environmental benefits
• Employment for island communities
• An example of good practise