Local and regional energy agencies are essential players in the sustainable energy field, with distinct competence and agility to support innovative decision-making and enable large-scale investments in their regions and cities, bridging the key actors of the energy transition: citizens, public authorities and private companies.
This is why the European Commission has been committed, over the years, to empower local and regional agencies, by offering a dedicated initiative to provide them with tools and capacity to lead confidently the energy transition: ManagEnergy.
The ManagEnergy initiative was restarted in 2017, led by the Limerick Institute of Technology and managed by a consortium of leading European energy agencies (B.&S.U., Berlin Energy Agency, OÖ Energiesparverband, REGEA, Tipperary Energy Agency) and their network (FEDARENE). It was based on the idea that more energy efficiency and renewable energy investments are needed at the local/regional level in Europe and that energy agencies are in a unique position to support the energy transition in their regions and cities.
The initiative delivered outstanding results in the last three years, with a unique combination of capacity-building and networking activities: 8 Master Classes, 21 Expert Missions, 3 Networking Events were organised, involving one-fourth of the 350 European energy agencies in 25 countries. Three ManagEnergy Talks have featured keynote speeches by high-level experts, stimulating debate and engagement on critical and emerging topics and inspiring more than 500 stakeholders to drive investments and actions on sustainable energy. Moreover, almost 700 local and regional stakeholders were mobilised during expert mission, laying the foundation for over € 750 million of investments triggered by ManagEnergy participant agencies.
If you like to learn more about the role of energy agencies, their contribution to the energy transition and  the activities undertaken by ManagEnergy over the years 2017-2020, as well as important recommendations for the future, have a look at the Publishable Report.

More information about the results and achievements of ManagEnergy can be found on the project website.

Written by Seamus Hoyne (Limerick Institute of Technology - ManagEnergy trainer & coordinator)

Source: https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/news/energy-agencies-key-drivers-energy-transition