The implementation of energy-saving measures, the use of renewable sources, and related solutions in transport – these are all areas that have been discussed since 2016 by the SEMMO platform, which was founded among others by the city of Litoměřice. "Currently, this association has 26 members and actively raises awareness among other representatives of cities and municipalities about sustainable municipal energy, not only through the semmo.cz website, but also through professional seminars and conferences ," explained Jaroslav Klusák, chairman of the association.
Among other things, the association is part of the European POWER UP project, funded by the Horizon 2020 program, which focuses on energy poverty, and in cooperation with the South Moravian Region, it participates in the LIFE-JINAG-EnU project, which is dedicated to comprehensive energy consulting with a focus on the renovation of public buildings. Awareness-raising and educational activities are now taking place as part of the PROSPECT CUBE project.
Thanks to the Association, representatives of local governments are connected with experts in the energy sector, and cities and municipalities are involved in innovative projects. One of these is the SYNERGYS project, which was presented to the meeting participants as a model for the use of shallow and deep geothermal energy.
The SYNERGYS project is a pioneer in the use of geothermal energy in combination with other renewable sources. In the future it will provide cities and municipalities with information on how to implement these complex systems. The project also seeks to simplify the legislative processes involved in their approval.
Michal Svoboda from the Association of local authorities of the Czech Republic shared his knowledge and experience in the field of wind energy. His vision is an energy transformation that takes end users into account. "Within the Association of local authorities and Local action groups, we encourage representatives of towns and municipalities, local associations, and citizens to take the initiative in deciding on the construction of wind turbines in their area. Wind energy brings great profit, and this should be fairly distributed between the developer and local players," adds Michal Svoboda.
However, in addition to wind requirements, there are also legislative barriers to their implementation. The easiest way to implement turbines is in so-called acceleration zones, where legislative conditions have already been partially reviewed and the construction and permitting process takes only one year, compared to twice that time in other parts of the country. However, acceleration zones represent only 4% of the total area of the Czech Republic.
Other restrictions on the construction of wind farms include, for example, a ban on their installation in protected areas and military zones, a requirement for a minimum distance of 500 meters from buildings, and specific conditions for their construction in the vicinity of public roads.
The SEMMO meeting is one of many events that help connect key players and stakeholders in their efforts to achieve energy transformation. Whether it is geothermal or wind energy, renewable sources are the basis of our independence from fossil fuels. Through joint effort, we will succeed in achieving this goal. We are happy that the team of RINGEN research centre was part of it.
