Two pilot case-studies have been showcased in Gozo – the experience of San Lawrenz and MIEMA within LOCAL4GREEN and PEGASUS projects at the International and National Seminar of Victoria.

The Interreg MED LOCAL4GREEN project came to an end last week at the Cittadella Cultural Centre of Victoria – Gozo – when MIEMA (Malta Intelligent Energy Management Agency) organised the last International & National Seminar.

It brought together partners and stakeholders from nine partner regions (Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain).

During the conference, a number of European mayors and technical experts showcased the best practices and lessons learnt during the past 3 years-process of supporting policymakers to define and implement innovative local fiscal policies.

These were intended to promote renewable energy sources (RES) both in the public and private sector and households, mainly in the framework of the Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs) adopted by Local Authorities signatories of the Covenant of Mayors.

LOCAL4GREEN project enabled the Malta Intelligent Energy Management Agency, in association with the Gozo Regional Committee, to build up relevant knowledge and experience in the field of the “Green local taxation systems and practices,” in order to put forward recommendations to the Government on the methodology developed as a tool to support and advise local stakeholders on the subject – still at its initial stage in Malta and Gozo.

MIEMA said that in fact, a pilot study was carried out in Gozo – and more specifically in the municipality of San Lawrenz – in the first phase of the project and as part of the transferring phase the partners focused on the presentations of the project results on a national and international levels.

It added that the event also served as an opportunity to share in front such an international audience the results achieved by MIEMA within the Interreg MED PEGASUS project in improving the awareness, effectiveness and implementation of local micro-grids as an innovative model of sustainable energy community.The micro-grid model envisaged through the PEGASUS project aimed at demonstrating the advantages of implementing a “community based micro-grid” in the village of San Lawrenz.

MIEMA explained that “the expected advantages of such model have been assessed in terms of a more reliable and cost-effective energy system supply; and in line with the possible scenario of its replicability and deployment by any other small locality in Malta and Gozo for a better promotion of the uptake of RES, as well as, to achieve a higher efficiency electricity generation, by self-producing the majority of electricity required in site.”

The mayor of San Lawrenz, Mr. Noel Formosa, and MIEMA technical staff illustrated the identified benefits of the Gozo micro-grid, underlining on one hand its direct economic impact – such as the provision of lower energy costs to the community members – and the environmental impact on the other, since the micro-grid model has been estimated to reduce a total of 32.688 tons of CO2 yearly in the community.

MIEMA is inviting the public to the “PEGASUS and STEPPING Projects Final Conference” this Thursday, the 31st of October at the Europe House, 254 Saint Paul Street – Valletta.

The community event will be the occasion to present the results achieved through the implementation of these two projects in Gozo and Malta.

For info and registration, kindly mail us at info@miema.org or visit the facebook page.

For further information please see: https://local4green.interreg-med.eu/ or https://pegasus.interreg-med.eu/

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