Sustainable Plus Energy Buildings and Neighbourhoods (PEBs and SPENs) can play a crucial role in achieving climate and energy targets as large-scale projects simultaneously improving community facilities, health, wellbeing, safety, public spaces and affordable housing. SPENs, much like energy-positive buildings, can reduce and avoid creating peak electricity demand on the grid. As this peak demand is currently usually met with carbon-intensive generation, SPENs could contribute to peak shaving of the energy demand and become an integrated part of the local energy system. The SPEN concept offers an opportunity for building users to take ownership of their home, and to create low carbon living spaces that would integrate on-site renewable energy sources, local storage facilities and energy sharing hubs to exploit 100% GHG emission savings.
There are several barriers holding back the development of PEBs and SPENs across Europe including, but not limited to: lack of sectors integration, of common standards and definitions, as well as the limited consistency and alignment between policies. However, there is a strong will to move towards neighbourhood approaches, emphasised in key European directives and initiatives such as the Renovation Wave strategy, the Energy Performance of Buildings and the Renewable Energy Directive.
Local-level decision and policymaking is exceedingly important to create the necessary synergies and partnerships for the implementation of SPENs that respond to local needs, utilise local renewable sources, disseminate benefits to energy community members and generate added value for the greater local communities. It is important to use the policy window of the Fit-for-55 package and related reforms of the EU climate and energy architecture, such as the revision of the EPBD by the end of 2021 which should acknowledge the potential of districts and community approaches.
This webinar will dive into the barriers and opportunities that the existing EU, national and local regulatory frameworks provide for the development of SPENs on the ground and will highlight concrete and successful examples of SPEN implementation at local level.
The workshop will enable a dialogue between what is needed for SPENs versus the current policy landscape, and will identify best practices of local implementation of SPENs across Europe. The workshop is aiming to help build the European SPEN Community, launched by the Syn.ikia project, and to continue the discussion and build bridges between the various sectors that SPENs cover.
Please register for the event here.
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