Project launch Civil Society Energy for Resilient Ukraine
Civil Society Energy for Resilient Ukraine — a two-year community project designed to help establish and implement renewable energy initiatives within communities, with the aim of ensuring energy resilience during the war and promoting a green energy approach to the country’s reconstruction through the creation of ‘green’ energy communities. The project is being implemented by the German cooperative WECHANGE eG in partnership with the NGO “SYNERGY Sustainable Development Agency” and is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.
The project coordinator is Viktoria Vostryakova, Chair of the NGO ‘SYNERGY Sustainable Development Agency’
e-mail: ngo_agency@sdasynergy.org
Телефон: +38 067 701 47 31
Participants in the Civil Society Energy for Resilient Ukraine project will join the ranks of ambassadors for the green energy transition in local communities and take the work of ‘green’ energy communities to a new level by implementing existing practices and developing new business models.
Target audience: staff of municipal energy efficiency departments, representatives of professional non-governmental organisations, business representatives (investors), representatives of companies capable of implementing and maintaining renewable energy projects, academics, students, local community activists, and representatives of non-governmental organisations
Civil Society Energy for Resilient Ukraine – a project that will help participants:
- develop renewable energy projects in communities based on the use of modern technologies and the principles of self-consumption and distributed generation;
- develop leadership and mentoring skills and become leaders of energy communities;
- make communities resilient to contemporary challenges and attractive to investors;
- address the lack of skills and limited knowledge in the management and financing of renewable energy projects;
- build connections and gain community support;
- acquire the basic knowledge and skills needed to create ‘green’ energy communities
WHAT DO WE OFFER?
CALL
The challenges of self-sufficient and environmentally friendly energy supply can be addressed through the creation of ‘green’ energy communities, whilst the development and resolution of energy case studies will provide students, professionals, social entrepreneurs and renewable energy enthusiasts with an opportunity to present their solutions to local communities. Throughout May, together with representatives from communities and the business sector, the most pressing case studies in the field of renewable energy currently on the agenda will be developed. In June and July, all interested activists with a basic understanding of renewable energy will form teams to work on solving the proposed green energy case studies.
MENTORING FOR TEAMS
Participants will have the opportunity to work in teams over the course of a month, consulting with mentors during group and one-to-one online meetings, which will help them evaluate the ideas they have developed, identify weaknesses and suggest useful resources for refining their solutions. Based on the results of the submitted solutions, community representatives will review the entries and select the best ones, whose authors will present their ideas in the championship final. The best teams and solutions (5 teams of up to 5 people each) will receive individual mentoring from Ukrainian and German mentors, a ready-made business plan for the project, and the opportunity to take part in a study visit to Germany in 2024.
MENTORING FOR EXPERTS
Ukrainian and German experts will share the knowledge and experience required for planning, developing and managing renewable energy projects and establishing ‘green’ energy communities, which they will gain during a study visit to Germany.
FOCUS GROUP RESEARCH
To identify the opportunities, obstacles and potential benefits of establishing energy communities in Ukraine, the project plans to conduct a mixed-format focus group study. The financial, technical and legislative aspects of establishing energy communities will be examined through three expert online focus groups (municipal energy efficiency service staff, representatives of professional civil society organisations, business representatives (investors), representatives of companies capable of implementing and maintaining renewable energy projects, and researchers), whilst the socio-environmental and informational aspects will be examined through two offline focus groups (local community activists, representatives of civil society organisations, and the media). Issues regarding the legislative framework, state support, potential models and expected benefits in terms of energy security and decarbonisation will be addressed by five small groups of experts within the framework of moderated focus groups. The focus group research will form part of an analytical document, a white paper entitled “The Development of Green Energy Communities in Ukraine” (working title), which is due to be published in 2024.
PUBLIC DIALOGUE
The concept and prospects of establishing energy communities, a roadmap for supporting potential energy communities, and the initial findings of the study will be discussed during two public dialogues with representatives of civil society and local communities in Ukraine, with the involvement of the media. The discussions will take place in person in two regional centres: Vinnytsia and Lviv. As part of these events, the results of three previously conducted online expert focus group studies will be presented. The research findings will be presented by Ukrainian and German experts. In addition, two offline focus groups are planned, and the programme will conclude with a media demo presentation of the best projects developed by participants as part of the case championship, open to representatives of communities, national and civil society organisations.
COMMUNITY
Activists and advocates for energy transition will come together on a single platform to facilitate effective collaboration, the exchange of expertise, mentoring and support, thereby creating energy communities.
COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT
The achievements and results of the participants and the project as a whole will be published on social media and on the partners’ online platforms (with their consent).
YOU ARE INVITED
propose your own case study for participants to address. A case study is a description of a specific task, problem or challenge currently facing the leadership of your rural, town or city local authority, the resolution of which will have a positive economic or social impact on the community’s residents.
Do you have expertise (financial, technical, legal, socio-environmental or IT) that could be useful for the development of energy communities or the design of renewable energy projects?
WE INVITE YOU to join the project
Support Ukrainian communities by offering advice, guidance and mentoring in the areas in which you work: project management, management and financing of renewable energy projects, technical expertise, fundraising, etc. Registration for a two-day in-person training course in Germany for mentors will open shortly.
And also to take part as a respondent in expert focus group studies on the challenges and prospects for the development of ‘green’ energy communities in Ukraine.
