Concept for the establishment of a regional energy agency

The implementation of the German government's energy concept calls for active participation on the part of the relevant stakeholders, especially at a regional level. In this context, increasing the energy efficiency of buildings is one of the key challenges not least also addressed by the city of Leipzig. Previous experiences have shown that a regional energy agency can make a major contribution to the identification of energy saving and renewable energy use potentials. Such an agency is frequently the first port of call for an initial free consultation and for getting people in contact with regionally-based qualified experts that precisely meet their requirements.

A Fraunhofer Center Leipzig and University of Leipzig Research Center Local Energy Management joint project currently addresses the development of a concept for the establishment of a regional energy agency that will focus primarily on building efficiency; the already existing respective advisory services are also taken into account. In the course of the project, the areas which the activities of such an energy agency could potentially focus on are being analyzed and scenarios with regard to the structure of such an organization, its legal form and its geographical scope are being developed. In addition, the project aims to identify the long-term financing options for a regional energy agency under the assumption of regional stakeholder participation that are based on experiences gained with similar projects in Germany as well as on the latest scientific findings.