PROSPECT

The overall aim of PROSPECT is to enable peer to peer learning in regional and local authorities in order to finance and implement their sustainable energy plans.

Objectives

• to develop and execute a complete and easily replicable peer to peer learning program addressing at least 180 local and regional authorities through prominent local and regional associations and agencies. The learning program will be focused on the development of financing schemes for implementing local authorities’ SECAPs. The program is structured in five modules (each one representing a sector relevant to the above mentioned plans) namely public buildings, private buildings, transport, public lighting and cross-sectoral.
• to create effective and productive peer-to-peer groups among regional and local authorities and agencies within and outside consortium partners, in order to ensure the exchange of experience and expertise

The learning program will entail tools specifically tailored for peer to peer learning. These tools, such as mentoring, work shadowing, and site visits will enable the proper matching of peer groups, which will feed in information on the development of financing for sustainable energy plans. The trainers and trainees will be selected out of a pool of experts from the PROSPECT partners’ networks’ members (Energy Cities, FEDARENE and EUROCITIES) and beyond based on their expertise and needs in a transparent selection process.

• to build partnerships that will stimulate mutual understanding of each other’s issues, situations and challenges with the aim of exploring new ideas, options and solutions.

PROSPECT will build partnerships with local and regional authorities and their associations targeting at exchange of experiences for developing finance for sustainable energy. Next to that, it will identify and connect stakeholders (based on their needs) that develop energy plans on multi-governance levels in order to increase the coherence of such plans (either for national reporting purposes or SEAPs).

• to identify and set up proper replication mechanism for the learning programs available to regions/cities beyond the consortium network and the project’s duration.

The strategic (medium to long term) objectives of PROSPECT are

– to build capacity of public authorities in financing sustainable energy plans through peer-to-peer learning activities

– to help public authorities and their agencies use the rich experience available, which is yet difficult to appropriate solely on their own, and

–  to link public authorities at the regional and local levels and their respective associations along with energy policy makers, associations of planners, technical experts, financing bodies on sustainable energy, and local actors in an intra-European network through an innovative peer-to-peer leaning experience on financing sustainable energy projects and measures.