Programma Altener

Cluster 5 "Green Electricity" – cluster structure and cluster work programme

3a. WORK PROGRAMME FOR CLUSTER 5 "GREEN ELECTRICITY"

Cluster structure
The cluster basically consists of five vertical tasks that will be carried out individually by the initial consortiums and four horizontal tasks that will be carried out in joined efforts by all cluster partners.

Vertical Tasks
The five vertical tasks will focus on specific problems renewable energy projects still face under present market conditions and contribute to improve their market position. As these tasks follow quite different approaches and study very different aspects of the renewable energy business, they cover a wide range of topics that will give a good overview of the current state and the future development of this industry:

• 'priority areas covered in the cluster: studies (2x) and pilot actions-financial and market
  instruments (3x),
• 'technological focuses: varying from specific technologies (e.g. PV) over a focus on specially cost-efficient technologies to broader approaches,
  
• 'regional focuses: from specific regions (e.g. South European cities, or Wales / Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur) to larger geographic units within Europe,
  
• 'Market players: projects focus always on specific market players from private households to highly specialised industrial players.

A short overview of the five vertical tasks that represent the pillars of the green electricity cluster is given below. A much more detailed definition of the work programme for each vertical task is given in chapter 3b.

Objective: Identification of success factors of different Green IPP project types under alternative market structures to identify best practice examples and develop new strategic positioning options for Green IPPs in liberalised power markets.

Approach: First, classification patterns are developed that permit a detailed differentiation between renewable energy project classes. In a second step, the current market situation of Green IPPs, i.e. profit-driven RE industry-focused professional market players, is evaluated during detailed empirical country studies. Success factors and role models of suitable project structures for this particular group of players are identified and disseminated within the RE industry to enhance further project development and the use of innovative project approaches.

Partner: This tasks will be carried out by and under the responsibility of the consortium led by the IIP (Proposal No AL/2000/005).

Objective: Identification of measures to overcome the discrepancy between the theoretically high demand for green electricity as indicated from MORI polls and the relatively low effective purchase of green electricity by domestic consumers.

Approach: The analysis activities at the beginning of the task comprise an examination of existing market barriers for green electricity and the identification of different consumer groups interested in the purchase of green electricity. Then new study tools and marketing techniques are designed and tested to evaluate market structures more in detail and to assess the effectiveness of past and forthcoming marketing activities. The generated insights will be actively disseminated to relevant market players.

Partner: This tasks will be carried out by and under the responsibility of the consortium led by Linden Consulting (Proposal No AL/2000/100).

VT3: Financial instruments based on insurance packages facilitating third party financing (PFI – AL/2000/228)

Objective: Development of a green electricity trading mechanism using innovative financial instruments based on insurance packages which will provide renewable electricity producers with the means to secure non-recourse project financing from financial institutions.

Approach: First, financial barriers to green electricity and green certificate trading are analysed focussing on access to finance in absence of a long term contract or guaranteed feed-in tariffs. Then, appropriate instruments based on insurance packages are developed securing renewable energy projects along the different stages of such projects, the presale and operational stage.

Partner: This tasks will be carried out by and under the responsibility of the consortium led by the Green Energy Trading Company (Proposal No AL/2000/228).

VT 4: Development and piloting of community investment clubs (PFI – AL/2000/095)

Objective: Facilitating and stimulating community ownership of renewable energy schemes in Wales and the Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur region in France via the development and piloting of community-based renewable energy ‘investment clubs’ (CREICs) as a financial and a market instrument at the same time.

Approach: Based on reviews on legal and administrative aspects of selling community shares in investment clubs and previous experiences with community investment structures in the EU, pilot community RE investment clubs are developed and established in both regions and a methodology on how RE projects can be implemented is developed. The promotion of CREICs in both regions will then focus on attracting community participation. Finally, replication opportunities in other European regions are studied.

Partner: This tasks will be carried out by and under the responsibility of the consortium led by Dulas Ltd. (Proposal No AL/2000/095).

Objective: Creation of local partnerships in several European cities that develop and implement necessary accompanying measures to foster national PV roof programs and that run a local campaign for the promotion of standardised PV roof systems, developed and purchased in the course of the project.

Approach: After establishing local partnerships within the international network, a thorough local market analysis will result in a product specification for PV roof systems adapted to local requirements. Next, the local partnerships will arrange bulk purchases for the developed system and facilitate training courses for installers and electricians. Additionally, financial instruments adjusted to the specific needs of the promoted PV system are developed and a publicity campaign prepared and launched

Partner: This tasks will be carried out by and under the responsibility of the consortium led by AGEVE
(Proposal No AL/2000/029).

Horizontal tasks
Given that the five vertical tasks within the cluster "Green Electricity" focus on very different aspects of the renewable energy business, it would be quite difficult and little helpful to directly combine two or even more projects given to high coordination losses. However, there are still important synergies that can be exploited, not by combining or linking tasks but by combining relevant resources. Every proposer – including also all further research entities of his consortium – possesses a specific set of resources, in many cases not even tangible but nevertheless very important, like contacts, knowledge about data sources or access to dissemination and communication channels. By mutually facilitating such resources to the other cluster members the overall research efficiency and dissemination effectiveness will be significantly increased. This will be realised within the different horizontal tasks.

HT 1: Mutual assistance in data acquisition and compilation
Objective: The research activities within the different usually cover different European countries and regions. As each cluster partner has a special knowledge on specific regions, normally its home country and neighbouring regions, the mutual assistance in data compilation will contribute to avoid double work and to reduce data collection time.

Approach: The cluster partners will mutually assist each other by indicating on request suitable data sources and/or contacts in their home countries. The exchange of already existing reports and studies will also reduce data acquisition work within the cluster. Additionally, the cluster partners will provide a list of relevant data sources, i.e. the corresponding websites, that are of particular importance to their corresponding vertical tasks. This list will be part of the cluster website facilitating interested parties easy access to additional information on topics covered within the cluster.

Partner: This tasks will be carried out by all cluster partners and will be coordinated by the technical cluster manager.

HT 2: Mutual exchange of interim results to provoke new insights
Objective: Although the five vertical tasks cover quite separated topics, the mutual exchange of generated insights broadens the view and deepens the view on the renewable energy business and might therefore give creative impetuses for the different projects.

Approach: The mutual exchange of interim results will take place by the exchange of interim reports and draft versions of special reports and by the invitation of cluster partners to specialised workshops of each consortium. The different workshops will create important places for the exchange of information and thus for the creation of new approaches. The table shown below indicates some of the results or information generated within the different vertical tasks that will be of interest in other vertical tasks. The table indicates sources and recipients of the different information. The information exchange will basically be realised by email and organised in a bilateral manner by indicating possible relevant information to other cluster partners once they have been obtained and also actively demanding helpful input from the corresponding sources within the cluster.

Partner: This tasks will be carried out by all cluster partners and will be coordinated by the technical cluster manager.

Objective: Increase public awareness of the cluster and support result dissemination.

Approach: By representing the different vertical tasks as parts of one large cluster focussing on renewable energy and by linking different project websites, third parties interested in the results of one particular project will also get informed about further research activities within and outside the cluster which will increase public awareness of each single project and of the cluster as a whole. Therefore, the cluster partners will provide on their project and/or the cluster website explicit links to the other projects (including external projects like AGORES). Additionally a common cluster website will give an overview of the whole cluster research work containing project descriptions, contacts and addresses of cluster partners, reports and announcements/minutes of workshops and/or seminars.

Partner: This tasks will be carried out by all cluster partners and will be coordinated by the technical cluster manager.

Objective: To use all possible synergies in dissemination efforts in order to maximise the impact of the results generated in the course of the cluster work on future project development.

Approach: Joint dissemination efforts can produce interesting multiplier effects. The joint use of existing communication channels to which only one cluster partner has direct access to increases significantly the number of dissemination options. The identification of third party representatives in the home country of each cluster member will foster the acquisition of external interesting speakers for all over Europe for the different planned workshops. Cluster partners will also be mutually invited to join workshops or seminars that might be organised in the course of the project. The interim and final reports will also represent part of this horizontal tasks as they will contain the different individual reports of every vertical task (according to the reporting scheduling indicated in the annex) as well as a jointly written cluster summary.

Partner: This tasks will be carried out by all cluster partners and will be coordinated by the technical cluster manager.

Important: For the horizontal tasks, the cluster partners will be liable together, whereas for the vertical tasks, each partner will be responsible only for his own project (i.e. the corresponding vertical task)!

Coordination tasks
Two cluster managers will coordinate the overall cluster. This cluster coordination is basically divided into two tasks, the technical cluster management and the financial management. Within the cluster it has been agreed that IIP will take over the technical management tasks and Linden Consulting Partnership will take over the financial management.

CT 1: Technical Cluster Management

Objective: The technical cluster management activities will focus on coordinating the different research activities within the cluster to ensure completion in time of the different tasks and to support synergies between them.

Approach: Hereby, the technical cluster manager will serve as a contact for the commission for technical aspects of the research activities carried out within the scope of the cluster. Another task will be the coordination of the preparation of interim and final reports. Finally, the technical cluster management will coordinate the different horizontal tasks including the establishment of a cluster website.

Partner: This tasks will be carried out by the technical cluster manager (IIP).

CT 2: Financial Cluster Management

Objective: The financial cluster management activities will focus on coordinating the preparation of cost statements and the settlement of the different payments from the commission to the cluster.

Approach: The financial cluster manager will serve as a contact for the commission for all financial aspects related to the research activities carried out within the cluster. He will coordinate the preparation of cost statements and distribute payments from the
commission to the cluster according to the budget scheme (see annex).

Partner: This tasks will be carried out by the financial cluster manager (Linden).

In the course of the project, both cluster managers will stay in close contact to ensure an efficient research work within the cluster. Although they will represent and carry out different management tasks, they will guarantee a constant and concise mutual information on cluster activities and eventually arising problems to facilitate quick solutions.

In order to reduce travel expenses it is not envisaged to hold formal cluster meetings, especially as the five cluster partners already met 12/09/2000 in Brussels together with the desk officer in charge, Mr Dirk Ullerich, in order to establish and discuss the cluster structure presented in this document. However, if significant problems arise in the course of the cluster project that cannot be solved in a bilateral way between the different cluster partners and with support of the two cluster coordinators, the cluster coordinators will arrange a meeting of a cluster steering committee consistent of the desk officer in charge, both cluster managers and representatives of the other cluster partners to solve such problems.