The Cartuja Scientific and Technological Park (PCT Cartuja) and Technological Corporation of Andalusia (CTA) participate in the European SPEEDIER project, that has just officially begun after its launch meeting today and tomorrow in Cork (Ireland). This European project, which will last 30 months, has a budget of 2.1 million euros and is co-financed by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union (EU). The objective of SPEEDIER is to encourage the carrying out of energy audits and the implementation of energy saving measures in SMEs.

SPEEDIER includes 4 pilot areas for its execution, one of them will be the PCT Cartuja. According to the European resolution, it is an added advantage to have spaces in which SMEs coexist and can be grouped, since they are capable of undertaking initiatives based on economies of scale, such as the Sevillian Park.

The project is based on the self-financing by SMEs of both the energy audit and the implementation of energy saving measures. To do this, it will be outsourced to an energy administrator, which SMEs can access when they need it. The self-financing will be achieved through an energy performance contract, whereby the consultant would retain a part of the savings achieved as payment for the duration of the contract.

Thus, several barriers marked by the EU are overcome: lack of experience of SMEs, lack of resources (time and money), perception of the high cost involved in carrying out energy audits and inability to act due to lack of control of services of the building in which they are located.

The consortium that will work on this project is led by IERC and consists of 6 Research and Technology Centers (Limerick Institute of Technology, Tecnological Corporatin of Andalusia, Cartuja Scientific and Technological Park, Politécnico de Milano and Institut de Tecnología de la Construcción de Catalunya), 3 SMEs (TFC Research & Innovation Limited, Sustainable Innovations and Vertech Group), and 1 Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) -Asociatia Agentia pentru Efficienta Energetica si Proteclia Mediuliu.

SPEEDIER is a highly innovative one-stop-shop solution that applies an integrated approach to energy management, providing information, advice, capacity building, energy auditing, financing, implementation of energy efficiency solutions and monitoring of impacts.

SPEEDIER is expected to contribute to energy saving with approximately 8 GWh/year and 1,280 tCO2/year. Within the lifetime of the project, SPEEDIER will train more than 650 staff in the best practices of energy saving. The project will build capacity as well among 50 SPEEDIER experts.