eeef and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland hosted a Public Lighting Workshop at the Energy Show in Dublin

Dublin – The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) joining efforts with the European Energy Efficiency Fund (eeef) hosted a financing workshop on public lighting retrofit projects for local authorities at SEAI’s Energy Show on 26th March 2015, titled ‘Public lighting projects - where are we now, and what is possible’. 

The workshop was open to both public and the private sectors attracting almost 100 participants. The first session included an introduction by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) on national energy policy drivers. SEAI provided an overview of public lighting opportunities including progress on overcoming barriers and project support offered, while Galway City Council gave an update of the on the status of their lighting retrofit project. The Irish National Energy Efficiency Fund and the European Energy Efficiency Fund (eeef) discussed funding opportunities and structures for public lighting projects followed by a presentation on the showcase project of the City of Venlo, in the Netherlands. The City of Venlo is retrofitting 16,000 public lights, financed by the eeef via a senior loan of EUR 8.5m. The project is expected to achieve up to 60% primary energy savings.

Over 15 local authorities planning public lighting projects attended a ‘clinic’ with the City of Venlo and eeef speakers, discussing in more depth best-practice guidelines, standard tender documents and evaluation criteria for public lighting projects.  The crucial first step for many is to build a comprehensive inventory of public lighting stock, whilst identifying technical and financial barriers to retrofit.

The workshop was part of many events taking place at the Energy Show 2015 which was a success story with the exhibition growing 20% and visitors up 10% to 3,800. The show hosted over 170 exhibitors along with multiple networking events, an extensive electric vehicle showcase, live retrofit demonstrations and an international markets pavilion.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland was established as Ireland's national energy authority under the Sustainable Energy Act 2002. SEAI's mission is to play a leading role in transforming Ireland into a society based on sustainable energy structures, technologies and practices.

The European Energy Efficiency Fund (eeef) S.A., SICAV-SIF is a “société d’investissement à capital variable” governed by Luxembourg law and was initiated by the European Commission in cooperation with the European Investment Bank. The initial capitalization provided by the European Commission was increased with contributions from the sponsors European Investment Bank, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti as well as the investment manager Deutsche Bank.