SECOND AMBASSADOR TRAINING ORGANISED IN AUSTRIA

Published: Tuesday, 27 April 2021

On 22.04.2021 and 29.04.2021, the Austrian partners hosted their second Ambassador training in the form of a webinar. At the beginning of the first webinar, Andreas Karner, from the lead partner, ConPlusUltra, provided a sketch of the most evident effects of the pandemic on energy consumption and the economy. Then, predictions were made about the long-term changes to be expected in terms of the role of renewables in the post-pandemic world.  

 

These developments were then linked to the use of innovative financing mechanisms for energy efficiency projects. After providing a summary of all three instruments covered by E-FIX (ESCO, leasing and crowdfunding), the seminar focused on crowdfunding. In particular, it looked at the different project types suitable for crowdfunding and the main criteria to be met for a crowdfunding project to be viable. 

After that, Thomas Lindner from Vienna University of Economics presented a catalogue for the evaluation of energy projects, which was developed in the framework of the E-FIX project. This is a tool, which makes it possible for potential investors to assess the viability of energy projects. Such a tool is important as it reduces the complexity of such investments and increases their attractiveness by reducing the level of perceived risk.

The webinar ended with the presentation of a number of case studies and examples of crowdfunding projects related to energy efficiency. It was noted that crowdfunding is particularly appropriate for the renovation of buildings and for street lighting projects. Municipalities were identified as key partners for such crowdfunding projects. The webinar was attended by 14 stakeholders and representatives currently involved in the implementation of energy projects with a special interest in identifying new sources of finance. 

A further webinar was organised by CONDA on 29.04.2021, which provided in-depth information on crowdfunding as an innovative energy financing instrument as well as on the setup of crowdfunding campaigns. At the beginning of the webinar, Daniel Horak, the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of CONDA, talked about the rationale behind founding the company. He then explained the main developments in the crowdfunding sector, showcasing the different opportunities crowdfunding entails as well as the advantages over other financing mechanisms along with the associated implementation challenges. Finally, the newly established crowdfunding platform “crowd17.at” was presented, which is going to be launched by mid-May in order to promote energy and environment-related projects in Austria. A total of 11 participants attended the webinar.