The Association of Bulgarian Energy Agencies (ABEA) will organise its annual national conference for the sixteenth consecutive time on 29-30 November in “Vasil Levski 1” Hall at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Sofia.
The leading theme of this year’s event will be “Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources – the Challenges of the Energy Transition and Energy Poverty.” The conference will be held in a hybrid format, allowing both online and in-person participation by representatives of national institutions, municipalities, businesses, and the general public.
The conference will take place over two consecutive days, with the programme structured into four thematic panels:
- Financial instruments for energy efficiency in enterprises
- Decarbonisation solutions and low-emission urban development
- Legislative aspects of energy community development in Bulgaria and good practices in the EU
- Solutions to address energy poverty
The event will be officially opened by representatives of the Municipality of Sofia, the Association of Bulgarian Energy Agencies, and EnEffect.
On 29 November, within the framework of the first panel, a National Roundtable on Financing Energy Efficiency Investments in Bulgaria will be held under the title “Financial Instruments for Energy Efficiency in Enterprises.” Experts from the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Bulgarian Development Bank will present opportunities to address the challenges of the energy crisis, as well as good practices for financing sustainable energy projects in enterprises.
The discussions will continue in two parallel sessions.
The first parallel session, “Existing Financial Instruments Supporting Energy Efficiency and RES in Enterprises,” will focus on the following topics:
- What are the trends in the market for energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions, and which sectors and technologies attract the greatest interest?
- Does the Competitiveness and Innovation in Enterprises Programme contribute to increased interest in financing sustainable energy?
- What are the expectations regarding project quality and result monitoring requirements?
Participants will include representatives of UniCredit Bulbank, UBB, ProCredit Bank, Postbank, First Investment Bank, and the Alliance for Energy Efficiency (AEE). Invited participants also include experts from the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Econoler, the Bulgarian Construction Chamber, commercial banks, the Fund of Funds, the Bulgarian Development Bank, the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Sources Fund (EERSF), financial institutions, NGOs, energy service providers, municipalities, and others.
The second parallel session will focus on “Energy Management Systems in Enterprises.” Participants will include SEEA, AEE, EcoEnergy, NDEF, EERSF, energy service providers, financial institutions, energy agencies, and specialists.
The second presentation panel of the first day will focus on decarbonisation solutions and low-emission urban development. Results from the project activities of the Plovdiv Energy Agency will be presented, along with the benefits of their real-life implementation, including the introduction of low-emission urban zones to improve air quality and the installation of rooftop photovoltaic systems with energy storage in social housing to address energy poverty.
The production of renewable gases and the experience gained through the DanuP-2-Gas project will be presented by the Black Sea Energy Research Centre.
The second day of the ABEA Conference will be dedicated to the theme “The Energy Transition and Energy Poverty – New Challenges,” addressed through two panels:
Legislative aspects of energy community development in Bulgaria and good practices in the EU (Panel III) and Solutions to address energy poverty (Panel IV).
Panel III will include representatives from EnEffect, SOFENA, the Black Sea Energy Research Centre, WWF Bulgaria, and Greenpeace, who will discuss the challenges facing the development of energy communities in Bulgaria. Good practices from across the European Union will be presented, followed by a discussion with representatives of public authorities, professional organisations, and energy experts.
The final conference panel will present possible solutions to overcome energy poverty. Experts from the Sofia Energy Centre, SOFENA, the Black Sea Energy Research Centre, and the Centre for Sustainability and Economic Development – Pazardzhik will participate. The EU Energy Poverty Advisory Hub initiative will be introduced, along with national roadmaps for tackling energy poverty under the POWERPOOR project, and information on how to apply for technical assistance from the EU Energy Poverty Advisory Hub. Programmes and initiatives for the decarbonisation of household heating and cooling, as well as a residential heating comparison calculator and results from assessments of energy-poor households, will also be among the topics of the concluding panel.
Participants may choose between online participation and in-person attendance at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Sofia, where seating capacity is limited.