In this section you can find technical and non-technical barriers that are relevant to the collaboration of two or more companies towards Energy Cooperation.
Home Barriers to the energy cooperation and solutions
In this section you can find technical and non-technical barriers that are relevant to the collaboration of two or more companies towards Energy Cooperation.
The most frequently named barriers for the energy cooperation solutions are:
The most important success factors observed within the Eco-Innovation Parks are:
Coordination and Management
Looking at existing Eco-Industrial Parks, a functioning management body, who is responsible for planning and managing the energy efficiency measures throughout the park, is one of the most important success factors.
Self-declaration, promotion and awareness
Taking the general barrier of “missing knowledge” into account, the self-awareness and promotion of an industrial park and its companies is very important.
If all direct and indirect participants, are aware of the meaning of and the positive consequences of energy cooperation and are convinced of the concept, such projects will succeed more easily.
It is about implementing a kind of philosophy, boosting interest and commitment.
Business Models/Economic value
There are several business models1 which mainly focus on waste exchange but some of their insights can be adapted for energy cooperation as well. For S-PARCS waste heat producing and heat demanding companies are essential as well as enterprises producing waste materials suitable for waste-to-energy systems, such as CHP.
1. Fraccascia, L., Magno, M. and Albino, V. (2016) ‘Business models for industrial symbiosis: A guide for firms‘, Procedia Environmental Science, Engineering and Management, 3/2: 83–93.
Financial incentives
According to a study from UNECE2, banks and financial institutions lack knowledge of energy efficiency financing. Furthermore, tax incentives, low interest loans for energy efficiency projects, de-risking of investments through governmental support and improved access to commercial financing are listed as possible success factors for industrial energy efficiency.
2. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) (2017) Overcoming Barriers To Investing In Energy Efficiency: United Nations.
Policies
The main difference is the origin of the Eco-Industrial Park, such as self-organized or planned. In both cases the necessary legislative and regulatory framework has to be given, to stablish a successful system. These planned EIP’s were often based on a centralized top-down approach by diverse governments, who created the required policies.