Sustainable energy development planning for regions in Lithuania: Kaunas region case

Abstract

Sustainable energy planning is a new process in Lithuania which was mainly fostered by actions both in public and private sectors. Sustainable energy development planning for regions in Lithuania means assessment of economic, environmental and social consequences and implementation of measures related to energy efficiency (refurbishment of buildings, municipal infrastructure, district heating, businesses, etc.), increased use of decentralised renewable energy sources and improvement of transport (development of public and private transport policies, use of RES, improvement of transport efficiency, etc.) as well as promotion of intelligent energy behaviour by energy consumers and businesses. Energy efficiency measures, renewable energy projects and other energy-related actions can be introduced in various activity areas of local and regional governments. However, the biggest impact here is laid at local level within the competence of the local governments, which act as consumer and service provider, planner, developer and regulator, advisor and, in certain cases, producer and supplier. On the example of Kaunas Region the paper assesses motivation for sustainable energy development, overview of existing available data for sustainable energy planning, evaluate, which sectors of economic activity have the biggest potential for sustainable energy development in Lithuania’s regions and what are the problems related to implementation of such planning. The paper also presents which requirements should be included into public procurement procedures to enable public bodies find best solutions in reaching energy efficiency goals. Special attention is paid to fulfilment of the sustainability criteria and defining achievable planning targets for sustainability actions.