Members of our team and representatives of the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority had the opportunity to participate at the ShareRES Third Interregional Event. The event took place on April 16th and 17th, 2024, in Riga (Latvia) and was hosted by Riga Planning Region.
On Day 1 of the event, all project partners got together to share experiences and best practices on the topic of energy communities. More specifically, we focused on renewable energy support mechanisms and community energy regulation in Latvia, sustainable urban energy development in the City of Riga, as well as on the new Hansa project which envisions a quality urban environment for everyone. Moreover, our partners from Spain, Ireland and Romania shared with us some insightful good practices taking place in their countries, while our Director presented the transformation of the University of Cyprus campus into a green and smart campus through the use of renewable energy sources.
On the second day of the event, we embarked on study visits in Riga, immersing ourselves in the city’s energy innovation. During the day we had the opportunity to draw some inspiration on the power of energy communities from Salaspils Siltums, Marupe municipality, and the Ogre Municipality Central Library.
Our first stop was the solar district heating system at Salaspils, which is the first solar district heating system in Latvia. Salaspils Siltums is Latvia’s most innovative district heating company, investing in solar thermal energy and energy efficiency of district heating systems and buildings. The plant is in fact the largest large-scale solar district heating system in Eastern Europe. This fully renewable district heating system is assisted by a solar collector system with thermal storage tank and woodchip boilers.
Our next visit was at the Ogre Central Library, which is currently the largest public wooden structure in Latvia, fitting into the category of passive or zero energy buildings. The library building is equipped with intelligently controlled lighting, which uses up to 80% natural light. Using the available resources and proving energy efficiency, a recuperation ventilation system is operated, which removes the air while retaining its heat. A unique heating system with a sewage heat exchanger has been built in the building, while a green plant wall has been created in the atrium which is irrigated by using the collected rainwater. Above the parking lot, on steel structures, solar panels are installed for local electricity generation.
The last stop of our study visit was at Mārupe Municipality, where Riga Planning Region initiated and implemented two small-scale community energy demonstration projects. The first pilot project uses a system of solar batteries and thermal collectors to produce electricity and supply heat in the communal areas of a three-story residential building (30 households). The second project was designed to produce electricity for self-consumption in a row house that consists of six households. These pilot projects are the first projects of this type in Latvia and are considered significant “sandboxes” for understanding practical, technical and institutional steps that must be taken to successfully establish energy communities in Latvia.
We look forward to the next ShareRES interregional event for more experience sharing!