Jennifer Reichert is part of the scientific staff at Project Management Jülich, a national funding agency in Germany. In the Department of Energy Efficiency in Buildings she manages research projects on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. As chair of Implementation Working Group 5, she has coordinated the execution of the Implementation plan since March 2019. Jennifer Reichert studied Metallurgy and Materials Science at RWTH Aachen University, Germany, and holds a PhD in Materials Engineering from the University of British Columbia, Canada. She has worked in the field of materials science in Brazil and Belgium.
JENNIFER REICHERT
The Implementation plan on energy efficiency solutions for buildings (SET Plan Activity 5) was endorsed by the SET Plan Steering Group in November 2018. The implementation working group (IWG) 5 consists of two sub-groups focusing on ‘New materials and technologies for energy efficiency solutions in buildings’ and ‘Cross-cutting heating and cooling technologies for buildings’ and covers a large number of topics.
A promising kick-off meeting was held in June 2019. In total, 18 Members, including national representatives, stakeholders and representatives of the European Commission, came together in Brussels to discuss ways forward, including funding options for joint actions as well as suitable means to measure the progress of executing the Implementation plan. A catalogue of key performance indicators (KPIs) was finalised, addressing the various targets, such as increasing the amount of renewable heat in district heating and cooling by 25 %, and cutting down on renovation time and cost for energy-related retrofits.
As different challenges require different approaches, the IWG not only focuses on new developments but also looks at synergies and efficient ways to disseminate existing solutions. Stakeholders from the shallow geothermal and the heat pump community are actively cooperating with IWG 5 regarding decarbonised heating and cooling solutions. To reach the 2050 climate goals, all heaters using fossil fuel should be replaced by carbon-neutral systems by 2030. While shallow geothermal energy is considered a niche technology, it has the potential to be a game changer for the transition to clean energy for all Europeans.
'Buildings cannot be considered as stand-alone quantities, though, as they are connected to the energy grid on one hand and form a district as part of a city on the other'
Buildings cannot be considered as standalone quantities though, as they are connected to the energy grid on one hand and form a district as part of a city on the other. An overlap exists with other IWGs, such as IWG 4, considering the resilience and security of the energy system, and IWG 3.2, on positive energy districts. There is exchange among these working groups, and possibilities for joint actions will be assessed.
The SMARTSPEND programme recently delivered an overview of overlapping activities among the various SET Plan Implementation plans that will serve as guidance for the establishment of joint actions. An example that I would like to highlight are living labs, combining energyefficient buildings with their surroundings, including the district and the people living there, who must be involved to enable the energy transition. A wider perspective should also be taken when considering the lifecycle of buildings and their components.
'Together with new developments, synergies and efficient ways to disseminate already existing solutions are the focus of the SET Plan Implementation Working Group on buildings'
Cooperation with the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) is also planned. As there is currently no EERA joint programming tailored to the targets of SET Plan Activity 5, alternative options, such as suitable sub-programmes, are under consideration.
The next physical meeting of IWG 5 is to take place in Helsinki in November 2019, during the SET Plan conference. Anybody interested in contributing to the IWG is welcome to join.