Advanced tool for elaborating a sustainable energy and climate action plan at municipalities level

Abstract

The present paper aims to develop an advanced tool “SECAP-SSP” to support and facilitate the production of a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan in Municipalities. The methodology will investigate all possible environmental, economic, and territorial potentials through choosing the most optimal list of actions with selected criteria and will ensure its compliance with the Covenant of Mayors launched by the European Commission. First of all, a survey has been conducted to study the various human activities in terms of energy consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the availability of renewable energy sources for the municipality of Hammana in Lebanon taken as a case study. Then the tool has established the Baseline Emission Inventory and developed the action plan with real and measurable objectives. Measures are mostly related to adopting solar energy for thermal and electrical supply, energy conservation and energy efficiency strategies in buildings, waste and water management, and greening the transportation. Focused analysis show that enhancing buildings’ envelope and adapting solar water heaters have reached a reduction of 2442.9 t CO2-eq/year in the GHG emissions with a payback period of around five years. This study has examined the implementation of two of its proposed actions.