The Conference of the Peripheral and Maritime Regions Climate Taskforce aims to:
- engage the Regions in the implementation of the Paris Agreement; understand the economic, social and environmental impact of climate change in peripheral maritime Regions;
- share the Regions’ experiences on climate change mitigation and adaptation;
- ensure synergies with existing projects, as well as with the key objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
On the 26th January 2021, the CPMR Climate Taskforce met virtually to explore the results and ongoing impacts of the CPMR Climate Act! initiative.
During the event, John Gallagher, Senior Engineer, Donegal County Council, presented the SMARTrenew project, funded by the Northern Periphery and Arctic Interreg programme. John highlighted the need to improve the uptake of smart renewable energy mix and energy storage in rural and sparsely populated regions of Northern Europe, which are still over-reliant on fossil fuels for heating and energy.
John also showcased the SMARTrenew pilot undertaken at Milford Public Services Centre & Community Library by Donegal County Council. Under this pilot, Donegal County Council, developed a renewable mix of air source heat pumps, solar PV array and pumped cavity insulation.
John Gallagher highlighted that this pilot removed the dependency on heating oil and provided a smart renewable energy mix as well as smart heating and electric controls. John also profiled how renewable energy technologies have been further implemented by Donegal County Council across other public service buildings under SMARTrenew, including the Council HQ building in Lifford, where photo-voltaic panels were installed to support the Council's drive to reduce fossil fuel dependency.
Download Donegal County Council's CPMR Climate Taskforce presentation here