A project to modernize street lighting in the cities of Ocniţa and Cantemir became the winner of the second edition of the EU Sustainable Energy Award for the Eastern Partnership. The two cities installed modern, energy efficient street lighting as part of a program to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020. The implemented system is a premiere for Moldova. This enables street lighting operators to direct and monitor street lighting from a distance, through mobile networks, president of the Alliance for Energy Efficiency and Renewables Irina Plis related in debates staged by IPRE, IPN reports.
Both Ocnița and Cantemir signed the EU-supported Covenant of Mayors - Demonstration Projects. Irina Plis said this trophy inspires to implement more energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in the country’s localities, helping thus the local public authorities to achieve the objectives assumed by the Covenant of Mayors – East.
Irina Plis also said that owing to the grant offered by the EU, about 800 street lamps were replaced and an intelligent system for managing and operating street lighting was created. “Such an intelligent technology, combined with LEDs, enable to save over 30% of electricity consumption. By modernizing street lighting, Ocnița and Cantemir will contribute to reducing CO2 emissions by about 200 tonnes a year. “Currently, we are monitoring the functioning of the system and can confirm that the saving of 30% is real,” stated Irina Plis.
According to her, another project launched in 2018 with EU support envisions the thermal rehabilitation of education intuitions in Cantemir. This includes a series of broad measures to insulate the facades of buildings, to rehabilitate heating systems, to install photovoltaic panels, solar hot water collectors, biomass power stations, etc.
In the future, it is planned to develop an energy management system at the Cantemir mayor’s office so as to monitor all the energy savings as a result of these accomplishments. Irina Plis said that together with the mayor’s offices, these localities become models that can be replicated elsewhere.
The debate “Development of Energy Efficiency Projects: green pact for the Republic of Moldova?” was organized by the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE) with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
