The Project includes four major activities:
3. Capacity building for the government and non-government organizations with respect to energy efficiency, renewable sources and emission reduction; and
ACTIVITY 3
CAPACITY BUILDING FOR THE GOVERNMENT AND NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS WITH RESPECT TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE SOURCES AND EMISSION REDUCTION
The efficient implementation and replication of best practices of the USAID Project requires professional capacity building among Ukrainian institutions and municipalities. The training of specialists ensures the introduction of the best international practices in Ukraine and the sustainability of the results, as well as the dissemination of the Project’s accomplishments on the municipal and national levels. This allows the creation of an enabling environment for implementing energy efficiency activities using market mechanisms. In addition, professional capacity building activities are needed to introduce standardized professional services such as energy audit procedures and the certification of auditors. Capacity building for ESCOs and improved Energy Performance Contract (EPC) practices are needed due to the novelty and complexity of the associated legal and financial instruments currently existing in Ukraine.
Within the framework of this task, local governments and NGOs which cooperate with the USAID Project learn new practices and methodologies and, accordingly, assume responsibility for both the activities and the results of implementing the new projects and technologies in Ukraine.
In the course of implementing this Activity, the USAID Project concentrated on:
Preparation of local NGOs to direct grant from USAID
During the first year of its activities in Ukraine, the USAID Project selected on a competitive basis four non-government organizations (NGOs) operating in the sector of energy efficiency / clean energy for future partnership. To ensure efficient cooperation, the USAID Project developed the Selection and Capacity Building Plan (SCBP) which identified, inter alia, the training needs of the selected organizations. Further, the Project assisted professional NGOs in conducting a series of workshops on the management of financial and human resources, procurement procedures and the implementation of EE/CE projects. The assistance and trainings prepared NGOs to further work on Project tasks.
Four small sub grants were provided to NGOs which successfully implemented the projects under their tasks: Association “Energy Efficient Cities of Ukraine” (“Practical model for the capacity building of a local self-government body in efficient energy management”); NGO “Association of Energy Managers of Ukraine” (Project “Introduction of the independent certification of energy management specialists”); NGO “Association of Energy Managers in Housing and Communal Services Sector” (Project “Support for the institutional capacity of Ukrainian cities in the development and implementation of a sustainable energy development policy”); NGO “Renewable Energy Agency” (Project “Natural gas substitution with biomass in heat energy production”).