Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MICAT (Multiple Impacts CAlculation Tool)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-04-01 al 2023-11-30
Since more than a decade, the multiple impacts of energy efficiency (also known as multiple benefits, co-benefits or non-energy benefits) are widely discussed at the policy level as an important argument for more ambitious energy efficiency targets. With the revision of the EED in autumn 2023 (Regulation (EU) 2023/955), the importance of this topic grew again, since the implementation of the "Energy Efficiency First" principle (new Article 3 EED 2023) in the Member States also requires to consider "wider benefits" (synonymous with multiple impacts) in all relevant policy and major investment decisions. However, whereas multiple benefits are more and more used at international and European policy level to justify ambitious energy efficiency targets and policies, they are rarely quantified or even monetized. Methodological approaches to quantification were used in particular in the H2020 projects COMBI and ODYSSEE-MURE . Based on these approaches, the MICAT project developed a comprehensive approach to quantify and monetize the multiple impacts of energy efficiency, which is the overarching goal of the MICAT project. The multiple impacts have been grouped into three categories: social, economic and environmental impacts. For in total 23 impacts from these three groups, detailed factsheets have been developed including quantification and monetization methodologies for each impact. For the concrete calculation of these impacts, the MICATool was developed, which is the heart of the MICAT project. The tool is publicly available on the MICAT website . The tool can be used either with own data or with default data, which are already stored in the tool. It allows for holistic analysis of multiple impacts at European, national and local levels. A detailed documentation supports the use of MICATool. Examples for the possible calculations are available in several policy briefs and other deliverables and products provided in the MICAT project. The MICAtool will be further developed in the follow-up project SEED MICAT. The main goal of this project is extending the scope of MICATool to allow the analysis of potentially competing or complementary paths and options to climate neutrality.
I. Development of an overall quantification and monetisation concept for multiple impacts (MI) as a basis for the online calculation tool (MICATool). This includes a) the categorisation of the MI in in the three overarching categories of social, economic and environmental impacts b) the development of factsheets for 23 impacts including a specification of the scope of impact, an impact pathway figure illustrating the causal chain, a discussion of potential overlaps with other impacts, the quantification and monetization method and calculation steps applied, a discussion of methodological challenges and limitations, a list of data requirements, and finally the impact factor or function that has been incorporated in the MICATool to quantify the respective indicator.
II. Development of a methodological framework and concepts for the aggregation of monetary values of the multiple impacts assessed and for conducting a comprehensive cost-benefits analysis (CBA).
III. Development of the MICATool split up into a back-end and a front-end. The latter is publicly available on the MICAT website and can be used either with own data or with default data, which are already stored in the tool. The tool also includes a detailed documentation , where the methodology and workflow of the MICATool is explained.
IV. Development of a core stakeholders’ engagement strategy for the three governance levels taken into account in the MICAT project (local, national, EU). Before the relevant stakeholders have been identified, three cities and three EU Member states have been chosen which directly participate in the MICATool and deliver the necessary input data. At the local level, the following cities have been selected in a tender process: Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country, Spain), Calvià (Mallorca, Spain) and Tartu (Tartumaa, Estonia). At the national level, the following Member States have been chosen: Germany, Italy, and Poland. Three workshops have been taken place at each of these levels which accompagnied the selection of the indicators and the developement of MICATool in order to make it as user-friendly as possible.
V. Development of the communication, dissemination and exploitation strategy for the MICAT project. In the beginning of the project, this strategy was laid down in a plan, which was updated one time. Major products for project communication and dissemination as well as the exploitation of the MICAT results were: newsletters, social media channels, a project brochure, infographics and posters, journal articles, the stakeholder workshops mentioned above, 5 webinar series, 10 policy briefs, 8 podcasts, 5 videos produced and finally the presentation of MICAT results at the final conference.
II. Development of a methodological framework and concepts for the aggregation of monetary values of the multiple impacts assessed and for conducting a comprehensive cost-benefits analysis (CBA).
III. Development of the MICATool split up into a back-end and a front-end. The latter is publicly available on the MICAT website and can be used either with own data or with default data, which are already stored in the tool. The tool also includes a detailed documentation , where the methodology and workflow of the MICATool is explained.
IV. Development of a core stakeholders’ engagement strategy for the three governance levels taken into account in the MICAT project (local, national, EU). Before the relevant stakeholders have been identified, three cities and three EU Member states have been chosen which directly participate in the MICATool and deliver the necessary input data. At the local level, the following cities have been selected in a tender process: Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country, Spain), Calvià (Mallorca, Spain) and Tartu (Tartumaa, Estonia). At the national level, the following Member States have been chosen: Germany, Italy, and Poland. Three workshops have been taken place at each of these levels which accompagnied the selection of the indicators and the developement of MICATool in order to make it as user-friendly as possible.
V. Development of the communication, dissemination and exploitation strategy for the MICAT project. In the beginning of the project, this strategy was laid down in a plan, which was updated one time. Major products for project communication and dissemination as well as the exploitation of the MICAT results were: newsletters, social media channels, a project brochure, infographics and posters, journal articles, the stakeholder workshops mentioned above, 5 webinar series, 10 policy briefs, 8 podcasts, 5 videos produced and finally the presentation of MICAT results at the final conference.
Whereas multiple benefits are more and more used at international and European policy level to justify ambitious energy efficiency targets and policies, they are rarely quantified or even monetized. For the first time, the "Energy Efficiency First" principle, as laid down in Article 3 of the EED recast, requires for the first time cost-benefit analyses of relevant policy and major investment decisions also taking into account the wider benefits of energy efficiency solutions. The MICATool and its calculation methodologies for multiple impacts of energy efficiency can meet this requirement. Against the background of the long-term target of climate neutrality, calculation tools are also needed which allow the analysis of potentially competing or complementary paths and options to climate neutrality. In order to meet this future requirement, too, the multiple impacts framework of the MICAT project is extended to other options to reach climate neutrality (esp. renewable energies) in the follow-up project SEED MICAT which started in December 2023.