Innovative societies Water-smart societies Climate-neutral societies 

Interreg makes
a difference!

Explore how people in the Baltic Sea region have been benefitting
from our projects.


#MadeWithInterreg solutions for

Renewable energy

From practical tools and training to engaging people into action: Interreg projects showcase how efficiency in working beyond borders leads to efficiency in energy use. 

What are we doing?

To modern societies, there is no other way than investing into renewable and alternative energy sources, which are sustainable, abundant, cleaner and provide a higher energy security at the same time. However, the energy transition is not easy. To cope with an urgent need to share knowledge, develop and test new methods, technologies and cooperation concepts, Interreg projects come into play. They enable to tackle the challenge of energy transition and reaching strict climate goals in the most comprehensive way possible: by pooling from expertise of people of various professions, rolling out best practices across regions and uniting people in the joint cause.

 
Examples of #MadeWithInterreg solutions:
  • business models for small-scale forest bioenergy plants
  • enhanced use of biomass for energy
  • a coordinated Baltic Sea offshore electricity grid
  • improved planning for the setup of windfarms, solar parks and biogas plants
  • renewable community energy projects
  • a framework to exchange their national plans for developing energy corridors and shipping routes

What we’ve achieved so far

The Baltic Sea region has made significant investments to become more energy-independent and self-sufficient. At the beginning of the 2000s, Interreg projects helped analyse local biomass resources and identify suitable sites for energy plants and wind farms. Regional councils and spatial planners worked with farmers, forest operators, investors, and companies to develop bioenergy businesses. From 2009 to 2014, regions developed strategic plans for using locally available biomass for renewable energy production.

From 2016 to 2021, projects helped spatial and regional energy planners develop new criteria for planning and approving renewable energy systems, including wind farms, biogas plants, solar parks, and energy storage. Regions improved their renewable energy strategies and engaged residents through cooperative partnerships focused on different energy sources: wind, heat, solar, and biomass. At the pan-Baltic level, projects enhanced joint planning among countries and developed a plan for a coordinated offshore electricity grid to connect wind parks from different countries at sea. National authorities learned to better coordinate the future development of energy corridors in the Baltic Sea, with industry, research organisations, associations, and planners.

Ongoing projects

The ongoing projects focus on enhancing energy security in the region by ensuring uninterrupted energy supply and enhanced access to renewable sources of energy. These include solar energy, biogas, hydrogen, along with setting up or improving the infrastructure for its use. This goes hand in hand with assisting cities and regions better meet climate goals, and a handful of software or decision-making tools for more climate-friendly municipal energy and climate planning. In parallel, projects build acceptance among communities by engaging them actively into energy transition processes.

Supporting the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

Our projects actively test solutions for renewable energy production and use, contributing to the goals of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) to enhance regional energy connectivity. In collaboration with the coordinators of the EUSBSR policy areas Energy, Spatial Planning, and Transport, our projects assist cities and regions in accelerating the production of renewable energy. By leveraging locally available resources and promoting advanced renewable energy use, our projects and the EUSBSR coordinators help create a resilient and eco-friendly Baltic Sea region.

Explore project solutions in more detail:

StratKIT

Innovative Strategies for Public Catering: Sustainability Toolkit across Baltic Sea Region
The StratKIT project built a path for more sustainable public catering services by addressing relevant procurement strategies in the Baltic Sea region.
Read more about the project

NovelBaltic

Market driven authentic Non-Timber Forest Products from the Baltic region - focus on wild and semi cultivated species with business potential
NovelBaltic helps small and medium-sized enterprises to improve the market uptake of non-timber forest products from the Baltic Sea region.
Read more about the project

InnoFruit

Advancement of non-technological innovation performance and innovation capacity in fruit growing and processing sector in selected Baltic Sea Region countries
The project InnoFruit created a sustainable network of fruit-growing companies to make them more successful and competitive across the Baltic Sea region markets thanks to the exchange of innovative solutions.
Read more about the project

Baltic Sea Food

Baltic Sea Food
The Interreg project Baltic Sea Food developed a new business model for business-to-business (B2B) distribution in the local food sector and helped small and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas to improve business performance.
Read more about the project

GRASS

Growing Algae Sustainably in the Baltic Sea
GRASS helped ministries, regional administrations and municipalities as well as businesses understand benefits of macroalgae cultivation as a new blue economy opportunity for the region.
Read more about the project

Circular FoodShift

Circular FoodShift in the Baltic countries
The project Circular FoodShift helps authorities in rural and peri-urban municipalities transform food models with less food waste at schools and gastronomy and new businesses upcycling food and food waste.
Read more about the project

BASCIL

Innovative Solutions for the Rural Food Production Sector to Diversify into Sustainable Culinary Tourism Services
The project BASCIL helps local food producers in rural areas diversify their business into sustainable culinary tourism services, and thus reach new customers.
Read more about the project

KISMET

KISMET – sustainable food environments
The project KISMET helps public authorities create favourable conditions for food producers and consumers to choose sustainable food options.
Read more about the project

StratKIT+

Innovative Strategies for Public Catering: the Expansion of the Sustainable Public Meal Toolkit
The project StratKIT+ guides public authorities, catering providers and others on sustainable procurement for schools, daycare, hospitals and other public institutions.
Read more about the project

Change(K)now!

Change(K)now! – A mindset change from single-use to circular or multiple-use of food delivery systems in cities of the BSR
The Change(K)now! project helps municipalities reduce single-use food packaging in food delivery and catering systems, and build social acceptance among companies and people for circular reuse of food packaging.
Read more about the project

BSR Food Coalition

Baltic Municipality’s Food Coalition
The project BSR Food Coalition connects local farmers and public authorities to ensure regular access to organic food meals at schools, and thus a continuous demand for healthy food supply.
Read more about the project

MainPotRe

Maintenance and scaling up potato growing and consumption heritage in Northern Baltic region to build up resilient communities
In the project MainPotRe potato breeders, gene bank holders, research institutions, authorities, and NGOs work together to enhance the self-sufficiency of communities and food security in the region by improving access to planting material of local potato cultivars.
Read more about the project

TETRAS

Technology transfEr for Thriving Recirculating Aquaculture Systems in the Baltic Sea Region
In the project TETRAS, public authorities trigger fish and shrimp farming on land, which reuses water from industries related to energy production and geothermal resources.
Read more about the project

RoundGoby

Promoting commercial fishing of Round Goby in the Baltic Sea
To develop a commercially viable fishery of invasive Round Goby fish species, the project RoundGoby helps authorities amend the legal framework and guides enterprises in producing suitable fishing gear and fish products for local markets.
Read more about the project

eRural resilience

Creating resilient rural communities in BSR based on the opportunities of digital bio businesses
The project eRural resilience enables local authorities and business support organisations in rural areas to help SMEs increase their digital literacy in e-marketing of bio products and thus seize new business opportunities.
Read more about the project

FoodLoops

Local cooperation for circular biowaste in schools and beyond
The project FoodLoops establishes cooperation among schools, caterers (SMEs), farmers, and professionals in a circular economy to improve biowaste separation at source, prevent excessive food waste and reuse it as organic compost.
Read more about the project

Results stay with the people: listen to our #InterregVoices:


©Sara Seing

Joining this particular project made me rejoice as it provided us with the opportunity to address the issues we had long desired to work on and cooperate with others who share our vision. (...) The Sustainable Public Meal Toolkit offered by the project is incredibly useful for our organization’s work.

Sara Seing

Södertälje Municipality, Sweden
STRATKIT+ project


©Ilga Gruševa

In Latvia, we are especially proud of those partners who took the lead partner role in Interreg projects. Here I can name for example the project InnoFruit, which created a sustainable network of fruit-growing companies to make them more competitive in the Baltic Sea region market.

Ilga Gruševa

Monitoring Committee member, Latvia


©IB.SH

Local food producers need innovative and practical solutions for culinary tourism to meet the specific needs and expectations of visitors in the post-pandemic era. The capacity of small producers to get enough visibility and attention in tourism market is usually very limited. Thus, they also need a solution for efficient marketing of joint tourism products.

Anna Kaiponen

Rural Tourism Association Lomalaidun, Finland
BASCIL project

#MadeWithInterreg solutions by topic

Agriculture

Attractive cities for people

Cleaner waters

Digitalisation

Energy efficiency

Fewer hazards

Health &
well-being

Healthy & sustainable
food

Inclusive 
communities

Renewable energy

Safety at sea

Strong & competitive
companies