The application of crowdfunding to the energy sector has been relatively recent, starting in 2012, mainly used to support energy projects and to a very limited extent energy efficiency projects.
Crowdfunding has never been used to date in the context of district heating, thus the investigation is needed to further understand:
- What crowdfunding could deliver for district heating projects
- The evaluation of different crowdfunding models and their strengths and weaknesses for certain applications
- The potential rewards and returns offered
- The forms of engagement and their strengths and weaknesses
The form of this study could ideally be a preliminary study, based upon one of the TEMPO pilots, including possible generalisable conclusions for EU-wide application.
About the TEMPO project
The TEMPO – Temperature Optimisation for Low Temperature District Heating across Europe – project develops technical innovations that enables district heating networks to operate at lower temperatures. By decreasing the temperature in the systems, it reduces heat losses and allows a higher share of renewable and excess heat to be used as heat sources. The project also develops new business models to boost network competitiveness and attractiveness for stakeholder investment. TEMPO kicked off in October 2017 and will run for four years. It is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme for Research and Innovation.
Euroheat & Power launches a request for proposal to subcontract a research study on crowdfunding as a new financial tool for district heating within the TEMPO project. The study will be carried out within the work package on replication and business models and the aim is to make an external funding assessment and determine to what extent crowdsourcing can be used as a viable option for business model funding.