The overarching objective of EU-MERCI is to support, in a coordinated way, the growth of energy efficiency in industry processes. It will develop methods and tools for assisting EU industry in the effective implementation of energy efficiency improvements and in the monitoring of the energy savings, in application of the 2012/27/EU Directive.
The methodology will be based on the analysis of thousands real energy efficiency projects implemented according with the current energy policies and measures in different MSs and dealing with tenths of different industry sectors and processes. Energy efficiency solutions will be identified according with agreed criteria concerning applications, processes and technologies: best practices, algorithms and procedures of efficiency assessment will be derived, harmonized and standardized. The outputs of EU-MERCI will be specifically validatedat a pan-European level for the agrifood industry through SPES and in the other industrial sectors through the involvment of relevant stakeholders.
The goals are to answer these questions:
- What are the most effective actions improving the efficiency in a particular process or industry sector?
- How to specifically implement them?
- What are the most promising technologies?
- What is the efficiency improvement attainable with each action?
- How to measure, monitor and report the savings?
- What are the associated costs?
EU-MERCI, with recommendation and specific dissemination actions, will also assist policy makers and public authorities in the assessment of the effectiveness and transparency of the mechanisms, giving them also a picture of the technologies and efficiency improvements to incentive.
Lessons learned from countries with consolidated energy efficiency schemes in place will be transferred to less advanced countries.
Finally, it is expected that, as a result of the assistance to industry, the number and effectiveness of energy efficiency improvements will greatly increase, thus contributing to the attainment of the EU and national energy goals.