Project Dates: November 2021 – September 2026
E3I, as lead subcontractor, supports Chemonics in implementing the USAID Serbia Better Energy Activity. Better Energy will reduce Serbia’s dependence on fossil fuels and imports of energy by improving efficiency of municipal heating infrastructure and residential buildings, thereby contributing to Serbia’s decarbonization goals. Better Energy will also create a model for financing energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements in buildings to support private sector investment, replicability, and scale up.
Serbia’s reliance on coal and gas imports has prevented the country from diversifying its energy sources and left all sectors of the economy inefficient and highly polluting. In 2020 the Serbian government set a goal of reaching 40% of final energy consumption from renewable energy by 2040 and more recently committed to supporting energy efficient technologies and practices, in order to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The objective of the five-year Serbia Better Energy Activity, funded by USAID/Serbia, is to remove obstacles and create incentives for investments in efficiency measures and/or small-scale renewable energy production. The Activity is focused on the municipal level, specifically by helping to improve efficiency of energy production in district heating plants. The Activity also will develop pilot projects for improving efficiency of energy use in multi-family apartment buildings (MABs). Finally, the Activity seeks to develop replicable mechanisms to ensure financing is available for municipal- and MAB-level improvements, increasing private sector investment and further decreasing dependence on government and/or donor subsidies.
The project, implemented by Chemonics with E3 International as the lead implementing partner, will expand upon the successful Serbia Energy Security Activity implemented by E3 International in 2018-2021. The outcome of Better Energy will be to reduce use of inefficient energy resources, augment the use of renewables in Serbia’s energy mix – particularly small-scale solar for consumers – and strengthen capacity throughout the sector in planning, designing, financing, and implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies and projects.