Green energy solutions for the local tourist sector in Georgia
The tourism sector in Georgia is growing fast and with it the number of small and medium-sized hotels and restaurants and their energy consumption for heating and cooling is increasing. This leads to a high potential for a greenhouse gas emission reduction in tourism sector. Georgia’s Environmental Outlook (GEO) aims to spread green energy and energy efficiency solutions among small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the hospitality sector in Georgia. The IKI Small Grants project supports informed decision-making by enhancing enterprises’ knowledge about green energy and energy efficiency solutions and low-cost funding opportunities. Introducing green energy and energy efficiency solutions in this sector contributes to the reduction of emissions. At the same time, it benefits enterprises by generating free finance that can be redirected for business development and expansion. It also creates local green energy jobs, benefiting communities and visitors.
INITIAL SITUATION
Climate change is apparent in Georgia with increased temperature and more frequent and severe extreme weather events Georgia´s population, especially vulnerable parts of society, suffer from natural disasters. Other manifestations of climate change in target municipalities include the raise of the number of heat stress days. In recent years, the tourism sector has grown and with it the number of small and medium-sized hotels and restaurants is increasing. This has led to an increased energy consumption for heating and cooling, which brings with it a high potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in tourism sector.
TARGET GROUP
Direct beneficiaries of the project are around 500 small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in hospitality business in two regions of Georgia. Particularly, guest houses, small hotels, restaurants and cafes in the Adjara A/R and Mtskheta-Mtianeti region will be the main focus of the project. The project will further facilitate local job creation in the green energy sector, bringing benefits to communities and visitors.
APPROACH AND ACTIVITIES
The IKI Small Grants project aims to spread green energy and energy efficiency (GEEE) solutions in small and medium-sized enterprises involved in a hospitality sector in Georgia. It focuses on enhancing their knowledge about the applicable GEEE solutions and ability to make the best use of their knowledge including through low-cost funding opportunities currently offered for GEEE. To achieve this, GEO provides a catalogue of GEEE solutions available in Georgia and local funding opportunities. The catalogue informs about costs for procurement, installation, maintenance and operation of the applicable technology. It includes information on suppliers of technologies/materials currently operating on the Georgian market, energy auditors and existing funding opportunities. More specifically, information about mitigation strategies such as thermal insulation of building materials, energy efficient heating and cooling systems, lighting and more is summarized in a catalogue and spread. The catalogue informs about low-cost credit offers of banks for GEEE in Georgia, as well as grant and co-funding options offered through technical assistance programmes. It also highlights benefits gained through GEEE solutions. Additionally, GEO ensures outreach to many small and medium-sized enterprises by communication activities over media websites, TV and social media. The project organizes two workshops for up to 30 enterprises per workshop and two forums for up to 100 participants per forum to discuss GEEE solutions, economic benefits, and available financial assistance. Moreover, the IKI Small Grants project selects and implements demonstration projects in different municipalities of the selected two regions of Georgia.
LATEST PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS AND IMPACTS
- Needs assessment study in 5 municipalities, including interviews with hotel owners
- Publication of ‘Green Energy and Energy-efficient Technologies – A Guide for Hotels in Georgia’
- Workshop for hotels of Mtskheta-Mtianeti region on Georgia’s climate change mitigation policy, green energy technologies & cost-effectiveness, funding sources for installation
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
IKI Small Grants supports GEO in their organisational capacity development through:
- Trainings to develop fundraising skills
- Trainings on communication tools for better visibility in social media
- Development and implementation of a social media action plan
ABOUT THE ORGANISATION
Georgia’s Environmental Outlook (GEO) is a non-profit legal entity in Georgia led by a management team of skilled women. Its mission is to foster the introduction of best practices as a response to emerging environmental challenges in Georgia and to support the development and implementation of environmental policies and regulations at the central and local levels.