As part of the national energy efficiency improvement programme, a multi-annual agreement was concluded between ADEME and Biomasse Normandie on 13 February 2002. The Lower Normandy Region has been providing financial support to this activity since 2004. At the same time, as part of the wood-energy development programme for collective boilers, the association maintains a database of all collective and industrial wood boilers in the region. As early as 2004, this database was expanded to include individual heating operations using shredded wood and then gradually to solar installations (thermal and photovoltaic), wind and micro-hydraulic. As a result of the energy balance and greenhouse gases, finalised in November 2006, the Region, in partnership with ADEME, defined a Challenge programme with a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions of 1 million tonnes by 2013 (of which 500 000 tonnes of CO2 for the energy sector) would be half of what would be possible under the “factor 4” scenario. In order to assess the effectiveness of the various incentives put in place within the framework of Challenge'nergie (and thus to meet one of the objectives of the programme), the Region, ADEME Basse-Normandie and Biomasse Normandie have designed and constructed a database identifying the low-standard “renewable energy” and “energy control” facilities, as well as any equipment that has received financial support. The update and evolution of this tool has made the core of the data needed for the Low-Normand Energy and Climate Observatory (OBNEC) since 2012. The regional objectives are now detailed in detail and quantified within the Regional Plan “Climat, Air, Energy” definitively adopted in December 2013. In order to assess the effectiveness of the incentives put in place and to position regional results against the quantitative objectives set out above, it is necessary to put in place and update SRCAE monitoring indicators. At the same time, the programming of the European funds for the period 2014-2020 has clearly identified the need for a tool to monitor energy consumption and production at regional level.
