Rural energy infrastructure often lags behind that in urban areas. As studies show, the energy mix in rural communities tends to rely more heavily on coal and oil and is often less energy efficient than in cities and towns. This project prepares an inventory of rural and urban-rural energy projects and based thereon develops recommendations for new and additional policy measures at EU and Member States levels to promote effective and efficient energy investments in rural areas.

The Danish EU Presidency has declared energy policy as one of its priorities, including the tabled Energy Efficiency Directive. Europe's ambitious energy transition goals require that all regions within the European territory participate and contribute to making the necessary changes and improvements. This point becomes even more relevant when one considers that more than 90 percent of the EU territory can be classified as rural and that 56 percent of the population live in these areas.

The project, therefore, inventories sustainable energy investment projects in rural areas and along the urban-rural periphery. On the basis of this inventory and selected case studies, the project will identify where additional policy measures by the EU Commission and the Member States could effectively and efficiently promote the energy transition in rural areas and, thereby, contribute to reaching the EU energy policy goals.