On 24 April, EDA welcomed 20 students from nine Member States to the opening session of a 16-month course aimed specifically at reducing the energy usage within military installations. The ‘Defence Energy Managers’ Course (DEMC)’ is the first of its kind to be run at the multi-national level and will deliver both theoretical and practical energy management system training to facility managers from the navies, armies and air forces of Europe.
Beginning with a 5-day classroom session covering the fundamentals of energy management, the students will receive project specific mentoring to deliver energy savings within their own national sites and will benefit from one-on-one instruction from market leading experts. The course is split into 5 distinct modules (3 classroom and two practical) and is based on the ISO 50001 standard but with specific applicability to the defence sector.
The course marks another important milestone in EDA’s approach to sustainability in defence and runs in parallel with the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector sponsored by the European Commission and EDA’s own Energy and Environmental Working Group, which looks to mainstream sustainability concepts within the military as enablers for improved military capability and to reduce the negative environmental effects of military operations.
Background
In January 2017 EDA launched a new specialised Defence Energy Managers’ Course (DEMC), which aims to enhance MoD capabilities through the establishment and implementation of the EDA’s Energy & Environment Working Group (EnE WG) within their organisations. The participants of the new DEMC will reinforce their understanding of the complexities of managing energy within a defence organisation or sub-organisation and will acquire the capacity to structure, implement and improve effective Energy Management Systems (EnMS).
Through the attendance of the course, MoD/Armed Forces personnel will be trained to the required technical standard to deliver practical, cost-effective solutions and, uniquely, will benefit from case-specific mentoring support to their first project delivered within the context of their normal work activities. After the course, the trainees will have sufficient knowledge to continue to develop their skills in a continuous cycle of self-improvement through on-going mentoring, alumni relations and as members of the European Defence Energy Network (EDEN) with permanent access to its established on-line resources.
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