OREANDA-NEWS. Installing your own renewable energy project on your property can seem like a daunting idea. There are a range of options for people keen to join the renewable energy transition, but finding out more can be a tricky task.

One EU project – also a nominee for an EU Sustainable Energy Award at this year's Sustainable Energy Week – is helping to bridge the information gap.

CLEAR is a project led by five consumer organisations in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium (in French and Dutch.) Its aim is to enable consumers to take informed decisions about buying renewable energy technologies – from solar PV panels on the roof to biomass boilers.

Thanks to this project, 2 500 000 consumers have already been informed about and engaged with renewable energy technologies, and 80 000 installations have been put in operation across Europe.

The project is motivated by the belief that potential buyers of renewable technologies are held back by a lack of information. They don't fully understand the benefits, and they don't trust the installers due to high upfront costs.

To convince people to consume renewable energy, CLEAR has created a renewable energy web community for consumers to share experiences, gain know-how, watch installation videos and find out about local installers.

The website also shares independent and expert information on the different renewable technologies available. Moreover, it has created an interactive tool to help consumers find the right technology to meet their needs and suit their property, as well as helping consumers calculate how long it might take for a system to pay for itself and how much money and energy they could save.

CLEAR hopes that, thanks to the information it provides, renewable energy consumers will become ambassadors and spread the positive word about small-scale renewable technology.

EU Sustainable Energy Week takes place from 13 – 17 June 2016 with a high-level policy conference and award ceremony. But, there are sustainable energy events happening across Europe throughout the month of June.