RASLRES – the Regional Approaches to Stimulating Local Renewable Energy Solutions project – brings together partners from Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Sweden. The project aims to increase the use of renewable energy technologies in rural economies in the NPP region. To do this, RASLRES will design, pilot and market the best products and services for creating and sustaining local renewable energy markets in rural areas. In this way, the project will help markets provide sustainable economic growth for local employment, businesses and revenue. RASLRES will design and deliver six pilot projects that will be used to inform an overall NPP model to stimulate renewable energy use in rural areas. The project will focus on bio-energy fuels – such as energy from wood, energy from crops and energy from marine biomass technologies. Using the pilot projects as trial areas, RASLRES will also incorporate measurement tools that can be used for calculating greenhouse gas emissions.Finally, the project will establish a network for transnational exchange of knowledge, policy initiatives, technology and methodologies, which can later be used across the entire NPP area.