Cities & communities
Cities play a key role in driving the sustainable energy transition. Smart sustainable cities are those cities taking a holistic approach to their energy management, by creating integrated energy systems.
A smart city aims at providing the maximum level of comfort with a minimum number of resources. Smart cities taking the energy transition into their own hands, there build on the synergies of the key energy sectors (electricity production, heating and cooling, transport) and aims at substantially increasing energy efficiency, while simultaneously providing sustainable energy to its citizens. District energy is a key solution in the energy transition jigsaw, connecting different energy carriers and providing much needed balancing and storage to the grid.
Smart district energy networks combine district heating and district cooling, integrate a large share of renewables, serve as thermal storage and support the balancing of the power grid. They are a crucial prerequisite for the utilisation of local low-carbon energy sources, including waste heat and renewables at the heart of the city. Such networks play an important part in the urban energy system and act as key smart city component.
Our vision:
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No energy transition without sustainable cities.
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No sustainable cities without sustainable heating and cooling.
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No sustainable heating and cooling without district energy.
At European level, the European Commission supports the Smart Cities Marketplace (SCM) which brings together cities, industry, SMEs, banks, research and other smart city actors to accelerate market uptake of smart city solutions.
Moreover, the European Commission prepared the ground for a EU Urban Agenda, aimed at improving the implementation of EU and national policies on-the-ground by involving cities in the design of policies and mobilising them in the implementation.
We work together with the various European and international organisations promoting smart and resilient cities, such as EnergyCities (European Association of local authorities in energy transition), and UN Environment.
Our involvement in various projects and initiatives that bring together cities & communities around Europe:
Celsius Initiative
Following a successful FP7 project, the CELSIUS initiative is continued by the City of Gothenburg with Johanneberg Science Park, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, IMCG and Euroheat & Power. The Celsius Initiative is a demand driven collaboration hub for efficient, integrated heating and cooling solutions supporting cities in their energy transition to carbon-neutral systems.
More about Celsius: www.celsiuscity.eu
Smart Cities Marketplace: Heating & Cooling Initiative
In 2021, an Initiative on Heating & Cooling has been launched under the SCM’s Action Cluster Sustainable Districts and Built Environment; it is run by Euroheat on behalf of the Celsius Initiative. Join the initiative: https://smart-cities-marketplace.ec.europa.eu/action-clusters-and-initiatives/action-clusters/sustainable-districts-and-built-environment/heating
#DHCities communication campaign
In 2019, Euroheat & Power has launched a platform for cities to showcase their heating and cooling decarbonisation stories, #DHCities. It gathers examples from all over Europe of cities that use heat networks as an integral part of their energy transition. Discover all stories: https://dhcities.eu/