1 a session for "Newcomers" Approaching CONCERTO projects By Reto M. Hummelshøj, COWI Energy and Industry Head of Section, Energy Planning & Energy Efficiency rmh@cowi.dk 1 CONCERTO experience from ECO-City project (Helsingborg SE, Helsingør DK, Trondheim NO, Tudela ES) 2005-2013 (1 st generation CONCERTO project, COWI coordinator) www.ecocity-project.eu SORCER project (Apeldoorn NL and Hillerød DK) 2006-2013 (2 nd generation CONCERTO project, local coordinator) http://www.sorcer.eu/ ECO-Life project (Høje Taastrup DK, Kortrijk BE, Birstonas LT, Palanca LT) 2010-2016 (3 rd generation CONCERTO project, COWI coordinator) www.ecolife-project.eu READY Resource Efficient cities implementing advanced smart city solutions (Aarhus DK, Växjö SE and Kaunas LT) 2014-2019 ("4 rd generation" CONCERTO project, COWI) 2
2 Previous history of ECO-City in Helsingør + Helsingborg Existing cooperation between people on both sides of the narrow strait separating the 2 cities in DK and SE Helsingborg made ambitious energy and climate strategy Governmental changes downgraded energy and climate activities after year 2001 Announcement of CONCERTO programme became catalyst to continue and strengthen activities A few enthusiastic people made ECO- City project possible after > 1 year preliminary work 3 HOW TO START A SMART ENERGY COMMUNITY ECO-City Joint ECO-City developments in Scandinavia and Spain Process EU information activities important; e.g. contact between communities through speed dating and information meetings in Brussels Continuous build up of team with strong relations among local stakeholders => to become enthusiastic and ambitious over time Personal relations between eager persons consulting company and municipality Prior network relations, H+H collaboration Anchoring project at high level influential key persons => commitment of all partners Focus Project focus on refurbishment and new eco-buildings in many variants and ambition levels=> to gain learning by doing large scale poly-generation and renewables on the supply side according to existing municipal plans 4
3 ECO-City - Helsingør/Helsingborg cross border community, Denmark/Sweden in total 33 clustered demonstrations A Maria Park New ECO-dwellings B Maria Sofia New ECO-light dwellings C Fronten New ECO-dwellings D Parkkvarteret ECO-rehab of apartment block E Portalen New ECO-dwellings F Laröd Östra New ECO-dwellings G Hamilton ECO-rehab of apartment block H Björka Ödåkra New passive houses I Biogas plant New RES J Biomass boiler New RES K Prøvestenen ECO-rehab and new built of administration L Grydemoseskolen ECO-rehab of school M Kulturværftet ECO-rehab of cultural institution 5 Preliminary lessons learned Important with fiery souls Frequently meetings keep momentum Need of local coordinators Flexibility in CONCERTO programme made project adjustments possible Reporting and administration has been very time-consuming Project period of 5 years is generally too short Interest of for similar project spreads to neighbouring communities (e.g. Hillerød20km away to be part od SORCER) 6
4 SORCER -Stimulating Obtaining Results in Communities in relation to Energy-efficiency and Renewables Municipalities and consultants teaming up locally in proposal phase EU CONCERTO coordinator network used as basis for finding sister community Prior EU references was a clear advantage Process Second call more knowledge about scope and real possibilities Municipalities being more visionary about to create the detailed planning basis Focus Focus on stricter energy requirements and less scale for eco-buildings and local produced renewables on the supply side and poly-generation District level approach 7 Concept elements of Hillerød Denmark RES electricity Integrated operation control Ullerød PV Low temp DH 65 C 35 C PV PV Rest of Hillerød DH Offices and dwellings 8
5 3 rd project: ECO-Life - Sustainable zero carbon ECO-town developments improving quality of life across EU Strong relation between consultant and municipality + existing project for preparation Ambitious local stakeholders in local environment climate action plan Strong EU network and knowledge of what is the objectives and goals to fulfil through dialogue with EC officers Targetted and selective search of partners collaborator communities Process Third call more knowledge about scope and real possibilities After COP15 climate conference, Covenant of Mayors, Danish scheme of climate municipalities -> proactive municipalities (driven by municipal officers more than politicians) Focus Near Zero Energy Buildings, demand vs supply interactions, EV charging District as well as City level anchored in climate strategy work Holistic approach to sustainability 9 ECO-Life in Høje-Taastrup Denmark 1 st demonstrations Elverhuset, passive house institution 34 m 2 PV, 4.5 kwp 12 m 2 solar collectors Demo of urban windturbine 850 kw at Ikea PV and smart grid charging station solutions Energy flexhouses used for testing 10
6 4 th project "READY" (Smart City call) As a CONCERTO project but adds further development of a smart grid infrastructure, IT, Private Public Partnerships, industrial driven, focus on renovation of buildings and smart integration of demand and supply Context Agendas and policies focusing being more holistic; focus on resource efficiency, options for smart solutions and trans-sector approaches Municipalities aiming at CO 2 neutrality politicians and officials facing obstacles concerning finance of investments -> initiation of private public partnerships Consulting companies with CONCERTO experience and large EU networking both communities Municipal visions and projects planned Industries with interest in demonstration of innovative solutions and creation of private-public alliances Experienced project creators in the good sence 11 Be aware recommendations for Newcomers Each call has targets that must be followed carefully -Participation in EU arranged information sessions is ESSENTIAL to get the common picture You can expand on existing ambitious plans and projects but you CAN'T create a winner project from scratch. Consider the EC grant as a possible bonus. An EU experienced coordinator and critical selection of partners and project elements are FUNDAMENTAL only projects with experienced partners with real ambitious plans and political back-up will succeed EU experience among most of the partners is A MUST understanding of work programme/call text is often DIFFICULT the devil is often in the detail (e.g. specific funding requirements, BEST sheets, policy background, etc). Management is complicated due to complexity of projects and EU regulations, not always developed with large scale community development in mind The proposal and subsequent contract negotiation is EXPENSIVE and takes time (1,5 years) Accept that real life conditions are dynamic and you have to predict 5 years ahead a FLEXIBLEapproach and contingency plans is a must, where you are not 100% in control. 12
7 Questions? rmh@cowi.dk 13 Benefits of the CONCERTO project concept A CONCERTO project involves several players in a sustainable smart city development: activates all key stake holders in a community e.g. municipality, utilities, consultants, R&D organisation, industry, housing companies, ESCO's etc. to work together on a continuous basis in stead of sequential keeps stakeholders to the fire over a period of 5-7 years and creates lasting relations between partners and learning from feed back works as a catalyst for collaboration and development of new solutions gives access to economic support from EC: to construction work, metering equipment, follow-up and dissemination activities increases the project quality and the technical solutions are being optimised ends with a monitoring program and evaluation and documentation of results for dissemination & learning profiles climate work and creates identity & proudness 14