Website: www.polycity.net
Summary
The POLYCITY project focuses on the sustainable development of three large urban areas in Germany (Ostfildern), Spain (Barcelona/Cerdanyola) and Italy (Turin) in the field of energy optimisation and the use of renewable energies. In real urban developments the rate of fossil fuels is reduced in favour of sustainable energy supply from biomass, solar and geothermal. The research teams work on the optimisation of design and operation of eco-buildings, optimisation of innovative supply systems, integration of supply and demand with the development and implementation of a communal energy management system, socio-economic analyses. Special issues are low temperature heating/cooling systems.
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The project is coordinated by the Centre of Applied Research Sustainable Energy Technology at the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences (HfT). POLYCITY is part of the European CONCERTO initiative, co-funded by the European Commission.
Results
Due to many different sources and the big amount of energy generated in the project (PV, solar thermal, thermal cooling, biomass, geothermal) it is not possible to list the costs in €/kWh. Cost/benefit analyses are still ongoing, in Cerdanyola the construction process of the supply plants has just started.
The construction in Turin is finished, nearly finished in Osfildern (themal cooling will start to operate in summer), some PV plants will be installed in 2008/09 and the last construction phase of residential buildings will end in summer 2008. The CEMS in Turin and GIS based CEMS in Ostfildern is about to work.
In Cerdanyola construction has started in summer 2007. A syncrotron demo building and the first power plant are to be finished in spring 2008, several big residential buildings are under construction.
The performance analysis of the demo buildings in Ostfildern and Turin will be finished within the next year. Some examples from Ostfildern/savings in electrical consumption in the demo buildings city hall and school:
Knowledge transfer and replication is one goal of the project. Within the project run-time (5 years), the following main events were organised/are planned (Proceedings and presentations are available on the website - see above):
Beneath these events, Polycity issues are incorporated in diploma, master and PhD courses in Politecnico di Torino, Universitat Rovira I Virgili Tarragona, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences and their partner universities and in further education seminars of various institutes. Special meetings, site visits and events were organised for students, professionals and the public. Current project presentations on national and international conferences. Two large networks of associated communities are set up in Eastern Europe and Canada.
Lessons learned and repeatability
Apart from some slight delays in the time schedule, all goals of the project will be realised. A demonstration project of this size underlies some imponderables: legal tender procedures are differing in each country include the risk that project aims cannot be realised (EU funding in some fields is so low that it is no argument).
In Spain the biomass gasification plant and a district heat network will be very innovative measures that a lot of attention. An observer community of about 40 cities in all Europe regularly is informed about the progress and project events. Technical advice is given. We do encourage the observers to realise their and participate in national and European programmes focusing energy efficient urban development.
Rising awareness for ecological issues is not easy. While the interest of professionals can be attracted easily, public - even the residents at the project sites - aren't on the level to explore (complex) technical innovations. Family and childrens' programmes must have a low threshold level, we made good experience construction of solar toys. Daily newspapers must be provided with plain and intelligible information.
To find similar reports, click on a keyword below:
Appliances
: Architects/Architecture
: Biomass & Bioenergy
: Buildings
: CONCERTO / CONCERTO II
: Citizens
: Cooling
: Decision Makers
: District Heating
: ESCOs
: Education
: Energy Efficiency
: Energy Management
: Engineering Organisations
: Geothermal Energy
: Heat/Heating
: Households
: Lighting
: Local Government
: ManagEnergy
: New Buildings
: Photovoltaics
: Planning issues
: Polygeneration
: Property Owners
: Refurbishment of Buildings
: Regional Government
: Renewable Energy Sources & Systems
: Research Institute / University
: Schools & Colleges
: Solar Thermal
: Sustainable Communities
: Sustainable Energy
: User behaviour
: Utilities
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IER - Institute of Energy Economics and the Rational Use of Energy University of Stuttgart
Case Study (123 Kb PDF)