Feedback report
Peer advice Savona, Italy The Mayors’ Agreement in our cities with reference to European experiences of the CASCADE Project
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Report produced by CASCADE project
Author: Genoa Municipality
Version: 1
CASCADE is an EU-funded project led by EUROCITIES which aims to design and deliver large-scale networking and mutual learning actions on local energy leadership among EUROCITIES members. The CASCADE consortium is composed of: EUROCITIES, Wuppertal Institut, Koucky & Partners and the following cities: Amaroussion, Amsterdam, Birmingham, Burgas, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, Gateshead, Genoa, Gijon, Malmo, Mannheim, Milan, Nantes, Stockholm, Sunderland, Tampere, Terrassa, Venice and Warsaw.
The CASCADE project is co-financed by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme. The sole responsibility for the content of this report lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EACI nor the European Commission is responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
www.cascadecities.eu
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CONTENTS
1. Introduction ...... 4
2. Participants ...... 4
3. The advice-giving ...... 5
4. Evaluation of the visit ...... 9
5. Conclusions ...... 9
Annexes ...... 11
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1. Introduction
The city of Savona is the third largest city of the Liguria region. Even if Savona is smaller than Genoa, they have many similarities regarding the topic of environmental sustainability.
The peer visits with the city of Savona were held at the following dates:
February the 6th 2014 March the 19th 2014
Regarding the topics dealt with in the CASCADE project, those in charge of the themes of the project within the municipality, and who is also involved in the city’s network and with the bodies that joined to the Mayors’ Agreement, were contacted.
The methodology of the CASCADE project was presented to the Municipality of Savona, above all as a useful instrument to improve the implementation of cities’ climate change and energy policies.
At the beginning of the meeting the CASCADE methodology was presented:
• Peer review • Mentoring • Work shadowing • Study visit
Later, some of the most relevant European best practices from the project partner cities were presented, specifically the ones with a port, such as Amsterdam, Malmo, Hamburg and Venice. Some project brochures and a methodology toolkit were distributed to the participants.
2. Participants
1st visit 2nd visit CASCADE city Mario Merello (staff member – Mario Merello (staff member – Technical manager of Energy Technical manager of Energy and SEAP – Environment and SEAP – Environment Department) Department)
Michele Solari (external expert) Michele Solari (external expert) Peer advice city Marina Cappello (Head of Marina Cappello (Head of Environment Department) Environment Department) Chiara Vacca (Urban Quality Department)
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Sergio Altamura (Energy manager) Mario Delpino (Head of Urban Quality Department)
3. The advice-giving
3.1. The peer advice city:
The city of Savona is the third largest city in Liguria regarding population (62.553 inhabitants). It covers an area of 65,55 km2 with a density of 954.28 inhabitants per km2. In the last years, the trend is an increase in number of residents, both in the city and in the province. The citizens above 65 years of age constitute 65% of the inhabitants, while the average national percentage is 20%.
The city is placed on the west Riviera Ligure where the creeks Levanestro and Letimbro meet and where the highway A10 “Autostrada dei fiori” crosses with the highway A6 Autostrada Savona – Torino.
The city of Savona is the referring point for those going toward the west Liguria or into the hinterland. Savona also works as junction for the bus and train connection toward the French border, the Côte d'Azur and the Airport Nice - Côte d'Azur.
The territory of Savona is characterized by the development of the manufacturing activities along the Valbormida: traditionally this was the strategic part of the structure of the entire province.
The Port Centre of Savona plays a central role for all the area and includes two basins: one in Savona and one in Vado, 4 kilometres apart. It plays a key role in the economy of the city due to the importance of the freight traffic offering a way to the sea for the industry of Lombardy and Piedmont. Regarding traffic volume, it is the 13th most important Italian seaport. During the last year the port increased its own volume and it extended its own activities. More in detail, in 2010 the port of Savona Vado received more than 2000 ships, with a volume of wares of about 14.2 millions of tons and container traffic of 200.000 teu/year.
After 20 years of hardship due to the closure of many factories, Savona re-launched itself and by now it is very dynamic in the field of cruise tourism. It has a maritime station recently built (Palacrociere, built in 2003, partly financed by Costa Crociere project), that receive circa 800.000 tourists each year, adding to the ones that carry in the Vado Ligure Ferry Terminal during the summer. According to the Costa Crociere projects, the building of a second Terminal is foreseen.
The Port Authority is highly engaged to prevent and reduce the impact of the activities connected to the Port. Amongst its objectives are: improvement of energy efficiency, develop use of renewable energy sources, monitoring of the stretches of water to avoid possible pollution, prevention of dust dispersion during the docks’ activities, optimisation of collection and
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management of waste produced in the port, increase of part of the rail transport and awareness of the port users on the environmental issues.
Mayors’ Agreement
In December 2012, the municipality of Savona signed a Memorandum of understanding with the Province of Savona and the Regional Agency of Energy – ARE Liguria S.p.a, to plan and implement a sustainable energy action plan (SEAP) within the Mayors’ Agreement.
Energy
In 2010, the Municipal Council of Savona approved the new Environmental energy plan. It is a ten- year programme that points to promote use of renewable energy, energy saving and reduction of pollutant emissions into the atmosphere.
The plan was elaborated considering different themes, such as the new arrangement of the city mobility (integrated public transport) and the management of the waste cycle (increasing the collection of separated waste and decreasing the amount to landfill).
Altogether, the plan will contribute to reach the objectives fixed in the environmental policies of the municipality administration, within the process of maintenance of the environment certification.
The Energy Environmental Plan of the Municipality includes:
- Measures on buildings owned by the municipality, with the aim to increase the energy requalification.
- Realisation of photovoltaic and solar panels in public schools.
- Initiatives on the building stock of the municipality. Measures are also on the private real estate, through the application of standards foreseen by the building code regarding energy efficiency and installation of renewal energy plants.
- Recovery and requalification of wide decayed areas, that allowed the transformation from an industrial phase to a service sector, was done by using new energy solutions.
In coherence with this approach, the Savona province hosts the biggest wind power park in the Liguria Region. The plant, owned by the three municipalities Savona, Cairo Montenotte and Albisola Superior, consists of four wind towers that will produce 25000 MWh per year. This plant, integrated with the landscape, will reduce the emission of CO2 with circa 10.000 tons year.
Transports
The city of Savona is characterized by buses for public transport, and the railway junction is significant. On the other hand, the indices on availability of pedestrian areas, cycle paths and density of transport demand are lower than average. Among the major players is TPL Line Srl,
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which is dealing with the local public transport services, school bus services and hires coaches.
As foreseen by the Mayors’ Agreement and in order to improve the quality of the services offered, to make them more attractive and competitive with the private mobility, TPL linea Ltd. has set as its goal to include 10-meter long electrical busses into the fleet, featuring innovative technologies like a lightweight battery that recharges quickly, an electric propulsion system and control that optimizes energy efficiency, and a magnetic induction charging that allows for recharging of the batteries during the stop on the end of the line. Such a vehicle contributes to:
- considerable flexibility (absence of catenary systems); - a lower environmental impact (no gas and noise emissions) - easy installation of ground-based systems - lower operating costs (maintenance – fuel)
Smart Grid
The University Campus of Savona initiated a project with some technologically advanced companies for the establishment of a true smart grid. This network is a pilot project with the aim to produce initiatives on broader areas: a demonstrator that can be moved onward to an area of the city, and be a prerequisite to work in a progressive manner and with the aim of creating a Smart City.
Within the university campus was installed and integrated a high-performance micro gas turbine for the simultaneous production of electricity and thermal energy, a photovoltaic system on the roof, a solar thermal power plant in concentration, two charging points for electric vehicles and an electricity storage based on innovative batteries for the stabilization of production from solar energy. The generating plants are connected by a smart power grid and to a district heating network, both integrated with the existing ones within the university campus. Finally, the whole system is supervised by a control room, located within the campus.
Port
The port activities were also directed towards a smart vision. The SV Port Service Srl, a company which deals with services in the ports of Savona and Vado in synergy with the Port Authority, aims to make the entire port "smart", with the rationalization of consumption and the search for alternative energy forms and the use of Smart Grid.
There are wind turbines supplying electrical energy to the laboratory in the area of the port. There are also two small wind turbines on the new extension to the sea of the dam in Savona. On the roof of Palacrociere, there are photo-voltaics covering one fifth of the annual requirement of the maritime station. Moreover, there are flow-reducers that have resulted in a saving for the lighting of roads by 25%.
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3.2. First peer advice visit
During the peer visit the focus lay on the toolkit, letting the participants know about the good practices from others cities, with the aim to improve the implementation of climate change and energy policies in their cities.
Later, the networking activity was described in detail as well as the exchange of experiences that was done among the different partners.
Then the CASCADE good practices were described with the thematic areas and policy implementation key factors, as following:
• The three CASCADE thematic areas: a) Energy in urban transport b) Energy efficient buildings and districts c) Renewable energy sources and distributed energy generation
• The CASCADE ‘clusters’ of key factors, crucial for the successful implementation of cities’ climate and energy policies: a) Local leadership and ambitions b) Local strategies and policies c) Organizational and managerial issues d) Stakeholders and citizens involvement e) Information, knowledge and awareness f) Financing, investments and risks
The proposed methodology was appreciated above all regarding the sharing of best practices from the European cities. Moreover, Savona’s experience confirmed that the key factors identified by CASCADE are really the ones needed to aim for to support the implementation of the energy and environmental policies.
This methodology should be used by the Liguria project cities, specifically Genoa and Savona. A strong collaboration between these two cities has to be supported, also to help each other to reach the objective of the Mayors’ Agreement.
Peer advice:
The themes discussed were the production of energy, connected to the objectives of the Mayors’ Agreement and the criticism on mobility originating in the similar characteristic of the cities of Genoa and Savona, due to the particular orography and to the influence of the port on both the two cities.
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The main challenge identified is the optimal integration between the harbor/port area and the city area, in terms of more urban sustainability and efficiency.
The main advice given, keeping in mind the main topics of the CASCADE experience, concerns the improvement of electrical mobility, reduction of pollution (noise and emissions) generated by the barriers. Another advice regards the improvement of the management of mobility, due to relevant traffic of very intensive cruise liners (for instance 12.000 tourists visiting simultaneously the city).
The benchmark regarding the area of energy efficiency in building and urban transport was the one mostly used during the peer advice visit. The CASCADE benchmark helped to focus on the main and crucial problems facing the municipality of Savona, connected to the important touristic and commercial port in the city.
3.3 Second peer advice visit
The advice has been implemented by a fruitful discussion with the officers in charge of public works, mobility and environmental policy.
The methodology of CASCADE, and the benchmarks, has been deemed useful, making it easier to focus on the main challenges of Savona city.
During the second visit, Genoa’s team noticed a big interest shown by the staff of Savona Municipality to focus more carefully on the main problems regarding mobility, energy saving in public buildings and improvement of air quality.
4. Evaluation of the visit
The questionnaire was presented during the first visit by explaining the usefulness of it. Later, it was distributed at the end of the second visit for compilation. The compilation was made by the Executive Director of the Department “Quality and public real Estate” being confronted with all the participants of the Peer visit.
Overall, the evaluation by the participants' from Savona on the peer advice visits was good, and it shows the quality of information explained and applied. In addition, there are references to the way of working of the Italian administrations, which often focus on emergency and not on the problem to be faced with a certain planning. This method of work certainly does not help the growth of experiences such as fielding and provided by the project CASCADE.
5. Conclusions
Genoa and Savona both joined to the Mayors’ Agreement. The two cities realized that they have many similar problems, due to the presence of important ports; the short distance between them
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(40 km) might allow for interesting integration in the mobility field, like synergic cooperation between port authorities and rail mobility policies.
In the future, with the coordination and supervision of Regione Liguria, more profitable cooperation will be implemented between the two cities.
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Annexes
1. Action plan
ACTION PLAN Actions to be taken after the 1st peer advice visit
Actions to be included in SEAP currently being drafted
Advice on regional legislation in the field of energy efficiency and energy saving
Planned calendar
by 15 March:
Actions to be included in SEAP currently being drafted
Advice on regional legislation in the field of energy efficiency and energy saving
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2. Photos
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April 2014 CASCADE Feedback report – Peer advice in Savona, Italy