Smart Altitude a LOW-CARBON, HIGH-IMPACT and RESILIENT FUTURE for ALPINE WINTER TOURISM TERRITORIES 2 SMART ALTITUDE REPORT SMART ALTITUDE REPORT 3
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The project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg Alpine Space programme March 2021 Smart Altitude A LOW-CARBON, HIGH-IMPACT AND RESILIENT FUTURE FOR ALPINE WINTER TOURISM TERRITORIES 2 SMART ALTITUDE REPORT SMART ALTITUDE REPORT 3 IMPRESSUM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Smart Altitude/Interreg Alpine Space. For the purpose of open access, the authors We like to thank the Interreg Alpine Space Programme and the European Regional Development Fund, the external collaborators, have applied a CC BY SA public copyright licence (unless otherwise specified). the partners from the four Living Labs, as well as the observers and other stakeholders who actively participated in this project. Download a copy at www.alpine-space.eu/projects/smart-altitude/en/home PROJECT PARTNERS This publication is stored at the institutional repository “EPUB.OEAW” of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. DOI 10.1553/smart-altitude EDITORS Municipality of Les Orres (lead partner) Electricité de France Business Support Centre Ltd., Kranj Recreational tourist center Krvavec, d.d. Annemarie Polderman, Andreas Haller, Chiara Pellegrini, Diego Viesi, Xavier Tabin, Chiara Cervigni, Stefano Sala, Barbara Trebušak, Quentin Daragon, Demetrius Ramette, Yann Bidault Fondazione Bruno Kessler Trentino Sviluppo S.p.A. Austrian Academy of Sciences University of Milan—UNIMONT AUTHORS Les Orres: Yann Bidault EDF: Quentin Daragon Steinbeis 2i GmbH Center in Energy and Municipal Researches BSC Kranj: Jelena Vidović RTC Krvavec: Barbara Trebušak, Nina Janša, Janez Janša TS: Gianni Baldessari PROJECT OBSERVERS FBK: Diego Viesi, Chiara Pellegrini, Luigi Crema ÖAW/IGF: Andreas Haller, Annemarie Polderman, Domenico Branca, Oliver Bender Environment Agency Austria (Umweltbundesamt GmbH) • Office of the Government of Tyrol, Department of Economy, Municipalities, and Finance (Amt der Tiroler Landesregierung Gruppe Wirtschaft, Gemeinden und Finanzen) • Municipality UMIL: Stefano Sala, Anna Giorgi, Chiara Cervigni Seefeld (Gemeinde Seefeld) • Euromontana • Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations • French Ropeway and ski slopes CREM: Xavier Tabin operators (Domaines Skiables de France) • Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Energy Environment Agency: AURA-EE (Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Énergie-Environnement) • National Association of Mountain Resort Mayors (Association Nationale des S2i: Demetrius Ramette, Marie-Eve Reinert Maires des Stations de Montagne) • Conseil Regional Provence-Alpes-Cote D’azur • Chair for Regional Building and Urban Planning, Leibniz Universität Hannover (Abteilung Regionales Bauen und Siedlungsplanung Leibniz Universität Hannover) • Research Association for Energy Markets and Technologies (Forschungsgesellschaft für Energiewirtschaft mbH) • Provincial Agency for Water Resources and Energy (APRIE—Agenzia Provinciale per le Risorse Idriche e CITATION l’Energia) • Consorzio Assindustria Energia Trento—Assoenergia • Bank of Trentino Province (Cassa Del Trentino S.p.A.) • Municipality of Pinzolo (Comune di Pinzolo) • Dolomiti Energia Rinnovabili Srl (DER) • Ski lifts Madonna di Polderman, A., Haller, A., Pellegrini, C., Viesi, D., Tabin, X., Cervigni, C., Sala, S., Campiglio S.p.A. (Funivie Madonna di Campiglio S.p.A.) • Agency for Energy South Tyrol—CasaClima (Agentur für Trebušak, B., Daragon, Q., Ramette, D., & Bidault, Y. (eds.) (2021). Smart Altitude: Energie Südtirol—KlimaHaus Agenzia per l’Energia Alto Adige—CasaClima) • Lombardy Region (Regione Lombardia) A low-carbon, high-impact and resilient future for Alpine winter tourism territories. • National Union of Mountain Towns and Communities (Unione Nazionale Comuni Comunità Enti Montani—UNCEM) • Smart Altitude/Interreg Alpine Space. https://doi.org/10.1553/smart-altitude Association Ropeways of Slovenia (Združenje slovenskih Žičničarjev GIZ) • Simnet S.A. • Téléverbier S.A. • Swiss Centre for mountain regions (Schweizerische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für die Berggebiete—SAB) 4 SMART ALTITUDE REPORT SMART ALTITUDE REPORT 5 Smart Altitude Alpine winter tourism territories demonstrating an integrated framework for a low-carbon, high-impact and resilient future. Abstract This final report summarizes the outcomes of the Smart Altitude project. The Smart Altitude project ran from June 2018 to April 2021 and was carried out by ten partners from six different countries in the Alpine Space (Austria, France, Italy, Germany, Slovenia, and Switzerland). The project was co-financed by the European Union via Interreg Alpine Space. The aim of the project was to enable and accelerate the implementation of low-carbon policies in winter tourism regions by demonstrating the efficiency of a step-by-step decision support tool for energy transition in four Living Labs. The project targeted policymakers, ski resort operators, investors, tourism and entrepreneurship organizations. The Smart Altitude approach was designed to ensure suitability across the Alpine Space, thereby fostering its replication and uptake in other winter tourism regions and thus increasing the resilience of mountain areas. 6 SMART ALTITUDE REPORT SMART ALTITUDE REPORT 7 Table of contents Introduction Ski resort managers are faced with multiple challenges posed by global warming and its impacts on snow cover and water resources. One of the consequences is an increasing need for energy and water for the production and distribution (grooming) of artificial snow. This is in addition to the other energy needs of a ski resort, including the operation of ski lifts and heating of technical buildings and tourist accommodations. At the same time, there is an increasing demand from political, economic and environmental actors, and the general public for ski resorts Introduction 7 to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and save energy. In this context, the improvement of energy efficiency and the integration of renewable energies by valorizing endogenous resources is a necessity. Context 8 Smart Altitude aims at enabling and accelerating the implementation of low-carbon policies in winter tourism regions. Today, there are various technical solutions for reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions in mountain areas depending on winter tourism and these should be exploited. However, key trade-offs are at Vision 11 the heart of their slow uptake: they require stronger and innovative involvement to overcome strategic (goals, priorities, risks), economic (costs, financing), and organizational (partnership, stakeholder involvement) challenges. Options to act: Smart Altitude demonstrates the efficiency of a decision support tool integrating all challenges into a step-by-step approach to energy transition. The project explaining the Smart Altitude clearly innovates by deploying a comprehensive approach of low-carbon policy implementation based on impact maximization accounting for technical, economic Toolkit and process 12 and governance factors. It is based on common performance indicators, monitoring systems (snow processes, municipal infrastructure, renewables, buildings, etc.) and Energy Management Providing leadership: Systems (EMS) in mountain regions, in order to build a shared situational awareness and take impactful decisions. The approach is successfully implemented in four the experience of Living Labs and is now replicated in 20 other Alpine Space winter tourism regions. Smart Altitude Living Labs 14 On the following pages we present a brief overview of the main achievements and the lessons learned in the Smart Altitude project. It is addressed to all persons and institutions interested in actions to improve the energy footprint of mountain resorts, build a resilient future for winter tourism regions, and, more generally, to implement Smart Altitude replication pathway 22 low-carbon policies across the Alpine Space. To learn more about the project’s achievements, please visit the results section of the project website at https://www.alpine-space.eu/projects/smart-altitude/en/ Final conclusions and recommendations 24 project-results and the Smart Altitude Toolkit at https://smartaltitude.eu/ 8 SMART ALTITUDE REPORT Context SMART ALTITUDE REPORT 9 Context POLICIES AND LEGISLATION With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals [3] Policies were and are being implemented at all levels: European, and the Paris Agreement [4] in 2015, the United Nations have national, regional, local, and personal. Existing and planned intensified their effort to tackle the threats of climate change policies should compel and support winter tourism areas to take by setting the goal to keep the global temperature rise well measures regarding climate change adaptation and mitigation. below 2 °C. They agreed to translate this goal into action by The legislative context and incentives are therefore crucial developing legal frameworks and incentives that foster climate parameters that need to be considered by winter tourism change adaptation and mitigation. regions when developing adaptation/mitigation strategies. 17 3 3 4 19 14 2 16 2 12 18 21 1 15 THE KEY INITIATIVES RELEVANT FOR WINTER TOURISM REGIONS IN THE ALPINE SPACE ARE: 9 10 5 8 [5] 6 The EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) , a joint initiative of Alpine states and regions to 13 11 strengthen cooperation and to address common challenges in a more effective way. One of its objectives 20 7 is the establishment of a multi-level governance framework and transnational policies to enhance climate 1 1 mitigation and adaptation among the Region’s countries. 4 The EU Adaptation Strategy to climate change, adopted by the European