© 2002 WIT Press, Ashurst Lodge, Southampton, SO40 7AA, UK. All rights reserved. Web: www.witpress.com Email [email protected] Paper from: The Sustainable City II, CA Brebbia, JF Martin-Duque & LC Wadhwa (Editors). ISBN 1-85312-917-8
Solar City Gelsenkirchen: From thousand fires to thousand suns
F. Wouters, S. Gajewski Ecojjs GmbH, Koln, Germany
Abstract
To achieve national and international climate saving goals, municipalities play an important part with their regional programs and the realisation of concrete measures, The municipal playing field is characterised by short communication channels between the citizens and their government and is therefore a suitable location for climate saving programmed. The municipality can directly approach various relevant actors and act as an initiator itself. The International Energy Agency has started with its new Task ,Solar Ci~’ an initiative for municipalities, in which concrete climate saving goals are being pursued by synergetic actions, the application of renewable energies, rational use of energy, energy conservation, industrial innovation and better quality of living. The IEA So!ar City Program aims at integrating various initiatives world-wide, that aim at sustainability of cities in the field of building, living and working. The IEA Solar City Program will co-ordinate and disseminate these activities and will create an international network of Experts and expertise. The City of Gelsenkirchen, a city with some 240,000 inhabitants lies in the heart of Northrhine-Westfalia (NRW), the most densely populated and most energy intensive German state, With the gradual demise of the traditional coal mining sector, the last decades have stretched the City of Gelsenkirchens flexibility to the edge, As a proactive step towards a sustainable future, Gelsenkirchen has chosen solar energy as the key technology for the structural change boosting the local economy. The old nickname – City of Thousand Fires – a reference to its steel history, is to be replaced by – City of Thousand Suns -. The first significant step towards structural change was taken by building the Science Park with a 210 kWp Photovoltaic system, housing several companies involved in R&D and engineering of solar energy technologies. Further significant steps were the most modem crystalline solar cell factory by Shell Solar Energy, which started production in 1999, the expansion of Flabegs (former Pilkington) activities, the opening of an FhG-ISE branch specialised on © 2002 WIT Press, Ashurst Lodge, Southampton, SO40 7AA, UK. All rights reserved. Web: www.witpress.com Email [email protected] Paper from: The Sustainable City II, CA Brebbia, JF Martin-Duque & LC Wadhwa (Editors). ISBN 1-85312-917-8
274 ~~lc~.Ymtainable(’ity II
celJ manufacturing and the expected BlueSun module corporation. The city has furthermore initiated several solar settlements, both in renovation and newly built areas, consisting of low energy houses incorporating solar and other renewable energy technologies. The Housing Ministry of Northrhine-Westfalia has commissioned Ecofys, the RWTH Aachen in conjunction with the BUGH Wuppertal and the Science Park Gelsenkirchen to assist the City of Gelsenkirchen in their effort to specify the topic Solar City and to achieve their climate saving goals The IEA The 25 IEA member states have agreed to mutually optimise the supply of crude oil, to exchange relevant energy information, to co-ordinate energy policies and to co-operate in programmed aiming at the rational use of energy. In the Solar Heating and Cooling Program several R&D programs are bundled that aim at a sustainable energy Mure through the increased use of solar design and solar technologies. The Solar City Program is new and will run until 2005.
Solar City - IEA Task30
The aim of IEA Solar City is to develop and implement municipal strategies for the increased application of solar and other renewable energy technologies. Although many cities have strategies for rational use of energy andlor the application of renewable energies, hardly any municipality has a strategy that, ● Is fully integrated in the municipal management structure, . Has synergetic targets for a reduction of the energy consumption or the emission of Greenhouse gases, and/or that . Includes both technologies and industry development. lEA Solar City aims at integrating these targets. The program is presently in the definition phase and will most likely start mid-2002. The following countries/cities have shown interest in participation (status: summer 2001):
Solar Cl* Korea Solar city China ‘aegu ~wangju Solar ~lW USA PRC 20k tOWi7S,,...... - -... Pittsbutuh,-.. Sacramento Solar City Hong KpWg’” HKSAR, “ ‘%lar City Mexico M:xico City Solar City M&-alla MeU@me Solar City Panmark IEA SHC Task 30 ‘%.~’$~~~%a Copen agen Solar City Sola/ City Balglum Solar City ermany sol@lw CanadE Ge/sen~,phen Definition partners SOlarCltv Israel ,’, Solar City htherlanda Den Aqg Soi6’r City Japan So16r City Taiwan Solar Cltyltaly ,., ‘ Pa/emro, Rome-..,.- .SolSr”Clty UK solar CIW ~~@@@n-~~~tboume, Southwark Gutetsorg Figure 1: Participating Cities in IEA Task 30 Solar City © 2002 WIT Press, Ashurst Lodge, Southampton, SO40 7AA, UK. All rights reserved. Web: www.witpress.com Email [email protected] Paper from: The Sustainable City II, CA Brebbia, JF Martin-Duque & LC Wadhwa (Editors). ISBN 1-85312-917-8
Various other countries are still considering whether to participate or not. Every participant is obliged to exchange information and to support the program. This implies that money and experts have to be made available.
What is a solar city?
There are many definitions of a solar city. IEA Solar City defines as follows: “An urban community which embraces a path of integrating solar and other renewable energy technologies as well as efficiency measures into a broader, community-wide planning strategy aimed at climate-stable greenhouse-gas emissions levels by 2050.” For Gelsenkirchen the definition was expanded with the following visions: ,, ‘Solar City’ as a clear, healthy, sun-lit citv with a high quality of living and a high quality public space. Solar CiO’ as u hmart, environmentally conscious, technologically innovative and modern city. “ Many climate studies have shown, that 3.3t COZ/ inhabitant and year is a sustainable level of C02 emissions. Figure 2 shows the actual yearly C02-Emissions per inhabitant and year for selected countries. The USA exhibit with 19t C02 /inhabitant the highest emissions. Every German resident presently emits some 1lt COZon a yearly basis, implying that a German solar city will have to reduce its emissions by 70%. Figure 3 contains a graphical representation of a possible reduction scenario and the relationship between marginal costs and the degree of C02-Reduction, It is clear that the marginal costs increase with increasing ambition, It should be noted however, that the cost curve also changes with increasing (market) development of environmentally benign technologies. The implementation cannot be limited to solar energy technologies, but requires an integral approach for sustainable city development in all relevant sectors (Buildings, Traffic, Industry, Urbanism and Energy Supply) and incorporates communication and exchange with other Solar Cities. All relevant actors (Municipal, Industry and Citizens) should co-operate in a joint effort to realise the targets. The general basic principles of a Solar City are:
1. To consume little energy, 2. An efficient and environmentally friendly energy conversion, 3. A possible high share of renewable energies, thereby 4. Including a high quality of living
The first three principles are called the Trias Energetic. © 2002 WIT Press, Ashurst Lodge, Southampton, SO40 7AA, UK. All rights reserved. Web: www.witpress.com Email [email protected] Paper from: The Sustainable City II, CA Brebbia, JF Martin-Duque & LC Wadhwa (Editors). ISBN 1-85312-917-8
Cmeda h Norway
Oenmark m Belolum
Ifzetiand #pNn
I SuetelnabloR
Chsd Vietnam Nigeria Eangladeeh Pakleten Figure 2: C02-Emissions per Inhabitant and Year for Selected Countries,
Actual marginal Coate of C02-Reduction Meeeurea
300
Reduction Target Gelaenklrchen ——— —.. . .-—● ~i’z ~:
000 I..-–.y o ———,—-—F —. —Y 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 25%930% 35% 40% 45?4 50% Year Dogmaof Raductlon
Figure 3. Reduction target and actual marginal costs for COz-reduction measures
Aspects of IEA Solar City
The program is sub-divided into three sub-tasks:
In Subtask A ‘Strategies and Planning Tools’, the present energy plans and current praxis of the participating cities will be evaluated. Through an intensive exchange of information and a scientific support program, the Cities will be ,solarised’ and its management supported. In Subtask B ‘Targets, Baselines and Scenarios’ for every city a concrete strategy for medium-term sustainable development will be elaborated, which will have to be ratified by the respective ci~ councils. An integral part of this task is the development of a methodology and criteria, that form the basis of a monitoring © 2002 WIT Press, Ashurst Lodge, Southampton, SO40 7AA, UK. All rights reserved. Web: www.witpress.com Email [email protected] Paper from: The Sustainable City II, CA Brebbia, JF Martin-Duque & LC Wadhwa (Editors). ISBN 1-85312-917-8
The Sustainable [“’ity II 277 system and planning guidelines, The strategy contains scenarios with plans of actions, preferably divided in smaller timefhrne units with intermediate targets (e.g. 5-year periods until 2050). Subtask C ‘Renewable Energy Technologies, Industry and Business Development’ is dedicated to realisation. This phase incorporates the implementation of (demonstration) projects and the implementation of a monitoring and evaluation system,
National Experts: City Program: 4 ➤ Resear h Institutes Solar Cit Plan ! t i
National &ity System I I Solar City Network IEA SHC Task 30 \ +I ➤ Inter/national Commitment [4(IEA, UNFCCC, Trade) [ Figure 4, Relationship between the Various IEA Task 30 Activities. The solar city network Participation in IEA Solar City - Gelsenkirchen
Every IEA-member State has a national contact organisation. This organisation is the first to be contacted by a city in the case a city intends to co-operate with the Solar City Program. After a Letter of Intent has been handed over to the Operating Agent (Prof. Peter Droege), a negotiating phase starts, in which roles, means and activities in the framework of the participation are being discussed, After an agreement has been reached, within 5 months a document outlining a concrete plan for the city’s participation should be drafted. This document is the basis for all future activities in the Task. Gelsenkirchen, supported by the Housing Ministry in Northrhine-Westfalia, will participate in IEA Task 30. In a Research Project the Solar City concept is being developed and in a parallel project action plans for the relevant sectors are derived from an integral energy plan, These sectors are Urbanism, Trafilc, Energy Conversion, Buildings/Households/Small Businesses and Industry/’Enterprises. The implementation of the action plans are being given guidance and monitored in a moderation process over the next few years by the project partners, to assure a ,solarisation’ of the sectors and to achieve the city’s reduction targets, © 2002 WIT Press, Ashurst Lodge, Southampton, SO40 7AA, UK. All rights reserved. Web: www.witpress.com Email [email protected] Paper from: The Sustainable City II, CA Brebbia, JF Martin-Duque & LC Wadhwa (Editors). ISBN 1-85312-917-8
Table 1. Overview of the Sectors and Selected Energy Topics
Project phases, ,Gelsenkirchen Solar City’
The project ,Solar City Gelsenkirchen’ consists of two phases. In the first phase a method for yearly monitoring of energy related COz- emissions will be developed. This method will be based on common national and international standards and protocols, to enable a comparison with other cities. The monitoring will distinguish between the following sectors that will be evaluated using a system of indicators: Consumption Sectors, Types of Energy Use and Primary Energies. After an evaluation of the development in the energy consumption of the municipal buildings, the status of the situation in 2000 is being made. Consequently various scenario calculations lead to recommendations for specific action fields. In the second phase these recommendations are being compiled in sectoral action plans. The most unique point in the development of the concept is the enhanced inclusion of local opinion leaders and corporate responsible. The concept has to be understood as stticturing element visualizing opportunities and synergy potentials not as corset to force people into directions they don’t agree upon. One peculiarity became obvious quite at the beginning of the process. A relevant building block is also the development of the monitoring tool, which enables the City of Gelsenkirchen to arrive at yearly C02 Balance Sheets. Most likely Gelsenkirchen will define itself as more industrial ‘Solar City’ as generally imagined when talking about this topic, A corset that fits and leads to a structure that reflects the tradition and also supports the sustainable development of distinctively industrialised regions. © 2002 WIT Press, Ashurst Lodge, Southampton, SO40 7AA, UK. All rights reserved. Web: www.witpress.com Email [email protected] Paper from: The Sustainable City II, CA Brebbia, JF Martin-Duque & LC Wadhwa (Editors). ISBN 1-85312-917-8
References [1] Solarstadt Gelsenkirc~en (Solar City Gelsenkirchen - in German -) - Vorstudie zur Profilierung der “Solarstadt Gelsenkirchen”, Mtirz 2001, Projektbericht - Ecofys GmbH, ISL-RWTH Aachen, BUGH Wuppertal. [2] www.solarcity.org [3] An Equity- and Sustainability-Based Policy Response to Global Climate Change,” John Byrne, Young-Doo Wang, Hoesung Lee and Jong-dall Kim. 1998. Energy Policy,Vol. 26, No. 4:335-343
Note:
The International Energy Agency was founded 27 years ago as a separate organisation in the framework of the OECD, to safeguard the primary energy supply of the OECD member states.