The 5Th Annual Seminar of Energie-Cités
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Proceedings of The 5th Annual Seminar Of Energie-Cités A sustainable Local Energy Policy: Into a Renewable Millenium Verona, 6-7 April 2000 | Introduction | Contents Introduction 3 Opening session 5 Presentation of three examples of municipal practice 19 Round Table 31 100 communities 100% supplied with renewable energy Round Table 49 Liberalisation of energy markets and development of renewable energy Working groups 65 Group 1 Renewable energy sources, local development, employment and social issues 67 Group 2 Renewable energy sources and urban planning 73 Group 3 Financing renewable energy policies 83 Group 4 Programmes for promoting renewable energy sources at local level 95 Group 5 Solar thermal 115 Group 6 Biomass et biogas 125 Group 7 Wind energy 137 Group 8 Photovoltaics 145 Conclusion 159 Energie-Cités || 5th Seminar of Energie-Cités, Verona 6-7 April – Proceedings || p.2 | Introduction | Energie-Cités || 5th Seminar of Energie-Cités, Verona 6-7 April – Proceedings || p.3 | Introduction | Renewable energy in urban areas in the limelight at the Energie-Cités seminar in Verona For those who still doubt that renewable energy is an urban concern, the seminar organised by Energie-Cités in Verona on 6 and 7 April of this year will have done a lot to prove them wrong. Renewable energy sources only contribute to a marginal extent to the energy balance of most European towns and cities. Many of them, however, have set ambitious targets for 2010 and have developed programmes to this end. Above and beyond the energy dimension, using renewable energy sources also makes it possible to contribute to environmental protection, stimulate local jobs, create new job sectors and reinvest the money that consumers spend on energy to enrich the local enconomy and develop SME’s. For all these reasons and in association with energy efficiency policies, renewable energy is a vital component of sustainable local energy policies. Around 200 people representing towns and cities from over 20 countries were able to present and exchange experience in all areas related to renewable energy: on practical projects and on their impact on local development, urban planning and employment. It is in towns and cities that energy consumption is the highest and that heat networks working on biomass and buildings equipped with thermal and photovoltaic solar collectors are to be found. It is therefore here that the strongest action must be taken, and it is up to local authorities to give it the impetus it needs. Too often perceived as energy sources for the countryside, renewable energy has been increasingly gaining ground in urban areas over the last few years. This is not surprising if one considers the following reasons: Technical reasons > Cities are responsible for 80% of total energy consumption and therefore concentrate most of energy needs, > The existence of heat networks in densely-populated areas is an incentive to use resources such as biomass or geothermal energy for producing heat or in CHP units, > Biogas from sewage plants or resulting from the biological treatment of waste is also an urban product, > Thermal solar systems can often be installed on roof tops to satisfy part of the needs in terms of hot water or space heating, > The same applies to photovoltaic solar energy, > Even wind energy can be promoted, either directly or through green buying procedures. Energie-Cités || 5th Seminar of Energie-Cités, Verona 6-7 April – Proceedings || p.4 | Introduction | Political reasons > Sustainable urban development depends on the implementation of a sustainable local energy policy based on the involvement of local authorities in improving energy efficiency and developing the use of renewable energy sources in municipal energy supplies, > Local development, employment, social integration, the quality of the air – all being major sources of concern for local decision-makers – are stimulated by the promotion of renewable energy sources. Operational reasons > Cities are, on account of their size, capable of defining local promotional policies and at the same time they are close enough to local realities to carry out relevant practical initiatives, > Many of them, via their technical departments, municipal energy companies, local energy agencies, promotional resources etc. have the operational means to take action. No community or national target is achievable if local authorities do not take initiatives –together with local players – to promote renewable energy sources which are, by their very nature, geographically scattered. The above objective reasons must be converted into active policies. This is why Energie-Cités has co-organised this seminar with the City of Verona with the support of the European Commission (DG TREN - Altener Programme). Fifty case studies on good municipal practice have also been prepared by Energie-Cités as part of the City-RES project run by Energie-Cités. They are evidence of the municipal interest in promoting renewable energy sources. They are also intended as a call to all European cities to start and/or develop local initiatives and to sign up "Partnerships" for the promotion of renewable energy sources with the European Commission. Energie-Cités || 5th Seminar of Energie-Cités, Verona 6-7 April – Proceedings || p.5 | Opening session | Opening session Energie-Cités || 5th Seminar of Energie-Cités, Verona 6-7 April – Proceedings || p.6 | Opening session | Energie-Cités || 5th Seminar of Energie-Cités, Verona 6-7 April – Proceedings || p.7 | Opening session | Opening session Michela SIRONI MARIOTTI, Mayor of the Municipality of Verona I would like to extend the warmest possible greetings to all of the participants at this important international seminar and I hope that your work goes well and that you have a pleasant stay in our city. Verona feels very honoured to have been chosen as the location for this important meeting attended by so many well-known and indeed welcome guests from all over Europe. We know that you are all here to share the wealth of your administrative, scientific and professional experience in the field of renewable energy. For some time now Verona has embarked upon a sustainable local energy policy and has committed itself to the promotion of environmental policies, particularly with a view to improving air quality and sustainable mobility. I would like to remind you that through the actions carried out by the local council run Company, AGSM, Verona participated in a European Programme on the implementation of a standard methodology for the application of renewable energy in local and European policies (the Joule Programme in 1995). As far as renewable energy is concerned, our city is at the forefront of these developments in Italy. At the moment we have five co-generation plants producing energy and some 20% of our urban area is heated by district heating systems. Verona has played a pioneering role in photovoltaic energy having built a plant at the beginning of the 1980's, which at that time was Italy's largest plant for water pumping systems. Indeed this project was co-financed by the European Community as part of their programme in 1984. Verona's commitment to renewable energy has continued over the years with the building of the Ca' del Bue plant which uses waste to generate heat and power and which should come on stream over the next few months. We already have power plants which use biogas and for some time now through our local energy company AGEVE we have been involved in awareness-raising campaigns in schools and amongst the population at large, as well as providing information to technicians and designers about the application of renewable energy. Verona is also involved in a European project as part of the Fifth Framework Research and Development Programme which provides for the experimental use of innovative systems for the heating and cooling of buildings and their comparison with traditional systems. However these initiatives and the results achieved thus far are not sufficient. Cities everywhere must display greater commitment towards the development of renewable energy, as outlined by the European Union which has set the aim of doubling the contribution of renewable energy sources to overall energy consumption by 2010. As Mayor of Verona I cannot hide the fact that there are many problems in this area, starting with the complex context brought about by the liberalisation of the electricity markets, the air pollution caused by road traffic in cities and the concerns surrounding the phenomenon of climate change. On a personal note, I am convinced that the best way forward for local authorities is a commitment to a sustainable energy policy, creating networks with other cities in order to seek out joint sustainable development policies which are agreed upon by all those concerned. Given the variety of renewable energy sources available and the complex structure of each individual city, there is no one single policy that can be pursued in the Energie-Cités || 5th Seminar of Energie-Cités, Verona 6-7 April – Proceedings || p.8 | Opening session | introduction of the various technologies. Consequently, each city must commit itself to finding its own strategy for the development of renewable energy. For this very reason the exchange of different experiences is fundamental. This seminar provides us with a unique opportunity to learn from other cities and to benefit from the successful actions and policies that have already taken place in the field of renewable energy sources in the context of sustainable urban development. I would therefore like to express my warmest thanks to Energie Cités for having chosen Verona as the venue for this seminar and to the European Commission for their support. On behalf of the city of Verona I would also like to express sincere greetings to all of you. I sincerely hope that this meeting in Verona will represent an important step towards the creation of a truly effective energy policy that will be capable of improving the quality of life of all European cities.