PLANHEAT will develop and validate an integrated and easy-to-use tool to support local authorities in selecting, simulating and comparing alternative low carbon and economically sustainable scenarios for heating and cooling. It will be validated in the three PLANHEAT cities.
The STORM project – Developing an innovative District Heating & Cooling (DHC) network controller to increase the use of waste heat and renewable energy sources and boost energy efficiency at district level. The project tackles energy efficiency at district level by developing an innovative district heating & cooling (DHC) network controller. The project partners have developed a controller based on self-learning algorithms, which is currently experimented in the two STORM demo sites.
The Scottish Isle of Eigg is still not connected to the power distribution grid located on the mainland 16 kilometers away. The approximately 100 inhabitants have been operating their own stand-alone grid since 2008. They successfully converted their power supply, stepping away from diesel and now generate power using virtually 100% renewable energy sources. The SMA hybrid off-grid system equipped with an installed renewable power generation capacity of 166 kilowatts integrates solar, wind power, hydropower and a storage battery.
Salzburg is one of the pioneers in Europe in developing smart energy networks. This is why it was chosen by the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund to be the first Smart Grids Model Region in Austria. Smart Grids Model Region Salzburg is supported by an interdisciplinary team from the energy sector (Salzburg AG, Salzburg Netz GmbH), a property developer (Salzburg Wohnbau), a technology vendor (Siemens), consulting services (Fichtner) and renowned research institutions (Austrian Institute of Technology, Vienna University of Technology, CURE).
The Solar Heating and Cooling Programme was established in 1977, one of the first programmes of the International Energy Agency. The Programme's work is unique in that it is accomplished through the international collaborative effort of experts from country members, sponsor members and the European Union. The benefits of this approach are: accelerates the pace of technology development; promotes standardization; enhances national R&D programmes; permits national specialization, and saves time and money.
In a rapidly urbanising world cities need to become smarter to respond to citizen needs and to reduce their environmental footprint. GrowSmarter brings together cities and industry to integrate and demonstrate ‘12 smart city solutions’ in energy, infrastructure and transport, to provide other cities with valuable insights on how they work in practice and opportunities for replication.
Gate 21 brings together municipalities, regions, businesses and knowledge and research institutions to develop and disseminate energy and resource-efficient solutions that promote green transition and growth. Gate 21’s vision is to make Greater Copenhagen the leading region in the world for green transition and growth. The strategy is based on the use of regional and local demand to develop, demonstrate and deploy new energy and resource-efficient solutions in the area of climate and energy.
Tesla is partnering with South Australia’s Labor government to create the world’s largest virtual power plant, consisting of 50,000 homes fitted with solar panels and the company’s Powerwall 2 home battery unit. The $800 million project will have roughly six times more energy storage capacity than Tesla’s massive Powerpack farm at the Hornsdale wind farm near Jamestown.
The NewWind R & D startup company has completely redesigned wind turbine. Their aim was to create an aesthetic and quiet structure. The "Wind Tree" trunk and its branches are made of steel and with 64 aeroleafs on it. The Wind Tree is 10 meters high and 8 meters wide. The leaves already start from a small breeze (2m / sec wind speed) and generate electricity. The conical turbines rotating around their own vertical axis are very silent, but they only give a slight buzzing sound like real leaves.
The Global District Energy in Cities Initiative is supporting national and municipal governments develop, retrofit or scale up district energy systems, with support from the private sector. The Initiative is bringing together cities, academia, technology providers and financial institutions in a joint ambition to build the necessary capacity while engaging all stakeholders. Twinning between cities, matching champion ones with learned ones, is a key component of the Global District Energy in Cities Initiative.