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Bonn, Germany (SPX) Dec 09, 2010 Germany is a country of towns and cities. Almost 90 percent of the population lives and works in urban conurbations - from Aachen to Gorlitz, from Flensburg to Friedrichshafen. The need for energy is obviously highest where these people are located, and that is the key to achieving a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. However, what form should intelligent urban redevelopment take, from transport through residential accommodation to workplaces? "All German towns and cities have great potential for saving energy," states Hermann-Josef Wagner, Professor of Energy Systems and the Energy Economics at Ruhr University Bochum. The possibilities range from efficient thermal insulation in old buildings to ingenious traffic management and also extend to low-energy lighting of public spaces. Numerous technologies are already available, but their introduction often fails due to high costs, multiple conflicting interests or the ponderous decision-making processes in local bureaucracies.
New ideas through a national competition Seventy-two municipalities, ranging from million-inhabitant cities to the small towns in the country have responded to the call to develop intelligent and practical energy plans. Of the 72 respondents, 15 qualified for a 200,000 Euro grant to enable them to prepare their redevelopment strategies. In autumn 2010, this list was reduced to five winning towns and cities. These are Essen, Magdeburg, Stuttgart, Wolfhagen, in North Hessen, and Delitzsch, in Saxony. "Local authorities must understand their cities as complex systems," says Michael Knoll at the Institute for Future Studies and Technology Assessment in Berlin. In addition, transparency and public discussion help to achieve widespread acceptance, ensuring that the plans they devise gain the support of their citizens. This rationale prompted the overall winner, the city of Essen, to place its inhabitants firmly at the heart of the climate initiative that it adopted.
Energy from waste Delitzsch is also giving careful consideration to the socio-economic aspects of its urban environment and intends to adapt its infrastructure strategy to reflect the downsizing affecting this medium-sized town. It is important that the ideas tabled by the 15 finalists do not disappear into the archive drawers of the planners. Aachen could become a example for many historical towns and cities to emulate. The focal point here is the energy-conscious way in which listed buildings are being renovated. Using affordable methods, historical buildings are fitted with more efficient thermal insulation that does not affect their external appearance. Munich intends to promote the bicycle as an energy-efficient means of transport for a cleaner future.
Wolfhagen aims to get all its energy from renewable sources This target will be achieved by renovating buildings, fitting solar panels, building a 'citizen's wind farm' and using biomass-fuelled power stations. An intelligent power grid will balance out supply and demand, and lay the groundwork for a larger fleet of electrically powered vehicles. "A great many municipalities could benefit from these solutions, and from a better understanding of the difficulties involved," says the coordinator of the Wolfhagen plan, Christina Sager from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (Institut fur Bauphysik; IBP). The five winners will be able to implement their concepts over the next three to five years - with financial support of up to one million Euro per year. The German Federal Minister of Education and Research, Annette Schavan, is hoping that all the other participants can still derive benefit from the competition and that "new concepts and research results can be incorporated into urban planning".
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EU wants body-wide green power schemeBrussels (UPI) Dec 7, 2010 The European Commission wants to pressure Germany into accepting a harmonization of Europe's renewable energy trade. Brussels wants to introduce continent-wide renewable power trading, which would save "billions of euros," according to an energy policy paper prepared by the commission, German newspaper Die Welt reports. European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger also shoots ... read more |
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