Energy and Renewables

Cities currently account for over 70% of the global greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and consume 75% of the world's energy therefore decarbonisation plays a critical role in staying below the 1.5C. 

Cities possess immense potential for establishing energy communities and constructing local hybrid renewable energy systems. Energy storage facilities and alternative methods of generating demand flexibility aid the city in lowering demand during periods of reduced production from renewable energy sources. In densely populated regions, there is scope for developing local micro-grids.

Cities play an important role in reducing the carbon footprint while increasing energy efficiency. However, the sector is characterised by the Energy Trilemma; recognising the tension between three objectives: (1) maintaining a reliable and secure energy supply, (2) ensuring long term affordability of the energy system and (3) drastically reducing GHG emissions associated with energy production and supply.

Therefore, accelerating decarbonisation requires establishing partnerships between local governments and investors, businesses and NGOs.

Decarbonising district heating and cooling 

Currently, the cooling and heating sector accounts for 50% of the EU's annual energy consumption. Almost half of the EU's buildings have boilers installed before 1992, with an efficiency rate of below 60%. The renewable energy accounts for 18% of heating and cooling supplies. According to the IEA, to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, nearly 85% of buildings must be zero-carbon-ready, meaning they must be highly energy efficient and use decarbonised energy.

Potential solutions for sustainable heating and cooling include: Waste to energy, geothermal, heat pumps, solar collectors and electrification of heat and cooling. 

Local sustainable energy systems 

Low carbon energy requires a combination of centralised and decentralised energy systems and sources. In the city ecosystem, this means technical and operational collaboration of various stakeholders (i.e. energy suppliers, distributors, consumers, city administration) are needed. In the majority of cities that also means transitions from the basic model of energy supply  to distributed energy systems .

Potential solutions for local sustainable energy systems include: integrating renewable energy sources into the city energy networks, planning for distributed energy / microgrids, implementing smart energy systems and setting relevant administration, organisation and technical frameworks to enable collaboration among stakeholders.

Renewable energy solutions

Distributed renewable energy is very well suited for providing of resilient, net-zero future for cities. Local renewable generation assets, together with storage, smart controls and demand reduction measures, can deliver a range of resilience benefits for cities: GHG emissions reduction, reduced energy system losses, backing up energy systems at local level, energy price instability on energy markets. Development of renewable energy within cities also triggers  economic growth.

To implement renewable energy solutions, cities need to identify the most effective (technically, economically, and socially) technologies. Potential solutions include: photovoltaic systems (rooftop and ground mounted), solar collectors, biogas (i.e. at city sewage treatment plant), waste-to-energy, wind and geothermal. 

Energy efficiency solutions 

 The primary objective of the European Green Deal is to curtail energy demand in the EU by 32.5% by 2030. In terms of energy systems, energy efficiency primarily relates to the efficiency of energy transportation (e.g., minimising energy losses) and energy consumption (inclusive of losses). Global trends are focused on decreasing energy consumption in all forms, which will subsequently reduce primary energy usage, lessen the depletion of fossil resources and mitigate the adverse environmental impact of energy. For example, it is estimated that currently only 1/4 of lighting is energy-efficient LED, and only about 10 million lamps are operating under smart lighting management systems. Street lighting can account for up to 60 percent of a city's electricity bill, making it a critical sub-sector to target. 

Potential solutions to develop energy efficiency policies and strategies include investing in building retrofitting, applying smart energy systems solutions (smart city / smart grid / smart metering), and promoting energy efficiency. 

Awareness and promotion of energy efficiency and decarbonisation

Building awareness of the legitimacy of energy efficiency is one of the key tasks of city leaders. Organising consultation meetings, running campaigns to promote energy saving and the use of their own green energy sources will significantly influence cities' future energy strategies. Energy consumers show willingness to save energy but often lack the knowledge on how to do this in practice.  Therefore, there is a growing need for energy efficiency education. It is important to educate how strong impact energy-efficient choices will make on both daily life of individuals and whole communities. 

Potential solutions to build awareness and promotion of energy efficiency and decarbonisation include workshops for entrepreneurs / private investors aimed at effective energy system management,  promotional campaigns on energy efficiency awareness (i.e. in a public transport) and educational campaigns in schools. 

Green Deal & Energy efficiency: Energy efficiency - targets, directive and rules (europa.eu) 
EU Renewable energy strategies: Renewable energy (europa.eu) 
EU Smart grids and smart metering approach: Energy system integration (europa.eu) 
EU Energy and Smart Cities approach and initiatives: Energy and smart cities (europa.eu) 
Digitalisation in urban energy systems EC Outlook: publication on digitalisation in cities.pdf (europa.eu) 
REPowerEU – programme for Affordable, secure and sustainable energy for Europe: REPowerEU (europa.eu)