Overview
KINETIC is actively engaged in comprehending and evaluating the transformation of existing neighborhoods into Positive Energy Districts (PED). The core vision behind our research aligns with the principles of the third industrial revolution, where households are envisioned as sustainable “power plants” – able to produce on their own the resources/energy the family requires. Extending this concept to the neighborhood level, the ambition is for entire city districts to be self-sufficient in terms of energy production – PED models that are community-led.
The KINETIC Consortium holds powerful expertise in topic-related issues, demonstrated through a relevant portfolio of research projects mostly supported and funded by European Commission Programs. The KINETIC team is constituted of multiple actors working trans-disciplinary, in order to cover and tackle all challenges and topics that KINETIC and its high level of research imply. KINETIC is composed of multiple ranges of experts in urban planning, sustainable environmental development, energy transition, quality of living and all sub-topics enrolled in it (smart cities, citizen participation, scientist analysis, etc.). Working with the cities of Copenhagen, Bucharest and Parma, to creates an international collaboration of cities and experts for an integrated approach to assessing Positive Energy District (PED) deployment, generating capacity building of local communities towards the co- creation of feasible transformation strategies, with the help of innovative community-oriented tools and planning instruments.
Context of demo cities
In Copenhagen, the focus lies on seamlessly integrating growth, development, and a better quality of life with reduced CO2 emissions. Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) are key in this mission. The city has a history of successful local energy community projects in various areas, aligning with the co-creation roadmap. The Danish team, comprising the Copenhagen municipality and Aalborg University, identifies four strategic areas for PED adaptation: Folehaven, H.B. Mozart, Bavnehøj, and Christiania. Their approach involves integrating renewable energy infrastructures at both individual housing and neighborhood levels, ensuring sustainable, efficient, and green transitions for residential properties. Copenhagen’s administration has been a driving force in transforming neighborhoods into energy-positive hubs. Collaborative efforts with research institutions, energy companies, and residents have resulted in pioneering initiatives. For instance, the Smart Cities Accelerator (SCA) project (2016-2020), part of EU programs, focused on sustainable growth through innovations like Positive Energy Districts. The Nordhavn District exemplifies this commitment, showcasing energy-efficient buildings, district heating, waste management solutions, and smart grid infrastructure. In KINETIC, Copenhagen prioritizes existing residential areas and local energy communities, engaging diverse stakeholders. The co-creation process aligns with initiatives like Life-Beckon, aiming for seamless energy transformation in the city.
Bucharest Sector 6, represented by the Municipality of Bucharest Sector 6, is deeply committed to transforming its Drumul Taberei neighborhood into a Positive Energy District (PED). With a strong focus on energy efficiency and community engagement, Bucharest Sector 6 aims to optimize energy usage, integrate renewable sources, and enhance the overall quality of life for residents. The city has made significant strides in sustainable urban development, exemplified by initiatives like the Bucharest Green City Strategy. Through projects like “Intre Vecini” (Among Neighbors) and support from organizations like the Romanian National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) and the National Research Development Institute URBAN INCERC, Bucharest Sector 6 fosters co-creation. This collaborative effort involves diverse stakeholders, including residents, experts, and community organizations, ensuring a holistic and inclusive approach to PED development. Through these initiatives, Bucharest Sector 6 is actively shaping a greener, more sustainable future for its community, embodying the principles of co-creation and community empowerment.
Parma city aims to transform its urban landscape into a Positive Energy District (PED). Spanning 396,000m2, Parma’s objectives include social and urban renovation, sustainability, and inclusivity. With a comprehensive Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan approved in June 2021, Parma aims to reduce emissions by 46% to 58% by 2030. The city has pioneered various initiatives, integrating energy-efficient technologies and renewables into urban development. Parma’s proactive measures involve collaborations with local authorities, academic institutions, and the community, resulting in reduced emissions. Sustainable mobility solutions, such as cycling infrastructure and electric transportation, further enhance the city’s eco-friendly transformation. In the co-creation process, Parma engages a diverse array of stakeholders, including workers’ unions, NGOs, public authorities, and experts. Leaders from the University of Parma, Provincial Council for Energy and Environment, and CNR have expressed full support for the Campus Energy Community and the KINETIC project. Private stakeholders near the campus area also express interest. This collaborative effort signifies Parma’s commitment to a sustainable, energy- efficient future.
Takeaways – opening new sustainable urban transformation pathways
After almost 1 year of implementation and collaboration with local stakeholders, engaging in open discussions and delving into the challenges posed by socio-economic and built environment frameworks, the KINETIC Consortium has identified several key elements for triggering a valuable process, transforming existing neighborhoods according to the above-mentioned ambition. The main priority (and challenge) lies in fostering a sense of ownership and empowerment among local actors and harmonizing the requirements for PED deployment from behalf of citizens, local actors, public authorities, etc. The concept of PED is inherently interdisciplinary, making it complex to grasp from various perspectives. To address this complexity, the project has employed an adaptable co- creation methodology (one of the main results of the project implementation). The methodology is an evolving document that aims to coordinate Demo Leaders (Parma, Copenhagen, Bucharest Sector 6) in implementing the local workshops, which represent the main activities that facilitate the elaboration of the planned project deliverables and outputs. More specifically, the local partners are debating/discussing, verifying research results with attendees to the workshops, and engage in creative exercises for identifying challenges, priorities and new development directions (representing priorities for transforming PED).
Co-creation work
As of November 2023, 3 out of the 9 planned local workshops in the 3 demo sites have been completed. Despite being in the early stages of the co-creation process, the 3 cities (demo sites) have significantly different requirements and priorities concerning the creation of Positive Energy Districts (PED). Notably, the co-creation activities have yielded relevant results and outcomes in each area:
Bucharest Sector 6, Demo Area Drumul Taberei Neighborhood:
National legislation related to energy communities is not fully developed, and there is no concrete roadmap for achieving it. However, the energy communities concept/framework is acknowledged by the law, according to the EU directives. In the area, two local initiatives are already functioning. Co-creation activities and desk research have been deployed to see how similar initiatives can be upscaled or replicated. The main outcome of the second workshop focused on Local Energy Communities in Drumul Taberei Neighborhood. Together with participants there have been co-created 3 potential scenarios for deploying, or upscaling energy community initiatives. These scenarios are based on existing frameworks and priorities (collective housing units energy rehabilitation projects), state-of-the-art solutions and business models, and relevant local resources, particularly nZEB (nearly Zero-Energy Buildings) renovated public institutions that currently produce more energy than they consume. The local workshops have also yielded important outcomes, including the identification of key local actors who will be involved in future project activities. They are essential for addressing the area’s development priorities, which include building renovation, mitigating energy poverty, public space facilities renovation and mobility transition measures.
Parma Demo Area:
The Parma demo area is represented by the university campus, which is planned to be transformed into an energy community initially with three members: CNR, University of Parma, and Parma Municipality. This community is expected to expand in the future to include new members from neighboring areas such as a privately-run student residence, a shopping mall, and a popular sports center. These entities actively participated in discussions and could potentially become second-tier members of the Campus Energy Communities. Parma’s objective, as one of the 100 Climate-Neutral Campuses (CNC), is to deploy relevant actions to achieve climate neutrality by 2035. Currently, the net per-capita emissions in the province of Parma are 34% higher than the national (Italian) average due to the high density of industrial and farming activities in the region. Establishing new Energy Communities is considered the first step toward achieving PED. Despite challenges arising from temporary regulations passed by the parliament in 2021, the partners and local stakeholders have identified relevant areas for replicating best practices on the University Campus, including social housing high-efficiency conglomerate – MAS social urban renovation, Castelletto District, and Industrial area.
Copenhagen Demo Area:
In the Copenhagen demo area, the municipality has identified ongoing projects that could synergize with the KINETIC project. The municipality, along with Aalborg University, is investigating the potential of Local Energy Communities as a fundamental part of the PED concept. The discussion during the kick-off identified four specific urban areas: Christiania (CA), Folehaven (FH), Mozart (MZ), and Bavnehøj (BH). These neighborhoods are primarily representative of the urban morphology, building typologies, and social and organizational challenges of Danish urban and suburban contexts. These areas will provide valuable lessons for replicating methods, solutions, and scalability. Regarding the mobilization of energy communities, participants suggested that one key argument in favor of LECs is their contribution to democratizing energy production. By involving citizens as ‘prosumers,’ initiating energy generation, LECs can empower individuals to actively participate in their communities.
Notable research results
PED State-of-art research on energy policies and agendas for PE neighborhoods.
The analysis emphasizes that PEDs are integrated within larger policy frameworks such as the European Green Deal, the Smart and Sustainable Cities Agenda, the European Climate Law, and the Fit for 55 package. Although not explicitly mentioned, these policies share objectives with PEDs, creating a favorable context for their implementation. PEDs benefit from existing financial channels, legal frameworks, and public support aligned with broader sustainability initiatives. In conclusion, this assessment establishes PEDs as innovative solutions for sustainable urban development, aligning with the EU’s climate and energy objectives. Their holistic approach, encompassing renewable energy, energy efficiency, and district-level sustainable practices, positions PEDs as vital contributors to the EU’s low- carbon future.
Methodology for co-creation PED
This methodology is designed to gradually enhance collaboration with local actors, allowing for a multi-level approach. Discussions revolve around diverse dimensions of PED, encompassing both social and technical aspects. So far 3 workshops have been implemented according to the roadmap, with the following theme: Collaborative mapping of relevant stakeholders, Local Energy Communities, and Qualitative assessment for PED transformation (according to the demo areas development priorities)
In essence, KINETIC’s approach involves not only understanding the technicalities of transforming neighborhoods into PED but also navigating the intricate social and collaborative aspects. Through this method, we aim to empower local communities, ensuring that the transition towards Positive Energy Districts is not only technically feasible but also socially inclusive and sustainable.
Organization frameworks for future Local Energy Communities
Local Energy Communities (LECs) represent a novel approach to energy governance and sustainable development at the local level. This deliverable is divided in two parts from the strategy to the activation of the LECs.
First, deriving from the D3.1 methodology, the guidebook provides the general keys to facilitating the organization of Local Energy and Climate Plans (LECPs) and offers a methodology that involves tailored neighbourhood analysis and a tactical process to define their own framework. This guidance aims to support the demo partners to organise their local workshop in relation to the results and objectives to be achieved.
Secondly, the report presents the primary outcomes of the Local Engagement Community (LECs) activated in the three pilot cases. These results are based on the local workshop reports provided by the local partner following each event. It has been demonstrated that the proposed methodology was effective, highlighting the importance of agile methods in addressing the specific contexts, needs, and requirements of the demos.
PED mapping (methodology)
The project is developing a tool focused on assessing existing neighborhoods’ suitability for adopting the PED concept. This GIS-based approach delves into various neighborhood characteristics, pre-evaluates energy balances, checks the presence of energy infrastructure, evaluates overall building efficiency based on recurring types, making able for decision makers and planners to assess systematic redevelopment scenarios. To utilize the tool effectively, users need to input building-level and geo-relevant information. The tool then correlates and mathematically models various factors, including the building’s construction year, materials used, degree of renovation, energy efficiency in terms of heat demand versus overall demand, total consumption per building, consumption categories based on zoning functions, energy balances throughout the day and types of use, and the potential for on-site Renewable Energy Sources (RES) such as roof surface area and available unbuilt areas. This comprehensive approach ensures a thorough analysis of neighborhoods, enabling informed decisions for the implementation of PED concepts.
As of the end of 2023, the tool, designed for analyzing demo energy potential, has reached its consolidated methodological state. This achievement is based on extensive research, incorporating best practices and a comprehensive overview of available data that can be collected or derived from large databases. Further, the tool will be enriched with context-based data for each demo, representing an important milestone for developed Energy Transformation Strategies (main goal of the project).
Perception of local actors (Bucharest, Parma, Copenhagen) about PED deployment
In Bucharest Sector 6, the challenges of navigating a densely urbanized environment have led to a recognition of the modular potential in development and the utilization of flat terraces for solar panels – albeit a lot of conflictual opinions have been displayed whether the solution is possible or not. The common views of local project partners and local stakeholders on the PED is that it represents an opportunity to enhance energy security, alleviate energy poverty, and maximize the impact of future investments in energy and building rehabilitation. The municipality has demonstrated proactive approach involving strong community engagement (communication campaigns in schools and public polls, raising awareness about energy savings and efficiency, and the benefits of RES), and by actively searching for innovative approaches for maximizing the energy surplus of the newly nZEB projects – public institutions (most of them being schools). PED is a multi-leveled transformation process. Bucharest Sector 6 demo is aiming at integrating energy systems with building renovations, mobility solutions, and collaborations with civil representatives and NGOs. KINETIC local partners objective is to co-create a strategy in which local communities are both decision-makers and beneficiaries of the energy transformation initiatives.
Parma faces challenges due to delayed national regulations hindering the formal establishment of Energy Communities. Despite these obstacles, the involved institutions, including CNR and Parma Municipality, are actively engaged in preparatory work. Community collaboration is a key focus, with efforts directed towards universities, research institutions, energy cooperatives, and local businesses. Parma emphasizes community engagement and outreach, intending to build a robust foundation for the Campus Energy Community (CEC). Despite regulatory uncertainties, the city is proactive in technical assessments, social impact analysis, and legal preparations.
Copenhagen Municipality aims to encourage active citizen participation, foster collaboration, transform the urban environment into a green energy hub, avoid energy isolation, and accelerate the implementation of photovoltaic systems on city rooftops. By promoting these initiatives, the city sets the stage for a sustainable and interconnected energy landscape. Democratizing energy production and consumption, and managing energy resources is a matter of collaboration. In Copenhagen, the KINETIC project revealed critical aspects for Local Energy Communities development. Mobilization efforts emphasized involving citizens as ‘prosumers,’ democratizing energy production, and fostering community engagement. Challenges include communication barriers and complex legislation, requiring simplified frameworks and accessible information. Technical issues highlighted learning from established companies, integrating technologies like electric vehicle charging, and overcoming space limitations for installations. Economic challenges centered on secure financial structures and transparent resource management. Positive prospects included utilizing rooftops and addressing the energy crisis for policy incentives. These findings underscore the need for addressing these themes for successful LEC implementation in Copenhagen.