Renewables Generation: Key findings from mPOWER Exchange
In 2019-20 4 cities explored the possibilities for large scale renewables generation. Visits to Frankfurt and Barcelona accelerated learning on how to: create a step change in solar generation uptake in the private sector, deliver large scale solar projects on city owned land and roofs and tackle energy poverty. Sessions with experts provided information on future generation and storage innovations and the possibilities for creating energy communities.
Local Energy Communities: Key findings from mPOWER Exchange
Throughout 2019 two mPower Exchange peer groups explored the topic of local energy communities, starting simply from the questions: What exactly are energy communities? And what added value might they bring to the local energy transition and the work being done by public authorities? Following that we explored how municipalities can enable the development of energy communities and what forms partnerships can take. In both groups this included a special exploration into how local authorities might be able to initiate an energy community for the cities where these would be the first.
Energy Efficiency: Key findings from mPOWER Exchange
In 2019, four cities completed a joint research and education project to identify possible activities that municipalities can do within the field of domestic retrofit, to save carbon, improve comfort, health, citizen participation, community resilience and the local economy. Here are our group’s findings.
How a rural Dutch town is working towards sustainability
The municipality of Horst aan de Maas is situated in south-eastern Netherlands, close to the German border. In 2020 it adopted a new local sustainability policy with four main goals: Horst aan de Maas aims to be a fully climate neutral, climate proof, circular and nature-friendly town by 2050.
Rochdale’s journey to net zero 2020-38
Rochdale is one of the 10 boroughs of the Greater Manchester city region. It is located to the north east of the region and has a population of approximately 218,000. It was one of the first industrial towns in the nineteenth century and was famous for textile manufacturing.
The Drechtsteden: moving away from fossil gas and involving residents in the process
The Drechtsteden, with just short of 300,000 residents, is a small region of seven cooperating municipalities. In order to reduce households’ dependence on fossil gas, several municipalities have begun to construct heat networks using waste incineration, geothermal and aquathermal energy.
“Cuando algo es bueno, llévalo a tu propio ayuntamiento”.
El 17 y 18 de septiembre de 2020, 12 ciudades españolas se reunieron para la primera edición de los Eventos Regionales mPower. El encuentro tenía como pregunta clave, cómo las ciudades pueden asumir un liderazgo más ambicioso en una transición energética democrática y justa. El evento, que estuvo marcado por experiencias compartidas de transición energética de seis de las ciudades participantes, supuso el inicio de un diálogo sobre cómo llevar la soberanía energética a una ciudad y su ciudadanía. ¿Qué se puede aprender cada ciudad, en el ámbito de la eficiencia energética en los edificios, la expansión de las energías renovables de propiedad pública y la participación ciudadana? En esta entrada compartimos algunas de las principales ideas del evento.
Almada: on the way to becoming a low-carbon role model
Located on the south bank of the river Tagus, opposite Lisbon, Almada City Council is one of 18 municipalities within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, with 180,000 permanent residents living in an area of 72 km2. Despite being mostly urban, Almada still manages to preserve 25% of its territory as a natural protected area of great richness and biodiversity. The city’s Atlantic beachfront extends for approximately 13 km and is a popular leisure destination, attracting an estimated 8 million visitors per year.
Municipalities in southern Italy join forces with citizens to tackle climate change
Three municipalities in southern Italy – Palma Campania, San Giuseppe Vesuviano and Striano – are proving that local authorities can engage citizens meaningfully and make them key actors in the transition to a low carbon economy.
‘When something is good, take it to your own town hall!’
On the 17th and 18th of September 2020, 12 Spanish cities* met for the first edition of the mPower Regional Events. The encounter was framed around the question of how cities can take more ambitious leadership in a democratic and just energy transition. Punctuated by more in-depth energy transition stories from six of the cities participating, the event formed the beginnings of a dialogue around how to bring energy sovereignty to a city and its local stakeholders. What could the city officers learn from and with each other in the areas of energy efficiency in buildings, expansion of publicly owned renewables and citizen participation? We share some of the main insights from the event in this blog.