Location
Description
The city of Espoo foresees SPARCs as a vital instrument to accelerate growth that leads to a prosperous future. Having been named twice as the most sustainable city in Europe and recently called by the UN to become a SDG city, Espoo is fully committed to embark upon SPARCs and create future the project envisages. Energy and mobility are key topics for Espoo that provide the ground for carbon neutrality.
As a Lighthouse city, Espoo will invest in technology to boost the energy transition while working in close collaboration with residents, companies, educational and research organizations.
The position as pioneering city for the UN Agenda 2030, sets the Espoo demonstrations and SPARCS results on the global map. SPARCS in ESPOO is part of the development programme “Sustainable Espoo6”, involving all departments in the local administration. The objective of this programme is to implement actions towards the carbon-neutrality by 2030, including fossil-free district heating.
Demonstrations:
1) energy positive blocks and 5 districts in Espoo and Leipzig:
Integrated smart energy solutions and systems
• virtual power plant solutions
• integration options of RES towards carbon neutral solutions
• district heating and cooling integration and thermal demand response
• predictability and optimization of energy performance
• large battery applications
Interoperable digitalization solutions
• big data optimization
• blockchain technology
Electro-mobility integration and technologies
• the integration of EV-charging to the local grid and its impacts on the energy system
• peak load monitoring and control (Espoo)
• EV as storage
• Electrification of the public transport and E-bus charging (Espoo)
• Research on bi-directional charging points
Energy positive urban district planning and governance models
• new procurement and co-creation models
• new mechanisms for networked urban development
2) entegrated smart energy solutions and systems including virtual power plant, integration options for renewables towards carbon neutral solutions, district level energy solutions such as district heating and cooling integration and thermal demand response, predictability and optimization of energy performance, large battery and storage applications, profitability and energy markets, emerging opportunities in the energy market;
3) energy positive urban district planning and governance models including new procurement and co-creation models, new mechanisms for networked urban development.
Demonstrations:
1) Electro-mobility integration and technologies including the integration of EV-charging to the local grid and its impacts on the energy system, peak load monitoring and control, EV-charging economy and services, community and residential EV-parking solutions, EV as storage, city planning measures, electrification of the public transport and E-bus charging, Mobility as a Service (MaaS).
SPARCs develops a shared bold city-vision 2050 as a co-creation process between cities, industry, innovative SMEs, entrepreneurs and citizens, tailored for each Lighthouse and fellow city.
SPARCs treats community engagement as a transversal action included in several Work Packages. SPARCs increases the ownership of implemented smart solutions with a transdisciplinary engagement strategy, including co-creation, co-development and co-implementation, to actively involve and empower citizens, local governments, city-planners, policy-makers and other relevant stakeholders.
Actions include:
• Active support for energy transformation by interventions fostering energy awareness and ownership of solutions (Leipzig, “WoonConnect” App)
• Co-creation of electro-mobility services based on citizen journeys and people flows
• Development and demonstration of citizen-based services and urban planning
• Development and demonstration of governance models for participatory, integrated and sustainable city planning and management Community engagement is supported by lighthouse cities with active channels for interacting with stakeholders and implementing cooperation projects to develop and protect local environment, surroundings and encouraging behavioural changes towards a sustainable lifestyle.