Location
Description
The city of Leipzig has long been actively committed to be a climate conscious city. Innovations in areas of energy, smart city and health not only strengthen companies and start-ups, but also the population and the environment can directly or indirectly benefit from modern and intelligent infrastructure solutions.
As a Lighthouse city in SPARCs, Leipzig is in a key position to significantly contribute to the European and global aim to reach the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, replicating and exploiting the interventions within SPARCs, as deeply integrated into existing initiatives.
City of Leipzig has joined in the German Climate Alliance in 1994, setting a strict goal to reduce the CO2 emissions with the Energy and Climate protection Concept already in 2011. This has been enforced with the endorsement of the Climate protection Work Program of 2014, receiving its first certification (Gold Certification) in 2017 by the European Energy Award (EEA) Benchmarking System7. Leipzig's endeavours to achieve the European Energy Award Gold scheme is a clear sign of future commitment as is the current development of a Green City Master Plan, which will set new and more ambitious targets for CO2reduction with a focus on carbon-free mobility within the city8. SPARCs fellow cities are already very well oriented to the freecarbon urban community transformation, since they have already submitted SEPAs or similar binding municipal plans clearly committing to promote energy-friendly urban development, enhancing the social cohesion and ensuring high quality of life.
Technologies
Buildings and energy
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.
Mobility & Transport
Demostrations:
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).
ICT
Demostrations:
1)Interoperable digitalization solutions including big data optimization and adaptation of blockchain technology
Actions:
SPARCsachieves more than 2 years of performance monitoringand incorporates the data into the Smart Cities Information System database (SCIS).
Citizen Engagement
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.