The Current
Welcome to our last +CityxChange Newsletter!
We are excited to share with you everything our partners and cities have been up to over the last six months. We’ve been busy testing solutions, hosting/attending events, starting new projects, writing deliverables, and documenting our numerous results. As always, give us a follow on LinkedIn and Twitter to stay up-to-date with our project, and be sure to mark your calendars for our Final Event in Trondheim, 3-5 October 2023.
ISSUE 05
May 2023
+CityxChange enters the final stretch of the project!
+CityxChange Kicks Off a Final Series of Learning Sessions with an Event in Sestao
At the end of March, +CityxChange kicked off the first of four Learning Sessions that will occur over the following months in preparation for our final event in Trondheim. As the project comes to a close, the Learning Sessions are an opportunity to understand the key takeaways from the project, including challenges and opportunities for growth.
PROJECT UPDATES
Follower Cities Complete their Bold City Visions for Climate Neutrality
We are happy to announce that the Bold City Visions (BCVs) of the Follower Cities (FCs) are officially completed, and we are well on the way to achieving full political approval by each of the cities. Check out our recent news post to learn about the Bold City Vision framework and how it has been adapted to each city.
The Final Monitoring & Evaluation Phase of the Project
We are in the final Monitoring & Evaluation phase of the CityxChange project. This phase is where the lessons learned from the previous five years of the project come together to form the final report on challenges, lessons learned and recommendations from the Lighthouse and Follower Cities.
Stories from Source
For the Storytelling Workshop at our last Consortium Meeting in Písek, held in November 2022, we discussed the role if citizen participation in our project. The workshop revolved around issues of citizen engagement, based on pre-recorded stories of four of the Follower Cities. Check out the videos!
+CITYXCHANGE BY THE NUMBERS
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Public Deliverables
Research Outcomes
Interactive Dashboards
NEWS FROM OUR LIGHTHOUSE AND FOLLOWER CITIES
Trondheim – +CxC energy trades go live at Brattøra
Trondheim – Green business development project – TK scaling and replicating +CxC energy solutions at Sluppen
Local Energy Markets make up a crucial part of the LHC Trondheim PEBs and help the city utilise approximately 20% of the available electricity that would otherwise go to waste. The live trades are now displayed in real-time on a large outdoor screen on the wall of the Brattøra PEB anchor building PowerHouse – the world’s northernmost energy positive building! You can also keep track of them through the website linked below.
Trondheim has set up and will facilitate a project on integrating a new, more sustainable stationary battery storage solution based on vanadium flow battery technology. The flow battery will be integrated within the PEB and the Sluppen Local Energy Market and is the result of successful collaborations between local SME Bryte Batteries, real-estate developer R Kjeldsberg and the Norwegian tech provider, Aneo. The project will last throughout Summer 2023 and demonstrates how new, green tech solutions can play an important role in the energy transition. Watch Norwegian broadcasting company NRK recent reportage and interviews with +CxC, for a glimse at the battery in action.
Limerick – University of Limerick campus accommodates first Electric Car Sharing Vehicle as part of D4.5: eMobility in Limerick
Alba Iulia – Alba Iulia joins ASCEND, a new project to Accelerate positive Clean Energy Districts
In Limerick, +CityxChange partners are exploring eMobility. Recently, the University of Limerick campus provided a parking space and permit in their busy campus car park for an electric car sharing vehicle. In the photo above, Chris Fogarty, Energy Manager/Quality Team Leader at University of Limerick is pictured with Mantas Valasinas, GoCar representative for Limerick at the handover of “GoCar UL 3’. Check out the latest deliverable with more details here.
Between 7-10 February, the Alba Iulia team participated in the Kick off Meeting of the new Horizon Europe ASCEND project, in Lyon, France. The project “seeks to accelerate the implementation of positive, clean energy districts (PCED) for cities’ transition toward climate neutrality and social justice across Europe,” allowing Alba Iulia to continue building on the projects initiated during +CxC.
Pisek – Mobile app “Můj Písek” continues to support residents
Sestao – Sestao receives a grant to restore the Escuela de Aprendices
Písek continues to promote and update the “Můj Písek” mobile app! This mobile application is an interesting and practical helper for every citizen of Písek. The app shares important news from the office and its organizations, an overview of cultural, sports and social events, and updates about parking options and closurese. It’s a great way for citizens to stay connected.
Sestao has received a 3 million Euro grant from NextGenerationEU to renovate the Escuela de Aprendices. Having fallen into disrepair, the building is currently closed to the public.The hope is to connect the building to Sestao’s future PEB and transform it into a community space that can once again serve the citizens of Sestao.
Smolyan – Smolyan’s successful bid for EUCF
Smolyan – Children’s Designathon held in Smolyan
The city of Smolyan is very happy to announce that in December 2022 it became one of the beneficiaries in the 4th call of the European City Facility (EUCF) grant. The grant will allow Smolyan to continue developing PEBs and help the city achieve CO2 emission reduction targets.
On the 25th of March, Sky Hub Smolyan welcomed 25 children to participate in the city’s first Designathon, part of the Global Children Design Marathon (Global Children Designathon). The event was organized by Community centre “Future now” in partnership with the Municipality of Smolyan as part of the initiative Next generation Smart Citizen.
Võru – Smart Cities gathering in Võru
On March 23, Tarkade Linnade Klubi (Smart Cities Club) gathered in Võru to listen to the experiences of the city of Võru and the practical lessons learned throughout the +CityxChange project. Topics discussed included the process of creating a long-term vision for the municipality that is linked to goals of sustainable development, as well as the results of analyses of various public buildings. The meeting was attended by representatives of various organizations and municipalities of Pärnu, Tapa, Elva, Saku, Kanepi, Tartu, and Viljandi.
DELIVERABLES IN THE SPOTLIGHT
D4.9: White Paper “Regulations Unlocking Innovation Potential”
D5.16: +Trondheim sustainable investment and business concepts and models
D9.21: +CityxChange Storytelling Workshops, inviting other LHCs and FCs 4
IN OTHER NEWS
Planning granted for clean energy demonstration in the heart of Limerick City
Planning permission has been granted to clean energy developer GKinetic to deploy three hydrokinetic turbines just upstream of Thomond Weir in Limerick city.
Testing car-sharing at Trondheim grocery stores
Trondheim Kommune, together with one of the largest grocery store chains in Norway, REMA 1000 i Norge, and three car-sharing companies are now testing car-sharing at four grocery stores around Trondheim. With a total of 12 shared cars, the cars will be made available through the FourC +CxC developed Mobee app.
Scalable Cities & MAtchUP – Valencia Joint Event
We recently attended a Smart Cities and Communities (SCC) event, hosted by the MAtchUP project in Lighthouse City, Valencia. The event was an opportunity to engage in discussions about the transition from Positive Energy Districts to Climate Neutral Cities and how to scale up the technologies and solutions to enable the transition.
Save the Date: Final Event for +CityxChange
+CityxChange’s final conference will be held in Trondheim from 3-5 October. It’s been quite the ride and we’ve learned a lot. Looking forward to sharing our results with you all. See you there!
3-5 October 2023
FOLLOW US & STAY UPDATED!
Coordination team
Annemie Wyckmans – Project coordinator
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
annemie.wyckmans@ntnu.no
Dirk Ahlers – Project manager
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
dirk.ahlers@ntnu.no
Lighthouse City representatives:
Rosie Webb – Lighthouse City Coordinator, Limerick City and County Council
Urban and Village Renewal, Senior Architect,
rosie.webb@limerick.ie
Silja Rønningsen – Lighthouse City Coordinator,
Trondheim Kommune
silja.ronningsen@trondheim.kommune.no
