Energy Cities proposition 10 - Identify local energy potential in order to live within our means
Knowing our territories’ resources and flows
2014
Energy Cities is a network of more than 1,000 cities in 30 different countries. Convinced that energy transition is more than a question of renewable energy or advanced technologies, Energy Cities proposes to use resources in a reasoned way, to strengthen local participation and to improve the quality of life in a democratic Europe. In 2014, the network presents 30 proposals for the Energy Transition of Territories.
They are a source of inspiration to think and act differently. To finally turn the page on unsustainable practices that lead us into energy, climate and perhaps economic and social dead ends.
À télécharger : cahier_short_jan2014_en.pdf (6,8 Mio)
Energy Cities proposition 10 - Identify local energy potential in order to live within our means
The problem at hand
We have become used to just plugging our equipment in without considering where the energy comes from or who the decision-makers are. This is really convenient. However, this “Plug and Play”’ attitude has a cost. At the global level, it comes up against fossil resource limitations and climate constraints and is a source of geopolitical tensions. At the local level, this attitude tends to make consumers, citizens and local and regional authorities feel less responsible by breaking the link between energy and territory.
This has not always been the case. In the past, territories and their inhabitants were extremely cautious in the way they managed their few scarcely available resources, i.e. local energy sources. Priding ourselves on modernity, we gradually abandoned the knowledge of our territories’ energy potential from the sun, the wind, water, ground and underground heat, free heat, wastewater, waste and biomass.
Territories must rediscover their hidden treasures in order to secure their energy transition.
Proposal
Prepare a spatial inventory of local energy potential to support urban planning, building and retrofitting decision-making.
Integrating this data into mapping tools (GIS) will help planners, developers and town planners systematically take local potential into account, thus ensuring a balance between available resources in the territory and existing and future needs, as well as facilitating the implementation of local energy solutions.
Conditions for success
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Having the many stakeholders, including citizens, take part in investigating the data, defining priorities and the way these resources are to be used.
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Integrating the constraints linking the ecosystem and biodiversity so as to make cautious use of local renewable resources.
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Finding the right balance between the use of local resources (to satisfy needs) and energy efficiency (to control needs).