RESPONSE at the Ecological and Digital Transition Festival

The fourth edition of the Ecological and Digital Transition Festival provided students with insights into Dijon’s transition goals through the RESPONSE project, highlighting future career opportunities in sustainable innovation.

The fourth edition of the Ecological and Digital Transition Festival took place from 4 November to 8 December 2024. It featured 90 events in a variety of formats, which aimed to understand the challenges of the ecological and digital transition, and to help people discover the trainings and careers that contribute to it in Burgundy-Franche-Comté thanks to a tailor-made programme around these challenges: exhibitions, conferences, hackathons, and visits of companies or laboratories. 

The festival is particularly aimed at “learners” (secondary school students, university students and apprentices), including people undergoing career change and job seekers, teachers and employees. 

This was the context in which the Green City – Campus des Métiers organised the second ‘” Your Job of Tomorrow, a sustainable, low-carbon city ‘’ forum in Dijon from 2 to 4 December.   

This forum is an experience during which visitors are given a mission that will lead them to work together to identify and mobilise key skills for a project that contributes to decarbonisation. 

EDF and Dijon Métropole presented the RESPONSE model and the city’s civic services demonstrated the “Draw your Positive Energy District” board game developed as part of the project, to introduce students to the context of the city’s decarbonisation. 

Using the example of RESPONSE in Dijon, the students learned not only about the objectives of the city’s transition, but also about the career opportunities, it offers. Encouraged by this introduction, they then discovered the jobs of the future in several workshops run by schools and companies. 

Dijon tEAM
Participants Dijon event

Finnish Lighthouse City Network gathered in Vantaa

In November, Finnish Lighthouse project cities gathered in Vantaa to exchange practices. During the two-day event, cities shared updates and experiences in developing positive energy districts (PEDs) and delved into pressing challenges of urban energy transitions.

The focus of November’s Lighthouse City network meeting was on replication and carbon neutrality in urban planning. The meeting gathered participants from Tampere (STARDUST), Oulu (MAKINGCITY), Espoo (SPARCS), Vantaa (NEUTRALPATH), and Turku (RESPONSE).

The first day of the meeting was dedicated to exchange on replication in Turku and Vantaa, and the ongoing work for energy transition in those cities that have already concluded their respective Lighthouse project. The second day of the meeting focused on energy planning and carbon footprints as integral components of urban planning. In addition, a workshop on the concept of “Nordic PEDs” was organised, focusing on what solutions “PED thinking” can provide to the energy transition in Nordic cities.

Examining the city through a PED lens can enable us to harness the full energy potential of the built environment, e.g. through capture of waste heat and increase of RES production. However, a critical challenge for scaling PEDs at city level lies in fostering and sustaining the kind of multistakeholder collaboration that are needed for successful implementation. New kinds of business and contractual models, which allow stakeholders to share benefits equitably, are needed to ensure broadscale adoption of PED practices. Finally, a key factor for scaling is related to the underlying structure of the city. In cities that are still expanding, the role of urban planning in new districts is highlighted.

Although some of the Lighthouse Projects have already ended, there is still much to share and learn between the project cities. Indeed, the fact that the projects are at different stages provides an excellent opportunity to compare various solutions.

The Finnish Lighthouse City network meets a few times a year to discuss ongoing work and relevant topics. November’s meeting was organised by the City of Vantaa and NEUTRALPATH project.

The Finnish Lighthouse City Network allows cities operating within the same legislative framework, faced with similar challenges and opportunities, to connect and foster mutual support. Ultimately, this advances development and strengthens the overall success of all the projects involved. November’s meeting was organised by the City of Vantaa and NEUTRALPATH project.

Key strengths identified included the need to address energy efficiency, waste heat utilization, renewable energy, and system flexibility from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. Regional systems require collaborative solutions to harness the energy potential of the built environment, supported by business and contractual models that distribute benefits equitably. Energy efficiency must also translate into predictable and competitive pricing for end users.

FI LH meeting Vantaa

RESPONSE Hosted Webinar: Powering Climate Neutrality with NEUTRALPATH

The RESPONSE team once more took part in the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), the premier global event for cities and urban innovation, which took place this year from 5-7 November 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. 

On November 20, 2024, the RESPONSE and NEUTRALPATH projects hosted a webinar titled Powering Climate Neutrality: State of the Art on PV Installations within Self-Consumption Schemes. The event focused on the role of solar energy in collective self-consumption models implemented in Zaragoza, Turku, and Dijon. It addressed local photovoltaic (PV) energy production, innovative energy management systems, and strategies to scale these solutions for climate-neutral cities across Europe. 

 

The agenda included an introduction to Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) and their relevance to climate goals. Specific presentations covered energy production in Zaragoza’s PCED, energy management in Turku’s PED, and the replication of Dijon’s PED in real-world conditions. A Q&A session followed, offering participants an opportunity to clarify concepts and discuss applications. 

 

Speakers included Cecilia Sanz Montalvillo (CARTIF), Clara Lorente Martin (CIRCE), Hugo Huerta (Turku University of Applied Sciences), Hadrien Rouchette (Dijon Métropole), and Monjur Murshed (EIFER). The webinar provided practical insights into solar energy strategies for advancing climate neutrality and shared progress from these three cities.

 

Watch the full webinar here: RESPONSE & NEUTRALPATH webinar.


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Webinar RESPONSE & NEUTRALPATH Post A

RESPONSE attended the Smart Cities Expo World Congress (SCEWC) in Barcelona

The RESPONSE team once more took part in the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), the premier global event for cities and urban innovation, which took place this year from 5-7 November 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. 

RESPONSE project had an active part in shaping discussions on sustainable urban development showing how to foster a European movement to adopt, replicate, and scale sustainable urban solutions, accelerating Positive Energy in Districts and Buildings. 

 

One of the engaging sessions, “Back to the Future”, provided a deep dive into the evolution of smart cities and the ambitious goal of achieving 100 climate-neutral cities through the #ScalableCities initiative. Moderated by Veronika Cerna from the Scalable Cities Secretariat, the session brought together key figures and experts: Philippe Fournand (Blue-Sight Conseil), Hadrien Rouchette (Dijon Métropole), Anh Minh Vu (Dresden, NEUTRALPATH & MAtchUP Projects), deeb Sidani (Porto Digital, ASCEND Project). On behalf of response, Hadrien Rouchette discussed how the project helped strengthen the Lighthouse and fellow cities´ local ecosystems and addressed challenges faced in implementing Dijon´s climate plan. 

 

In addition to this session, RESPONSE played an active role in multiple discussions throughout the event. Represented by Monjur Murshed (EIFER), in the Agora session “Building Better Cities in Europe Through PEDs,“ RESPONSE actively contributed to discussions on Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) and the path toward climate neutrality. Monjur highlighted key achievements from RESPONSE in Dijon, France, and Turku, Finland. His presentation emphasized innovative approaches to energy management, citizen engagement, and collaborative efforts driving these cities toward sustainability. 

The main session on PEDs, moderated by Veronika Cerna of the Scalable Cities Secretariat, brought together cities and project leaders to exchange insights and experiences in creating sustainable urban ecosystems. Pioneering projects from across Europe were showcased, including RESPONSE, alongside the AtelierH2020, MAKING-CITY, and POCITYF projects. These initiatives collectively demonstrated how PEDs are becoming integral to achieving climate-neutral cities, focusing on smart technologies, renewable energy integration, and public-private partnerships. The session underscored the critical role of multi-stakeholder collaboration and innovation in advancing urban energy systems across Europe. 

We are incredibly grateful to all of the speakers, participants, and the broader community paving the way for smarter and greener cities. And a special thank you to the partners that were there helping to increase this community: Smart Cities Marketplace, ASCEND, ATELIER, MAKING CITY, NEUTRALPATH, POCITYF. 🌆✨ 

Agora session 2
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A Comprehensive Approach to Nearly Zero Energy Buildings and Districts: Analysis of a Region Undergoing Energy Transition

Authors Contributions:

Georgios Martinopoulos, Alexandros Tsimpoukis, Vasileios Sougkakis, Petros Dallas, Komninos Angelakoglou, Paraskevi Giourka and Nikolaos Nikolopoulos

Abstract:

This paper explores the development of Positive Energy Communities using Eordaia, Greece as a case study. The approach combines building and district-level energy analyses to achieve nearly zero energy performance through retrofitting, district-level storage systems, and renewable energy technologies. A parametric analysis determines the optimal mix of technologies based on technical and financial parameters, with Eordaia, a region in energy transition and part of the RESPONSE Horizon project, illustrating the practical benefits. It includes a neighbourhood of 105 mixed-use properties and two municipal buildings where a range of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures are applied. Insulation, photovoltaic systems, LED lighting, predictive thermostats, and nanocoated windows coated with nanotechnology are some of the key interventions considered. The findings show considerable reductions in CO2 emissions and energy use, with payback periods ranging from 8.7 to 9.6 years. The study underscores the value of district-level strategies over individual building retrofits, highlighting cost savings and improved energy performance. These findings offer valuable insights for urban planners and policymakers aiming to transform urban areas into sustainable, positive energy districts, supporting the EU’s 2050 net-zero emissions goals.

Read the full paper here.