The Ambassador of the European Commission in France visited Fontaine d’Ouche

RESPONSE team in Dijon was honored to host a site visit, showcasing the project supported by European funding. The meeting was a great opportunity to highlight both the actions of Dijon métropole and to show the involvement of citizens in the project.

Valérie Drezet-Humez spent 2 days in the Côte d’Or on 7 and 8 April, firstly at the invitation of the EUROTOQUES organisation and then in the company of e Dijon Internationa and the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region.

The Head of the European Commission Representation in France visites the RESPONSE project, that alongside the Finnish city of Turku, Dijon was selected as part of the European RESPONSE programme – an offshoot of the larger €80 billion European programme “H2020, Intelligent Cities and Communities” – before it was replicated in 6 other European cities.

Funded to the tune of €23 million – including €7.4 million in Dijon alone – by the EU, the RESPONSE programme brings together 53 partners (public and private) from 13 European countries. The aim is to develop positive energy islands that not only meet their own energy needs but also export what they produce.

In this respect, the school’s panels should produce around 30% of the electricity needs of the 14 public buildings in the working-class district.

With the 2nd part of the project, which involves reducing the energy consumption of 487 homes in the district nicknamed the “French Dallas” by the former mayor of Dijon, Félix Kir, the project aims to produce 20% more energy than they consume. And all the while reducing their carbon emissions by 75% .

Fonts: www.europe-bfc.eu.

Visit from alérie Drezet-Humez, the Head of the European Commission Representation in France.

Turku receives recognition for climate work among European cities aiming for carbon neutrality

Turku has now received recognition from the European Commission for the City’s pioneering role in the realisation of its Climate City Contract related to the mission. 

The The European Union’s Mission of 100 Climate-neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 aims to support 100 European cities to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. Turku was selected as one of the mission cities. Out of Finnish cities, Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, Lahti and Lappeenranta were also selected. The cities selected for the mission pave the way to help all cities in Europe reach climate neutrality by 2050. 

Cities chosen for the Mission must develop a Climate City Contract, evaluated and approved by the European Commission. The Commission approved the Turku Climate City Contract in March 2024. Turku Climate City Contract includes planned measures for reducing emissions, an investment plan for funding the measures and the City’s commitment to aim for carbon neutrality by 2029.

Turku has invited companies and other operators in the region to sign their own climate commitments as part of the Climate City Contract. By signing the commitment, Turku’s climate partners declare that they are committed not only to realising the Carbon-neutral Turku 2029 goal and reducing emissions, but also to communicating about climate actions in their organisation, setting an example for climate work and participating in the activities of the Turku Climate Team. Since the City of Turku can only reduce emissions by about 50% through its own actions, it is important to extensively involve other operators in the region in reducing emissions.

Twenty-two operators from the Turku region have already signed up. The implementing parties and signatories of the Turku Climate City Contract include local higher education institutions, local companies, such as Bayer Turku and Meyer Turku, and other partners, such as the Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland (Varha) and the Turku and Kaarina Parish Union.  Our intention is to create more commitments in the coming years and to involve an increasing number of operators in building a carbon-neutral Turku.  

 
Font: https://www.turku.fi/en/news/2024-03-20_turku-receives-recognition-climate-work-among-european-cities-aiming-carbon

Mission Label ceremony in Brussel 21 March 2024. Photo: Miia Paananen

Mayors of Turku and Dijon Lead the Charge: Translating the EU Green Deal into Local Action

The mayors of RESPONSE’s Lighthouse cities, Turku and Dijon, attended the ‘Translating the EU Green Deal into Local Action’ conference on March 15.
 

The Flanders government and the Belgian EU presidency organized this crucial discussion, aiming to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent. Like other EU Mayors, François Rebsamen and Minna Arve emphasize the importance of embedding the local level in the heart of the Green Deal, as it has the power to mobilize citizens.

Learn more about the  Declaration by European and Regional leaders, signed by 550 Mayors and Regional leaders from across Europe, which was presented to Alexander de Croo, Belgian Prime Minister, on March 15.

 

The European Green Deal

Climate change and environmental degradation pose an existential threat to Europe and the world. To address these challenges, the European Green Deal will transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy, ensuring:

  • No net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050
  • Economic growth decoupled from resource use
  • No person and no place is left behind

The European Commission has adopted a set of proposals to make the EU’s climate, energy, transport, and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. More information on Delivering the European Green Deal.

Translating the EU Green Deal into Local Action’ conference
Translating the EU Green Deal into Local Action’ conference
Translating the EU Green Deal into Local Action’ conference

Measuring the digitalisation of electricity distribution systems in Europe: Towards the smart grid

Authors Contributions:

Nestor Rodriguez-Perez, Javier Matanza, Gregorio Lopez, Rafael Cossent, Jose Pablo Chaves Avila, Carlos Mateo, Tomas Gomez San Roman, Miguel Angel Sanchez Fornie

Abstract:

This paper proposes a set of digitalisation indicators focused on measuring the different digital capabilities and infrastructure of electricity distribution systems, as opposed to previous indicators which have mainly focused on performance and quality of service aspects.

The indicators are classified according to the pillars of digitalisation: sensor and actuator, connectivity, data processing, and digital culture. They are use-case-agnostic and do not require a huge amount of information. In addition to this, three possible new applications of these indicators for distribution system operators and regulatory authorities are identified and discussed.

The extensive use of these indicators in Europe could allow the development of fruitful collaborations between distribution system operators, allow the identification of cause–effect relations between grid performance and digital infrastructure, and improve the replicability of innovative smart grid solutions. However, this will only be possible if regulators promote the adoption of the proposed indicators and the dissemination of their results.

Read the full paper here.

The Solution for the First Social Hackathon is Now Ready

Solutions from residents to residents – RESPONSE hackathon solution reduces CO2 emissions and saves moneyby scheduling the use of household appliances


Electricity prices and energy savings have been on the minds of many people during the past years in Finland and all over Europe, but did you know that by shifting your electricity consumption you can save both the environment and money? If you’ve been wondering how much carbon dioxide emissions are caused by using electricity to run your washing machine, or how much it actually costs to heat up your sauna, it’s now easy to find out with Every day demand response calculator.

The Everyday Demand Response Calculator is a web-based application that allows you to easily check when to use different household appliances to minimise the emissions and electricity costs of your electricity use. The app provides the user with information on the cost of electricity use and the amount of CO2 emissions from the appliance, as well as a visual representation of the optimal time to use the appliance, when it will produce the lowest emissions (gCO2) and the lowest electricity bill increase for electricity customers (€).

Solutions from residents to residents

The concept of the Everyday Demand Response Calculator was developed by Enutime Oy who won the “Energy Made Easy for People” hackathon in April 2023, organised as part of the RESPONSE project. The  competition, organised by the City of Turku and Turku University of Applied Sciences, aimed to find new innovative digital solutions that would encourage people to pay attention to their own energy consumption and change their consumption habits.


The Everyday Demand Response Calculator can be found at www.joustolaskuri.fi.

Everyday Demand Response Calculator 

RESPONSE Consortium meeting in Zaragoza

This event brings together around 50 partners to discuss the final stage of RESPONSE’s project.

It’s a productive start to the last week of May for the RESPONSE partners. Zaragoza hosts the RESPONSE consortium meeting and has prepared a 2-day program filled with workshops and discussions.

The meeting will commence with welcome speeches by Miguel Angel García Muro, Deputy of Digital Transformation of Zaragoza City (Area of Economy, Digital Transformation, and Transparency), and David Rodríguez, Head of the Funding and Transfer Unit at CIRCE. Following the opening remarks, the day will continue with committee meetings and workshops.

About the RESPONSE Project

The EU-funded RESPONSE project will support two Lighthouse Cities and six Fellow Cities across Europe in delivering positive energy blocks and districts. Specifically, it will aim to achieve a local renewable energy systems penetration of 11.2 GWh/y, energy savings of 3,090 MWh/y, and an emission reduction of 9,799 tons CO2 eq/y within the districts of the two Lighthouse Cities. The focus is heating and cooling systems, optimizing energy flows with novel storage systems, and linking with existing applications and other digital infrastructure.

Keep in touch! We will be sharing the key insights of the event later this week.

Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEW) in Barcelona 2023

RESPONSE participation at the SCEWC – November 23

The presentation about RESPONSE by Lea Kleinenkuhnen (Brussels City) and Ritva Salminiitty (Turku University of Applied Sciences- TUA) focused on providing testimony about what it’s like to participate in an EU-funded project and an international consortium.

 

RESPONSE project was presented at the event alongside 30 other EU-funded projects dedicated to 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 at a joint booth, organized by the Smart Cities Marketplace.

𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐨 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 is the world’s biggest and most influential event for cities and urban innovation. Every year, leaders from the most innovative companies, governments, and organizations are gathered to 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.

The major goal of the event is to collectivize urban innovation across the globe and empower cities to face the critical challenges the world faces today.

Discover the full program of the event at the SCEW website.

EU Week of Regions and Cities event in Brussels 2023

RESPONSE at EU Week of Regions and Cities event in Brussels – October 2023  

A workshop about RESPONSE was organised during the EU Week of Regions and Cities event in Brussels from 9 to 12 October.

 

As part of the European Week of Regions and Cities held in Brussels from 9 to 12 October, RESPONSE partners organised a workshop to discuss the project’s contribution to a fair energy transition.

The energy transition should be reachable for everyone. Most Positive Energy Districts are implemented in new or recent neighbourhoods, where the population is rather well off and already aware of climate change. However, in the H2020 RESPONSE project, the cities of Turku and Dijon are setting up major collective self-consumption operations in areas where people with specific challenges live: a deprived city district in Dijon and a student village in Turku.

More info here: https://regions-and-cities.europa.eu/programme/2023/sessions/1715

Tech4SmartCities Event in Brussels – 2022

RESPONSE Showcases Innovations at Tech4SmartCities Event in Brussels – November 2022  

The presentation about RESPONSE by Lea Kleinenkuhnen focused on providing testimony about what it’s like to participate in an EU-funded project and an international consortium.

 

This B2B event focusses on Sustainable and Smart Technologies for Cities and invites you to discover multiple business and cooperation opportunities in the field of urban mobility, energy performance, sustainable construction, circularity, low carbon economy and digital transformation. 

Do you have an innovative project /solution that can contribute towards the achievement of climate-neutrality objectives of cities that increases their resilience? Are you looking for a partner to improve and develop your technology? We will help you  to find your technical partner for international collaboration or R&D projects.

Main topics covered by the matchmaking event:

• Smart cities and communities, ICT for cities
• Smart mobility and logistics, MaaS
• Energy-efficiency of buildings and districts
• Renewable energies, energy management and recovery, smart grids and energy systems integration
• Circular economy and nature based solutions for urban districts
• Smart, healthy and secure living

The presentation about RESPONSE from Lea Kleinenkuhnen can be accessed here.

Impact of topography and land cover on air temperature space-time variability in an urban environment with contrasted topography (Dijon, France, 2014-2021)

Authors Contributions:

Julien Crétat, Yves Richard, Benjamin Pohl, Julita Dudek, Julien Pergaud, Mario Rega and Mélissa Poupelin – Centre de Recherches de Climatologie, UMR 6282 Biogéosciences, CNRS/Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France

Justin Emery, Damien Roy, Daniel Joly and Thomas Thévenin – ThéMA, UMR 6049, CNRS/Université de Bourgogne et
Université de Franche-Comté, Besançon, France

Eva Marquès and Valéry Masson – Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques, Université de Toulouse, Météo-France, CNRS, Toulouse, France

Abstract:

The influence of topography and land cover on air temperature space-time variability is examined in an urban environment with contrasted topography through simple and multiple linear regression (SLR and MLR) models, ran for each hour of the period 2014–2021, to explain spatial patterns of air temperature measured by a dense network. The SLR models reveal a complementary influence of topography and land cover, with the largest influence during daytime and nighttime, respectively. The MLR significantly improves upon the SLR models despite persistent intensity errors at night and spatial errors in the early morning. Topography influences air temperatures all year round, with temperature decreasing with height during the day and frequent thermal inversions at night (up to 30% of the time). Impervious surfaces are more influential in summer and early fall, especially during the late afternoon for the fraction covered by buildings and during the early night for the distance from the city center. They contribute to increasing air temperature close to the city center and where the fraction covered by buildings is large. By contrast, vegetation contributes to cool air temperatures during the night, especially in spring and early summer for field crops, summer and early fall for forests, and late fall and winter for low vegetation. Our framework proves to be a low-cost and efficient way to assess how strongly and how recurrently the static surface conditions influence air temperature along the annual and diurnal cycles. It is easily transposable to other areas and study fields.

Read the full paper here.