CTO Assessment - European Commission

Renewable Energy Sources in Cities
Nearly 80% of the European population
live, work, and use leisure facilities
in cities, and almost the half in
cities with more than 50.000 inhabitants.
Nearly 70% of the energy consumption
occurs in cities. The development
of sustainable energy strategies
in urban areas is clearly a priority.
It is not only the large numbers of
energy consumers which is at stake,
but also the quality of the urban environment
which is of fundamental
concern, and for which the implications
go far beyond the local community.
Apart from environmental considerations,
a local sustainable energy
policy can have major impacts
on employment, social cohesion, participation
of civil society, and economic
development, as well as on urban
governance.
Examples have shown that proactive
RES policies in cities can substantially
increase the share of RES,
thereby improving living conditions
and contributing to reaching the objectives
outlined by the United Nations
in the AGENDA 21 initiative.
In Europe, implementation of Agendas
21 as vector of RES penetration
relies on the excellent support of the
European Sustainable Cities & Towns
Campaign, developed after the approval
of the Aalborg charter.
More recently, there have been clear
signs of a political commitment towards
more integrated policies and
concepts aiming to convey sustainable
energy strategies into city policies.
Such commitments aim at demonstrating
the benefits of a high degree of
decentralised energy supply through
recourse to new and renewable energy
sources, in combination with a
conscious application of leading energy
efficiency measures in the various
end-use sectors. Recent European
legislation in the energy field, such
as the Directive on the Energy Performance
of Buildings, pushes forward
this integrated approach, and
should open the opportunity for more
efficient consumption through ambitious
urban rehabilitation.
Several large urban areas across Europe
have demonstrated an outstanding
level of excellence with regard to
the integration of sustainable energy
concepts, including renewable energies.
Both in the North and the South
of Europe, several examples illustrate
how far awareness of and commitment
to renewable energy solutions can
make cities improve in their
energy planning and resource
management. Politicians,
planners, developers
and citizens are all key
stakeholders in this process,
and can help to
achieve a genuine change
in the urban energy scene.
This session will present examples
of successful achievements in
sustainable strategies, discuss barriers
and challenges, assess the impact
of policy frameworks and come up
with future needs for public intervention
on the level of municipal authorities,
Member States frameworks and
European intervention.
RE Communities
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