Replication Cluster kicks off in Bolzano

Bolzano (Italy), 27 May 2015 - The Smart Cities Replication Cluster of the SINFONIA and EU-GUGLE projects had a successful kick-off in Bolzano, with cities keen to exchange experiences on energy-efficient refurbishment projects.

For the first time, representatives from the cities of Dobrich (Bulgaria), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Dundee (UK), Lahti (Finland), La Spezia (Italy), Nicosia (Cyprus), Peterborough (UK) and Torres Vedras (Portugal) met the partners of EU-GUGLE and SINFONIA to learn about the two projects and present their own plans for energy-efficient refurbishment of buildings, integration of renewable energy sources, sustainable transport and mobility.

 

After a warm welcome address by newly re-elected Mayor of Bolzano, Luigi Spagnolli, the local pilot district leader Daniele Vettorato of the European Academy of Bolzano (EURAC) presented the city’s plans to renovate 37,000 m2 of living surface in social housing over the next five years: “With the SINFONIA renovations, we want to achieve 40-50% energy savings and an optimisation of the electricity grid. We are also particularly interested in using any wasted energy of industrial areas and to apply smart solutions for district heating and cooling.”

 

In Austria, SINFONIA partner Innsbruck is planning to invest in the energy efficient renovation of 69,000 m2 of floor space in both social housing and public buildings, and is looking at an ambitious 70-80% reduction of energy demand in the district to be refurbished.  Klaus Kleewein from the Tyrolean Agency for Innovation and Technology, shared with the Replication Cluster cities some of the main challenges encountered by Innsbruck in this major undertaking: “The key issues are the involvement of the tenants in the buildings to be renovated, the monitoring of the data as well as the legal frameworks with regard to the integration of renewables. We need to find smart ways to overcome them and are interested in lessons learned from other cities.”

 

The Replication Cluster is a joint initiative of the 16 cities involved in the smart city projects SINFONIA and EU-GUGLE.  The Cluster aims to exchange knowledge with other European cities and advise them on the design and implementation of their own refurbishment projects. Thus far, 14 cities have joined the Smart City Replication Cluster, with the aim to engage up to 40 of them by 2019.

 

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Cities that are interested in joining the Replication Cluster should contact Mr Guillaume Corradino (guillaume.corradino@greenovate.eu) at Greenovate! Europe.

 

More information at www.sinfonia-smartcities.eu and www.eu-gugle.eu

 

Also follow us on Twitter at @MySmartCityD and on LinkedIn through “My Smart City District community” group.

REFURBISHMENT
2015-05-28