Contacts

Report: Concerto Project: RENAISSANCE: Renewable ENergy Acting in SuStainable And Novel Community Enterprises - France, Spain & UK

19th May 2004

'Renaissance' to become a European beacon for green energy

A bid for major European funding to support ambitions for sustainable energy in three communities in France, Spain and the UK has been accepted by the European Commission. The project, christened Renaissance, will enable high standards of energy efficiency and green (renewable) energy technologies to be built into plans for the redevelopment of the three towns.

The Renaissance project involves a European consortium of three urban areas: Lyon in southern France, Zaragoza in northern Spain and Bracknell in the south of the UK, which will co-ordinate the project. Each community will take similar actions to increase the take up of sustainable energy and learn from one another in the process. The project is scheduled to commence in 2005 and concludes in 2009.

The grant from the European Commission has been awarded under CONCERTO, a major new European Union initiative to support local communities in demonstrating the social, environmental and economic benefits of integrating renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy-management systems on a community scale. Bracknell Forest Borough Council which is leading the project with its partner TV Energy will start negotiations with the Commission in May 2004 to determine the final level of grant on offer.

The project will act as a leading example in Europe of how to develop urban sustainable energy schemes and the learning and results will be shared through a network of associated communities across Europe who are committed to supporting the project. This network includes:

BULGARIA - the Municipal Energy Agency in the city of Rousse
CROATIA - the Institute of Energy in Zagreb
GREECE - the Municipality of Falesia
ITALY - the City of Venice and the Lombardia Region
POLAND - the MAES Energy Agency in Krakow
PORTUGAL - the Municipal Energy Agency of Seixal
SPAIN - the ARGEM energy agency in the Region of Murcia and the Municipality of Alcalá la Real
UK - Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council as joint partners, the Vale of the White Horse District Council, Wycombe District Council, Guildford Borough Council, Surrey County Council, Buckinghamshire County Council, Reading Borough Council and Wokingham District Council

The European Commission funding will enable the communities of Bracknell, Lyon and Zaragoza to work with a range of partners to ensure that the highest possible standards of energy efficiency are adopted into the design of the new buildings and for those that will be refurbished. These technologies will include passive solar design, high levels of insulation and intelligent building energy management systems.

The project will also involve use of green, renewable energy in the design and installation of state-of-the-art district heating, cooling and power networks based on sustainably produced wood fuel. There will also be significant installations of wind and solar energy technologies integrated into the urban environment. The use of renewable energy technologies within public spaces will ensure the fullest public awareness and sustainable development potential in each community.

Renaissance will also deliver educational and training programmes to decision-makers, city planners, developers, the building industry, students and the general public and to the network of Observer Communities.

A significant programme of research and development will also be conducted including research into alternative transport fuels, socio-economic aspects of energy systems, building performance and management, energy and planning policy and commercial and fiscal solutions including the development of energy services companies (ESCOs).

Dr. Keith Richards the Project Co-ordinator for Renaissance and Managing Director of TV Energy, believes the project will set the standard for town centre developments across Europe. "This is a major project which will rightly put Bracknell, Lyon and Zaragoza on the map as European beacons for renewable energy."

Partners

The Renaissance project is a partnership involving the following organisations:

Bracknell, United Kingdom: Bracknell Forest Borough Council, TV Energy Ltd, University of Reading, South East England Development Agency, Bracknell Regeneration Partnership, Slough Heat and Power.
Lyon, France: Grand-Lyon, SEM Lyon-Confluence, Hespul, Agence Locale de l'Energie de l'Agglomération Lyonnaise, Enertech, INSA de Lyon
Zaragoza, Spain: Zaragoza City Council Environment Department, Sociedad Municipal de Rehabilitación Urbana y Promoción de la Edificación de Zaragoza, S.L, Fundación Ecología y Desarollo, Ecociudad Valdespartera Zaragoza, Endesa Energía, S.A., Centro Nacional de Energías Renovables, University of Zaragoza

Keywords