POCACITO - Research and innovation

Water management & climate adaptation

clf — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 15:05:38 +0000

In order to approach climate change as an opportunity rather than a threat, the City of Rotterdam launched the Climate Proof program in 2008. As a city, situated in a low-lying delta, with Europe's largest international port, Rotterdam has developed sustainable water management systems to fight climate change consequences -rising sea level, increases in cloud bursts, extremes in river water levels, longer periods of drought and higher temperatures. The Rotterdam Climate Proof program is based on three pillars: knowledge, action and communication, and aims to ensure that Rotterdam is “climate proof” by 2025. Implementation of new technologies and solutions in the framework of the program are enhancing the safety and the quality of life in the City, while offering considerable economic potential to the entire region. Innovative measures like green roofs or flood controlling water plazas are positioning Rotterdam as leading national and international water savvy and climate city.

EcoElétrico Curitiba - Smart Mobility

clf — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 10:59:07 +0000

EcoElétrico Curitiba intends to implement, by 2020, a new generation mobility menu for Curitiba based on a connected, integrated and sustainable transportation system, with technology adapted to the mobility needs of its citizens. The goal is to integrate all the mobility services in Curitiba, creating a single “mobility menu”. In the first phase of EcoElétrico, in place since June 2014, a fleet of 12 shared electric vehicles and 10 charging stations, demonstrating a pilot e-mobility concept, are used by the Municipality of Curitiba. The fleet and charging stations are connected and monitored via an online mobility and energy management platform (“mobi.me”) which offers real time management and monitoring for mobility and energy of the city. The “mobi.me” platform continuously monitors all charging stations and vehicle movements and thus allows drawing conclusions on the impact of the new intelligent e-mobility-concept in real time.

"Model Güssing": a vision of energy self-sufficiency

clf — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 11:58:36 +0000

In 1990 the City of Güssing decided to put the vision of becoming 100% fossil fuel free and energy self-sufficient into practice. About 15 years later the City generates twice the electricity demand of the city’s private households, public buildings and industries and also about 85% of the heating demand is covered. Both have been achieved via decentralized local energy production using renewable sources available in the region (especially wood, biomass and solar). The set-up of new renewable energy facilities (e.g. biomass plants, district heating infrastructure) in turn attracted many companies as well as national and international research initiatives working in the field of renewable energy. Thus by and by Güssing not only became an example of best practices for the sustainable energy supply of a city but also a network for research on renewable energy technologies and eco-energy tourism. Subsequently the model has also been expanded to surrounding municipalities of Güssing, the overall region called “öko-energieland”.