Amsterdam Smart City (ASC)
Amsterdam Smart City (ASC) is an independent partner for climate – and energy projects. The organization gathers companies, authorities and citizens in Amsterdam to use energy in a smart way and test new technologies. In this way, Amsterdam Smart City will contribute towards the fulfillment of the objectives of the New Amsterdam Climate. Projects already started in the first year are for example the Climate Street, the ITO-tower with offices testing new Smart Building technologies and two Sustainable Livings projects with 1,000 households testing energy displays and smart meters. Amsterdam Smart City is partly financed by the European Fund for regional development of the European Commission.
On the streets of Amsterdam major changes were afoot. The first of 1,200 households were gearing up to install an energy-saving system aimed at cutting electricity costs. Others were given fresh access to financing from Holland's Rabobank to buy everything from energy-saving light bulbs to ultra-efficient roof insulation. And on Utrechtsestraat, a major shopping avenue in the center of the Dutch capital, solar-powered panels on local bus stops were installed to transform the road into a "Climate Street" piloting clean technology.
The projects are Amsterdam's first steps toward making its infrastructure more eco-friendly. Other projects are expected to follow soon. They include 300 power hookups around the city to recharge electric cars, solar panels that will be installed on Amsterdam's historic 17th century townhouses, and infrastructure upgrades that will allow households to sell energy they generate from small-scale wind turbines or solar panels back to the city's electricity grid for a profit.
Amsterdam's recent green energy move comes as governments worldwide set aside billions of dollars to create "smart cities" that mix renewable energy projects and stiffer efficiency rules to cut overall carbon dioxide footprints. Other cities have shown interest in the idea, but so far Amsterdam remains the world leader, aiming to complete its first round investments by 2012. That makes it one of the most ambitious adopters of the smart city concept, which has attracted attention from global policymakers hoping to glean lessons from Amsterdam's green experiment.
Highlights:
- The Dutch city's eco-friendly infrastructure to hook ups for electric cars, solar panels, and household wind turbines.
- Amsterdam Smart City uses innovative technology and the willingness to change behavior related to energy consumption in order to tackle climate goals.
- Amsterdam Smart City is a universal approach for design and development of a sustainable, economically viable program that will reduce the city’s carbon footprint.
- Many different partners have joined for the execution, both private and public parties, including knowledge institutes and universities.
- It incorporates Smart Grid concepts, Smart Building concepts, Smart Metering roll-out and best practices in Sustainability solutions.
- Remote energy management: As the city's energy infrastructure gets a face-lift, local policymakers also are devising ways to maximize the new smart grid. By early next year, Amsterdam's planners expect to create a "virtual power plant, " or infrastructure upgrades that will let households sell excess energy generated from domestic solar panels, wind turbines, and biomass plants back to the city for a profit. All told, the plan could add 200 megawatts of renewable energy, roughly the size of a large wind farm, to Amsterdam's electricity generation. The idea is to create household or neighborhood renewable power plants.
- Dutch grid operator Alliander, which is 30% owned by the province that includes Amsterdam, will spend €100 million ($139 million) annually until 2016 to upgrade its entire network to a smart grid. That will include installing new meters in homes that detail consumer energy use and relay the data back to utilities.
- Yet by converting Amsterdam into a smart city, local planners expect to bolster the economy through public and private investment, as well as cut emissions by 40% by 2025. Says Amsterdam Innovation Motor (AIM) Baron: "The aim is to create innovation."
- Smart Schools: children learn about energy: Various primary schools in Amsterdam will work with an online portal and a specially developed education programme, so children learn how to use energy economically. The project is initiated by grid operator Liander and will be tested at ten primary schools in Amsterdam.
- Residents of Amsterdam-North owner windmill park: “Our energy” is a cooperation that works on sustainable and low cost energy in Amsterdam- North, where the members are owners as well, and completely profit from the gains. Together with the inhabitants of Amsterdam-North and the district of Waterland, the windmills will be placed around the area to generate sustainable energy under own management.
- Sustainable monuments: The canals and historic buildings tell us a part of the rich history of Amsterdam. In their different functions, the monumental buildings attract a lot of visitors each day. In this project, different technologies and working methods are tested to find out what works best to realize sustainability at the canals and change behavior of the visitors.
- Energy Management Haarlem: Residents of houses are playing a leading role by testing innovative and energy saving products. Also Haarlem, where Liander provides smart plugs for 250 households to test them. Users gain insight in their energy usage and are able to save energy in this way. The test is part of an analysis of Liander to look at potential savings by different energy management systems.
Climate goals set by the EU initiated Amsterdam Smart City:
- European Union (2020): 20% CO2 reduction compared to 1990, 20% energy reduction, 20% sustainable energy
- The Netherlands (2020): 30% CO2 reduction compared to 1990, double energy reduction to 2% per year in the following years, 20% sustainable energy
- Amsterdam (2025): 40% CO2 reduction compared to 1990 20% sustainable energy, Municipal organization climate neutral before 2015
Amsterdam Smart City (ASC) is a unique collaboration between the inhabitants of Amsterdam, its businesses, research institutions and government authorities aimed at showing how it is possible to save energy now and in the future. Together we are developing smart projects that will change the world. We test them in Amsterdam first. The ultimate goal of Amsterdam Smart City is to reduce CO2 emissions.
Amsterdam Smart City started as a unique cooperation between the citizens of Amsterdam, businesses, knowledge institutes and authorities to test the new, energy saving technologies and share knowledge and learning points with other countries and cities, so it can be used when it’s implemented on a larger scale. Amsterdam Smart City contributes to Amsterdam’s climate goals in an economically sustainable way by enabling its partners to apply innovative technologies and stimulate behavioral change with end users in the program’s sustainability projects.
Amsterdam Smart City stands for innovative technology, the modification of the behavior of Amsterdam’s citizens, and sustainable economic development. By bringing partners together and setting up small-scale local projects, Amsterdam Smart City makes it possible to test all new initiatives. That way the most effective initiatives can subsequently be implemented on a large scale. By doing so, Amsterdam Smart City effectively serves as an accelerator for climate and energy projects. The projects will focus on issues such as sustainable living, sustainable working, sustainable mobility and sustainable public spaces. In Amsterdam Smart City user driven innovation and testing are at the center of all projects.
Follow the latest developments and projects at http://www.amsterdamsmartcity.com/ , Email: i...@amsterdamsmartcity.nl
References:
http://www.aimsterdam.nl/english
www.liander.nl
www.alliander.nl
www.onzeenergie.nl
www.nieuwamsterdamsklimaat.nl
http://www.amsterdamlivinglab.nl/download.php?id=176
http://amsterdamsmartcity.com/assets/media/Engels-persberichtASC-15juni.pdf
https://origin.www.accenture.com/NR/rdonlyres/027FC17F-258A-405B-B7F3-A7...