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Online event series :...
As part of EU Industry Week 2021 , Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) is presenting a series of events on the topics of smart cities, digital transformation and AI. The series includes a Smart City Germany-expert session about the energy, mobility and e-health sectors, which is taking place this Wednesday, 3 March 2021. During this session, @Peter Portheine , Co-founder Eindhoven International Project Office (EIPO), CEO of Brainport Smart District, The Netherlands, will be sharing his knowledge and experience on innovation eco-systems and explain their role as engines for smart economy in a smart city. Frank Speer, HUB-Manager International, Business Metropole Ruhr GmbH, will also provide insight into City Tech Ruhr, Germany’s largest international Smart City Startup Challenge. The experts from GTAI will be talking about Germany’s digital health market, different aspects of the energy sector and trends for future mobility, connected drive and the automotive industry. Event: 3 March 2021 / 11:00 - 12:30 CET Please register here
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Two free and open...
This year's HUPMOBILE general assembly was supposed to be held in Hamburg. However, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, we cannot organize it as a face-to-face event. Instead, we are organizing two short webinars on different days discussing the future of mobility in the Baltic Sea Region cities. During these two days, we will focus on the concept of Fusion Mobility and whether COVID-19 has an impact on the development of sustainable mobility. Fusion Mobility November 26, 10:00-12:00 (CET) During the first day, the focus will be on Fusion Mobility . The keynote speech will be provided by Mr. Manfred Neun , former chairman of the European Cyclists' Federation, who introduces the components of the Fusion Mobility. The theme will be further discussed with presentations of the best practices from similar projects. Mobility in times of Corona November 27, 10:00-12:00 (CET) The event on the second day discusses the effects of COVID-19 on mobility . The question "Censorship or Chance" will be discussed in Breakout rooms. Dr. Angela Francke from the University of Dresden, who was one of the first to conduct surveys on mobility behaviour in Corona times in Germany, will provide a keynote speech. Visit our event page for more details and to register.
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Study: Urban mobility...
In partnership with EIT Urban Mobility, the consortium led by BABLE , and composed by CARNET, CTAG, DTU, and UPC, and Miljöstrategi AB have conducted a survey across 16 European cities to understand and analyse mobility strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. This built the basis for a study on urban mobility strategies during COVID-19. The full report analyses the urban mobility strategies deployed by cities since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic . Each chapter provides extensive insights on aspects such as sustainable urban mobility system requirements, the impact of the virus so far on urban mobility, the role of innovation in this context, and the economic impact on new mobility. There is also a short version of the report that is part of EIT UM’s Urban Mobility Next series, which provides practitioners with exclusive content on cutting-edge urban mobility issues. It focuses on the main outcomes of the study, based on the analysis of the survey results as well as on selected best practices. There will be webinar on 23 March to present the results of this report and to give interested readers the opportunity to directly discuss findings with the authors. Click here to register and/or read the report: https://www.eiturbanmobility.eu/what-were-the-most-successful-urban-mobility-strategies-during-covid-19/ Cheers!
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Launch of ENTRANCE H2020...
Recently, as a consortium member in the project, BABLE had the pleasure to participate in the ENTRANCE project's Kick-Off meeting, launching a three-year EU-funded effort toward developing Europe's leading matchmaking platform for innovative transport and mobility tools and services. Read on to learn more about the project! Launch of ENTRANCE: Accelerating the market access and scale up of “first of a kind” zero emissions sustainable transport solutions. ……………………………………………………………………………………. How can Europe boost the uptake and upscaling of innovative transport and mobility solutions? On January 14th, 15 organisations from 7 different European countries, coordinated by PNO Consultants, met during an online Kick-Off-Meeting of the ENTRANCE project, which started its work on 1st January 2021. Their goal is to create a European matchmaking platform for innovative transport and mobility tools and services. The project is funded with a grant amount of 1.5 million euro by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. The consortium will work together for 3 years to create the matchmaking platform aimed at propelling Europe's innovative transport and mobility solutions forward. Climate change and the resulting European climate protection measures are leading to major challenges in all areas of transport and mobility. ENTRANCE offers a legitimate European matchmaking platform and complementary off-line services designed to mobilise financial resources to accelerate the market access and scale up of “first of a kind” sustainable and zero emission transport solutions , thereby reducing the European CO2 emissions and pollutants caused by the transport and mobility sector. Are you building Europe's sustainable mobility system? Then ENTRANCE is where you need to be. The overall concept focus of the ENTRANCE project lies in the “supply-demand-finance” triangle that is envisaged for all transport and mobility modes and that aims at facilitating matchmaking between the providers of innovative technologies, products and services, buyers and investors. Through the ENTRANCE Matchmaking accelerator funnel workflow, first-of-a-kind zero, or near-to-zero, emission transport solutions will be identified, attracted and matched with potential buyers, and financing opportunities and knowledge on good practices on the deployment of innovative solutions, as well as European and national tenders and legislation will be exchanged through the online platform. Are you ready to bring your solution to market? ENTRANCE has got your back. Training and brokerage activities will be executed to increase the maturity of the ENTRANCE community and bridge the gap between innovative solutions and the market. In addition, to de-risk the uptake of innovative solutions, ENTRANCE will facilitate purchase aggregation through matchmaking activities and by setting up a neutral trustee for the orchestration of purchase aggregations . Access to finance will be supported through an online funding programme database and individual and personalised innovation finance advice and support will be offered. The funding advice will combine public funding, private investment opportunities, and the best mix of alternative finance models for solution providers. Finally, ENTRANCE will facilitate cross-fertilisation and clustering activities with European transport and mobility associations and initiatives to support critical mass and achieve a coordinated European effort to boost the uptake and upscaling of innovative transport and mobility solutions. Everybody is welcome to join ENTRANCE and help contribute to the ambitious goals envisaged by the European Commission for reducing the transport CO2 emissions by 2030 and 2050 and respond to the increasing mobility needs of people and goods thereby strengthening the European competitiveness and boosting growth and jobs. ENTRANCE has received funding from the European Union´s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 101006681. The consortium is looking forward to a successful cooperation so stay tuned for more updates on the activities of the ENTRANCE Matchmaking Platform, which will be established within the course of the project. Consortium information: The consortium consists of following organisations: - PNO Consultants, Spain, https://www.pnoconsultants.com - Innovation Engineering s.r.l., Italy, https://www.innovationengineering.eu/ - TRI-VIZOR nv, Belgium, www.trivizor.com - ITS Norge - Norsk Forening For Multimodale Intelligente Transport Systemer Og Tjenester, Norway, https://its-norway.no - Aerospace Valley, France, https://www.aerospace-valley.com/ - Instituto Tecnológico De Aragón, Spain, www.itainnova.es - Associacio Railgrup, Spain, www.railgrup.net - Vlaams Instituut Voor De Logistiek VZW, Belgium, www.vil.be - Alliance For Logistics Innovation Through Collaboration In Europe – ALICE, Belgium, www.etp-alice.eu - EurA AG, Germany, www.eura-ag.de/en/ - European Shippers´ Council, Belgium, https://www.europeanshippers.eu - CrowdfundingHub, Netherlands, www.crowdfundinghub.eu - EIT KIC Urban Mobility s.l., Spain, www.eiturbanmobility.eu - BABLE GmbH, Germany, www.bable-smartcities.eu - European Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) Platform, Germany, www.inlandwaterwaytransport.eu/
Solution
Digital Twin
Digital Twins are used increasingly to support urban planning processes – by visualizing urban data, show-casing future scenarios and many other use-cases. In general Digital twins are virtual representations of an object, process or system that can be used to run simulations to optimise efficiency and examine what-if scenarios. The technology has been primarily used for manufacturing to test products (e.g. as of 2018, GE had 1.2 million digital twins for 300,000 types of assets) but is quickly expanding to buildings, supply chains and entire cities as digital planning technology advances ( Castro, 2019 ). Integrating data from the internet of things (IoT) with the advanced modelling capabilities of technologies such as geospatial information systems (GIS), virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) and building information modelling (BIM) allows governments and industry to create predictions of how systems will react and respond to real-world data. Creating a feedback loop between the virtual and real worlds results in substantial improvements of processes and impacts, with time-saving and financial benefits. The concept of digital twins is not new; for example, NASA has been running simulations of spacecraft for decades, but the rapid growth of connected sensors and endpoints with the rise of the IoT and advancements in artificial intelligence has opened up a myriad of possibilities for the planning and analysis tool. Potential uses for digital twins are still being imagined. Uses for cities currently include using digital twins to plan transportation systems, prepare for natural disasters and identify optimal locations to install solar panels. Future uses could include predicting how a disease will spread and informing optimal lockdowns and hospital reservations or using the tool to facilitate collaborations with other cities that have shared problems and mutual goals. Problems to be solved Ease complex decision-making Enable more efficient project implementation and monitoring Create better preparedness for emergency situations Make urban data easier to understand
Product
ManageNow® for Data Analytics
ManageNow® for Data Analytics is based on open source. It offers the ideal approach for public sector clients to design data-based solutions independently with no vendor lock-in. It consequently allows you to make informed decisions based on your business.
Product
Fujitsu idea and innovation management platform
Develop, discuss, comment on and evaluate new ideas in a structured way through a collaborative innovation platform. Master the challenges of cities and municipalities together with citizens and innovative ideas.
Solution
Smart Microgrids
Microgrids are smaller-scale versions of a local centralised electricity system - a.k.a. a macrogrid - and are equipped with control capabilities that allow them to operate in tandem with the local macrogrid, or autonomously on a stand-alone basis. As such, microgrids have existed for decades powering industrial sites, military bases, campuses and critical facilities such as hospitals, primarily using fossil-fuel-fired Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and reciprocating engine generators. However, many cities are now interested in microgrid systems that can better integrate renewable generation resources and various energy loads, serve multiple users and/or meet environmental or emergency responses. Microgrids can bring several benefits to the environment, utility operators and customers; benefits that are especially important for cities as they strive to create smart, safe, and liveable communities with thriving economies. Considering local priorities and challenges, municipalities have three good reasons to pursue microgrids: Microgrids contribute to reducing GHG emissions and help cities meet their climate goals by: Fostering the integration and aggregation of renewable energy sources, thanks to their ability to balance energy production and usage within the microgrid through distributed, controllable generation and storage (e.g. CHP, thermal storage or fuel cells). Harnessing energy that would otherwise be wasted (e.g. electricity transmission losses or waste heat from energy production), thanks to the proximity of where energy is generated and where it is needed. Microgrids can strengthen and increase resilience of the central grid by: Increasing the system-wide reliability and efficiency, as they help reduce or manage energy demand whilst alleviating grid congestion, thanks to their ability to isolate and take over local energy demand autonomously. Reducing grid vulnerability by coping with impending power outages and safeguarding against potential cyberattacks on energy infrastructure. Sustaining energy service during emergencies or natural disasters, especially for critical public services, and helping the macrogrid recover from system outages. Microgrids can better serve the community and enhance local economy by: Keeping electricity tariffs under control thanks to more efficient and cost-effective grid management, greater use of valuable wasted energy and/or reduced investments in additional energy capacity or transmission infrastructure. Favouring the competitiveness of municipalities, as these can offer low energy costs and elevated levels of reliability that may attract new business and jobs, especially industries highly sensitive to power outages (e.g. data centres, research facilities, etc.). Ensuring power reliability for isolated or hard-to-serve communities by providing clean, reliable, and resilient energy in a cost-effective way. Constituting an ideal way to integrate renewable resources on the community level and allow for customer participation in the electricity enterprise. Problems to be solved Increasing costs & emissions from current energy supply Wasted energy & revenue losses Limited grid capacity & power reliability Demand for greater grid resilience and flexibility Increasing & changing energy demand Ageing, weak and/or absent infrastructure
Solution
Bi-directional Electric Vehicle Charging
Most cars are idly parked 90-95% of the time. With an accelerated shift to using electric vehicles (EVs), batteries of EVs offer enormous potential in terms of using their vast collective storage capacity as a flexible solution to support the grid, which can be taxed with an intermittent renewable energy supply. Bidirectional electric vehicle charging (V2X) refers to EV chargers that allow not only for charging the battery of the EV but also for taking energy from the car battery and pushing it back to the grid when needed. There are two primary receivers of power from an EV: the grid (V2G) and the electricity from a home or building (V2H). Bi-directional charging creates greater synergy between the clean transport sector and renewable energy sources, as the car batteries can store excess energy created by variable renewable sources such as wind and solar, then provide power to the grid or home when demand is high or energy production is low. This reduces curtailment, lowers the need for grid infrastructure investments and allows for higher renewable energy integration. In addition, V2H charging can act as an emergency power source during power outages and V2G can provide vehicle owners with extra income through arbitrage of time-variable energy prices. Problems to be solved Grid congestion Growing energy consumption Unsteady power generation from renewable sources Uneven peaks in energy usage
Solution
Energy Efficient Retrofitting of Buildings
Improving energy efficiency of the building stock in a city needs strategic and long-term thinking. Complex ownership structures, market barriers, diversity of building typologies, consumer preferences and multiple stakeholders involved in the construction and retrofitting of a building makes energy efficient buildings a challenge even with the advanced technological developments. However, to realise positive energy districts and reach the ambitious climate goals set forward by cities, zero and positive energy buildings play a critical role. A variety of initiatives worldwide have proven that while a complex challenge, Energy Efficient Retrofitting of buildings is possible and has huge impact towards greener and more resilient cities. Problems to be solved Energy loss in buildings Use of Inadequate materials Energy poverty Transition from fossil fuels Make technologies affordable Energy demand in buildings
Solution
District Heating & Cooling Systems
District heating and cooling systems distribute thermal energy in the form of steam, hot water, or chilled liquids, from central or decentralised sources of production through a network to multiple buildings or sites, for the use of space or process heating or cooling. For a lower environmental impact, a combination of heat recycling and renewable heat is the focus for district heating systems. Following the Paris Agreement in 2015 and the EU target to cut emissions by at least 40 % below 1990 levels by 2030, there has been an increased effort from member states to foster district heating and cooling using alternative fuel sources and carbon-neutral heat producing technologies. This transition is challenging as district heating supplies only 12 % of the EU´s heat supply, with most of the energy produced from CHP plants powered by natural gas and solid fuels such as lignite. Problems to be solved Carbon emissions Low-efficient heat supply Fossil fuel dependency GHG emissions
Solution
Energy Storage Systems
Global energy demand has risen sharply over the past decade. Economic growth, population growth and the industrialization of developing countries are among the reasons for this. This energy demand should be covered as stable and sustainable as possible and with renewable energies ( Proton OnSite, 2016 ). Variable electricity generation is a common phenomenon when dealing with renewable resources e.g. wind and sun. Thus, there can be a mismatch between the energy generated and the consumption patterns, leading to the fact that the energy is not necessarily produced at the time it is needed. Furthermore, due to the decentralised and widespread energy generation by renewable sources, the energy is not necessarily produced in places with demand. Storage capacities decouple energy production and consumption and thus can support to balance the system by stor energy that is currently available but not needed, for later use ( Distributed Control Methods and Cyber Security Issues in Microgrids, 2020 ). Problems to be solved Indirect by increased renewable energy integration: Fossil-fuel energy production Carbon emissions Detrimental air quality Fossil-fuel dependency Directly through storage solutions: Voltage and frequency regulation Grid instability Geographical imbalances Peak shaving Efficiency of renewables Utilisation rate of renewable production
Use Case
FloodCitiSense Crowdsourced Flood Warning App
To improve cities’ resilience to floods, FloodCitiSense aimed at developing a pluvial flood early warning service for, but also by citizens and city authorities.
Use Case
NRGCoin
The NRGcoin mechanism replaces traditional high-risk renewable support policies with a novel blockchain-based Smart Contract, which better rewards green energy. For every 1kWh of green energy consumers pay 1 NRGcoin directly to the Smart Contract, protecting prosumers from policy changes.
Use Case
Mobility and Lifestyles of Residents in Turku Region
A Maptionnaire survey called “Mobility in Turku region and future of the harbour area” was arranged in the Turku region. The results were used to create creating mobility personas to better connect participatory planning with city/traffic planning processes.
Use Case
Greater Energy Flexibility with Smart Swimming Pool Heating
Denmark is using summer house swimming pools to provide grid flexibility and increase the share of wind energy in its power supply. The large thermal inertia of the pools allows heating to be shifted to times of high wind power production.
Use Case
Better Energy Flexibility with Radio Base Station Batteries
Barcelona tested using the back up batteries of radio base stations to increase grid flexibility and provide greater stability. The stations can be disconnected from the grid on demand and instead use the batteries.
Use Case
Distribution Systems Area Data Monitoring in Italy
A pilot project to develop, implement and test in field innovative devices to demonstrate the technical feasibility of increasing the monitoring of the distribution grid and the controllability of renewable energy sources connected at lower voltage levels.
Use Case
An e-bike loan scheme supporting low-carbon shared mobility
In an effort to encourage a modal shift away from cars, the Royal Borough of Greenwich implemented a business model and service for e-cargo bikes, and introduced an e-bike sharing scheme.
Use Case
Smart Lamppost Electric Charging
The Royal borough of Greenwich has upgraded its lampposts with LED lighting, electric vehicle (EV) charging points and smart parking sensors.
Use Case
Greenwich Energy Hero DSM
In London, households in the Royal Borough of Greenwich were incentivised through points-based rewards to change their energy consumption patterns and behaviour, with the goal of reducing pressure on the grid during peak times.