The "Solar City" project (Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC), Implementing Agreement Task 30) initiated by the International Energy Agency (IEA) under the leadership of Task Manager Prof. Peter Droege has the task of coordinating climate protection targets worldwide. The aim of the project is to achieve a "CO2-neutral" city, which according to the IEA corresponds to CO2 emissions of = 3.3 tons per inhabitant. According to the current state of research, this limit is the criterion for a sustainable energy supply.
This target is to be achieved by 2050.
In the IEA program "Solar Heating and Cooling" (SHC), it was decided to carry out a definition phase for the Task 30 "Solar City" proposed by Australia. The main aim of Task 30 was to develop strategies for reducing climate-damaging greenhouse gases through the use of renewable energies in a forward-looking energy supply for cities and urban areas. An international standard (label: "Solar City") and the integration of renewable energies in settlement and urban planning as well as a guideline for sustainable urban development were the planned objectives of Task 30.
The project proposal required a preparatory phase in which the project objectives were sufficiently discussed and the German interests in such a project were concretized before a decision on German participation could be made.
Work program
The research project was funded by the BMWi and prepared the ground for German participation in the international project. To this end, 30 cities were selected and their strategies and concepts for reducing climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions were examined. Of these 30 cities, 14 were examined more closely and their planning and implementation practices in the field of climate protection were scrutinized. The focus was on the building sector. The aim was to select 2-3 cities of different sizes to represent Germany in an international comparison.
Selection procedure
The selection of eligible candidates was based on a questionnaire developed by the project managers (project partners: Climate Protection and Energy Agency Baden-Württemberg, Dr.-Ing.)
developed a self-evaluation questionnaire. In this questionnaire, the cities were asked to provide a short answer to 8 different questions (planning practice for climate protection, project status, experience in implementation, etc.), which made it possible to make a comparative selection.
Contact persons in the respective cities were energy consultants, local agenda offices, environmental offices and energy control centers. The resulting group of 14 cities will now be subjected to detailed investigations. To this end, an initial meeting with the cities and experts was scheduled for March 20, 2001 in Bonn (BMWi), at which the cities presented their activities in the field of climate protection and the energy concept within a specified framework.
National and international cooperation
Three subtasks (Subtask A, B, C) were formed for the implementation of Task 30, the contents and work programs of which were defined at international level. As part of the project, the German participation and contribution was determined.
Germany was one of the candidates whose participation had not yet been decided internationally and was ultimately canceled prematurely by the funding body. However, the definition phase had not yet been completed for other member states either (workshop in The Hague in November 2000).
From a German perspective, the following strategy was proposed for participation in Task 30: Due to the infrastructural conditions in Germany, it does not make sense to propose only one city as a representative in the international comparison. Rather, a network is planned that includes 2-3 cities of different sizes (small town, medium-sized city, large city). These cities are integrated into the international "Solar City" network. In addition, a network of the remaining shortlisted candidates (8-10 cities) will be created. This "Solar City" network will then serve as a model for other cities at national level and can be expanded by these other cities. An exchange of experience at both national and international level is thus guaranteed.
The international Solar City project was stopped and is currently being continued on a smaller scale (e.g. Concerto).