In this Investment Concept, the 15 Municipalities intend to develop RCN with: study for the implementation of EE measures: improvement of lighting systems and air conditioning, replacement of glazing/coverings, among others - reduction of 60% of total energy consumption in Municipalities (corresponding to 30,4 GWh); study for the implementation of RECs (9.532 PV systems–5,15 MW of installed power with production of 8,1 GWh). Meeting the objective of decarbonizing public buildings and contributing to the reduction of 9.636 Ton of CO2. A reduction of 76% of the electricity consumption of the 15 Municipalities, an ambitious figure to the region. The production surplus will be used to social housing, business incubators, bringing services closer to citizens, promoting efficiency in the allocation of public resources, improvement of services and guarantee citizen participation. Planned implementations are in line with Ordinance n. 671/2022 9th September 2022, which regulates the procedures for EE contract.
The investment concept will study the implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy production measures.The measures include:
A. Energy Efficiency
B. Renewable energy production
Firstly, the project is about collecting aerial image data for calculation of biomass potential, considering factors such as susceptible areas, vegetation species, fauna and history of forest fires. The idea is to obtain spectral data of the municipality biome and process RGB (Red, Green, and Blue colour composites) images to calculate the vegetation index. Then, they will make a sampling network in various parts of the municipality, and thus complement with concrete results the measurement of biomass through laboratory analysis. With the combination of aerial image data and laboratory analyses, a map will be created to easily assess the most appropriate locations to make the collection of biomass, as well as a database with all the values measured. They will carry out a viability study for the implementation of a biomass central and its energy efficiency, considering the quantities estimated to be available as fuel in the municipality and other close biomass providers.
The investment concept will focus on different sectors:
A. Renewable energy production measures: Renewable Energy Community (REC) development, through the installation of PV panels. Accordingly with the Portuguese applicable law, REC can rely on the DNO and energy suppliers for energy sharing and billing, therefore those technologies are not comprised in the initial project.
B. Energy Efficiency Measures
In Braga, the following measures would be financed:
The intended measures of this investment concept are the deployment of a wind farm in combination with a smart grid for its management and heat pump installation for heating and cooling. These measures shall be applied to the five municipalities of Terra Fria. The Wind Farm shall have an installed capacity of 57MW that will produce renewable energy for powering with the heating pumps and generating heat and cooling for buildings, and for powering the municipalities' electricity grids withlocal green energy. There will also be its use for injecting power into the grid.
The heat pumps allow not only increase efficiency in the heating and cooling systems but also replace old wood, heating oil and gas combustion and plug-in electric heaters in buildings that have very low efficiency. In addition, the heat pumps can replace fans and other non-efficient cooling methods during warmer seasons.
The intended measures focus on installing 184 MW of photovoltaic solar energy, representing a total generation of 213 GWh per year, or 24% of the total electricity consumption within the municipality. With a decentralized energy production and consumption based on self-sufficiency (when possible), the development of innovative smart grids is also considered.
The intended measures on this investment concept to be financed are the creation of a district heating network for the five municipalities in the application. This district heating shall be powered by a combined heat and power (CHP) plant.
The combined heat and power shall be a 50 MW plant that will have a co-generation ratio for electricity of 5:1 and can also self-sustain the electricity needed for the plant. Also, such a system shall be powered by the existent biomass and bio-waste from the region. Such a system will allow not only to increase efficiency in the heating systems, but also to replace old wood combustion at households that have very low efficiency.
Furthermore, such a district heating system, has the capacity, later on, to be adapted for a district heating and cooling system. This can be important for a preliminary evaluation and to understand if it would be feasible to have this improvement in the future.
Guimarães aims to create a solid investment project to build an interconnected and energy-efficient city, focusing on community-based renewable energy, electric mobility and energy poverty. As such, the following technical measures will be financed:
Within its SEAP 2030 and Living Lab vision, Maia identified several key measures related to public and residential buildings, solar power, renewable energy communities and more. In terms of public buildings renovation, the central theme is Energy efficiency in public buildings and facilities (143 buildings), such as lighting and HVAC systems renovation. For residential buildings, the focus is on social housing renovation: energy efficiency in buildings that will reduce energy poverty (2 447 dwellings), with measures such as thermal insulation of facades and roofs and solar panels for domestic hot water production. They also plan the implementation of an additional 470 kWp of self-consumption PV system in municipal buildings. They also aim the creation of renewable energy communities in 45 social housing districts (2 MW). They wish to install a remote management system in the city (24 476 LED) to improve street lighting. As to district heating: residual thermal energy recovery in the Waste Management plant is planned to support neighbourhood heating needs (airport and industrial facilities).e.
The measures consist of:
• Widespread buildings energy efficiency and its financing:
• Increase decentralised renewable energy production:
• Promote sustainable urban mobility:
• Encourage up-take of innovative technology:
There is a case study for schools in the Oeiras municipality that is intended to be replicated in other public facilities and industry and business parks, which includes measures that will bring significant energy savings and emission reductions. The measures include the replacement of wall and roof insulation and windows. They plan to install systems that monitor consumption levels. They will substitute the interior and exterior lighting. They will also replace all-electric radiators with direct expansion split-type units and install a new solar rooftop PV for self-consumption.
The Energy Community of Ovar (ECO) will serve as the territory's framework for widespread investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions aiming to reach municipal carbon neutrality in 2030. Collective procurement measures will be done for energy efficiency and building renovation actions. They plan the installation of 20 MW of solar PV, 10 electric chargers, e-bikes and related systems, and 5000 m2 of solar hot water panels. There will be energy management within the community, with particular emphasis on electricity, allowing citizens to sell potential electricity production surplus to other members of the community and fostering the provision of flexibility by building users. Lastly, they plan to enable community members to convert credits obtained from the sale of energy surpluses into goods and services provided within the community (e.g. local grocery shops or markets, public transportation), which will promote local businesses.
Porto, within its vision for climate neutrality and under SECAP 2030 identified the following key measures (non-exhaustive):
The investment concept will focus on three main areas: Public Lighting, Renewable Energies and Energy Poverty.
The objective of the first is to substitute inefficient lighting with LED and incorporate a smart management system. For this to be possible, the municipalities will need to obtain the grid management, a possibility foreseen in the future legislation to be released. Having this in mind, a Smart-City approach will then be possible to develop along with electrical vehicle charging systems supported in the public lighting grid, along with other strategies for financing purposes (publicity, city internet, etc.).
The second investment area will focus on renewable energy communities supported by photovoltaic systems. This is being implemented in municipal or private buildings. The third and last investment area will focus on the needs of a specific population to tackle energy poverty, focusing on building envelop improvement and PV integration.
Based on audits and smart metering of municipal buildings, a model will be created for the characterization and integrated optimization of energy uses. This model will produce several fundable intervention proposals, whose individual implementation contributes to the global objective of carbon neutrality and energy self-sufficiency in each intervention building.
Different interventions will be considered, to be defined according to the characteristics of each building and open to any opportunities for funding that are available, such as energy efficiency and renewable production using different energy sources (solar, biomass, hydrogen, others), with possible creation of energy communities;
The project will leverage interventions that simultaneously promote a more circular economy, either through the reuse and/or use of water, or through the use of biomass resulting from forest management in the municipality (if applicable), water efficiency and/ or reuse, for example.
The intended measures to be financed are the deployment of local solar power photovoltaic installations, electric vehicles (EVs, as storage and sustainable mobility) in combination with an energy community for its management and heat pump installation for heating and cooling. These measures shall be applied to the 5 municipalities of Terra Quente.
The decentralized solar power photovoltaic installations will be used: (1) for powering with the heating pumps and generating heat and cooling for buildings with an approximate COP of 3; (2) for powering the municipalities and EVs with local green energy; (3) as a local source for the energy community. The heat pumps allow not only to increase efficiency in the heating and cooling systems but also to replace old wood, heating oil & gas combustion and plug in electric heaters in buildings that have a very low efficiency. In addition, the heat pumps have the capacity to replace fans and other non-efficient cooling methods during warmer seas.
Different technologies will be involved all along with the three Structural Projects: 1. Renewable Energy Communities, 2. Energy Management in Municipal Building and 3. Green Public Road Transports, such as the following (non-exhaustive):
The measures will:
• Boost buildings energy efficiency and its financing:
• Boost decentralised renewable energy production:
• Boost EE through smart grids:
• Boost sustainable urban mobility:
• Promote innovative energy inf.:
Famalicão has a long history of energy cooperatives, dating back to 1930. Capitalizing on the City’s history, and in line with the Paris Agreement, Famalicão developed a roadmap for carbon neutrality before 2030, creating a baseline for the promotion of equal access to sustainable energy, as well as for the creation of community-based renewable energy production and a sound electrical mobility network.
Through the creation of a Municipal Energy Efficiency Fund (which would aggregate the current program “Casa Feliz” for disadvantaged households), the city aims to invest in the installation of energy-efficient equipment in 10 000 households, which would represent a total of 23 GWh/y in energy savings. In addition, the project aims to install 120 MW of photovoltaic solar energy, representing a total generation of 193 GWh/year and a reduction of 53733 tCO2eq/y in CO2 emissions. Finally, the project will invest in an expanded electrical mobility network, promoting intermodality in the city.
The investment project will be focused on two main topics: electrical mobility and renewable energy production through a community-based approach. As such, the following technical measures will be financed:
1. Implementation of Urban Renewable Energy Communities and the installation of 130 MW of photovoltaic solar energy, representing a total generation of 209 GWh per year. This will strengthen the transition to fully renewable-based energy production in the city.
2. Investing in electric mobility innovative solution in the Municipality, by creating intermodal spaces with 1000 charging stations across several key locations and ideally powered by the energy communities
These measures aim to reduce 68 172 t CO2 emissions.
With community-based energy production, the development of innovative smart grids is also considered in the project. As such, it is imperative to assess the conversion models for future energy distribution and power needs, including the foresight for electric mobility.