EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - SunCities, ensuring cleaner energy systems

SunCities, ensuring cleaner energy systems

Introduction

The SunCities project is an ambitious and innovative project, implemented by European local and regional authorities from four countries: the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom and Spain. Together with relevant market parties they will construct over 1,700 low to zero-emission houses and 3.05 MWp of PV (Megawatt peak of photovoltaic sun-panels).

Problem

European local and regional authorities aim to implement a significant part of the EC targets on carbon dioxide (CO2) and PV within their built environment. Together with relevant market parties such as project developers, utilities and the building industry they will implement zero-emission urban developments with 1760 new houses and 3.05 MWp of PV.
These authorities demonstrate that PV can be implemented in a normal but appealing way when fully integrated in the urban planning and the building process on an entire housing development site.

Description

The project will be implemented by environmentally ambitious municipalities, dedicated project developers, utilities, architects and urban planners. It consists of four local projects of new housing developments of building integrated PV power (total 3.05 MWp):

The Netherlands (1,410 houses, zero energy, 2.45 MWp)
United Kingdom (250 houses, zero energy, 0.4 MWp)
Germany (50 houses, low energy, 0,1 MWp)
Spain (50 houses, low energy, 0.1 MWp)

The dwellings contain energy saving measures to reduce electricity and heating consumption and other renewable energy options (solar hot water, heat pumps, in-town wind turbines, or small scale hydro).

Approach

The work consists of adopting PV into the urban planning process, the energy infrastructure planning, the architectural design, and the electrical grid layout by the project developers involved. The implementation is effectuated by joint tendering of PV systems and roof integration open to European PV suppliers to minimise costs especially for the satellite projects.
Technical monitoring of PV systems will be performed on a global basis. Detailed monitoring will be done on the interaction of multiple inverters with the grid. Dissemination of experiences will be facilitated by working groups and an interactive website with video footage. This enables visitors to virtually experience the construction progress. Replication and market uptake will be stimulated by developing handbooks and risk abatement strategies for project developers, the building industry and municipalities.

Results

Establishment of low to zero-emission housing developments (1,760 houses) in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain and Germany with 3,05 MWp.
Assessment of the PV-related risks and risk abatement strategies for project developers.
Replication costs of building integrated grid-connected PV in housing projects (at MWp scale) of 4.6 Euro/Wp on average and as low as 3.5 Euro/Wp in some member states.
A concept for future replication and follow-up projects all through Europe, with extensive exposure of the project (20 million EU citizens, over 600 companies active in building, the PV industry and 1,000 municipalities).

EU involvement

The SunCities project is partially financed by the European Commission under the Fifth Framework Programme.

Contact info

SunCities Secretariat - Mr C. Verberne (Project manager)

Project start date

01/04/2002

Links

The SunCities project homepage European Commission

Large-scale high density low-emission new housing developments with full integration of PV in the urban planning process (PDF, Eng, 4.4 MB)

More detailed information on photovoltaic (PV) solar electricity (PDF, Eng, 95 KB)

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Housing > Housing quality

Keywords

Housing design & standards, Energy efficiency