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Polish cities towards climate neutrality - multi-level dialogue in Warsaw
Despite the difficult situation related to the coronavirus pandemic, the “Polish cities towards climate neutrality” workshop, organised as a part of the BEACON international project, took place in Warsaw on 7-8 October 2020. Due to concern for the safety of the participants, we ensured to respect sanitary rules and we made it possible for the representatives of the regional and national level, as well as the participants from Germany, to take part in the workshop remotely.
On the first day, the representatives of 8 local governments discussed the success factors that determined the success of energy and emission reduction investments in the cities, as well as the most important challenges related to their implementation.
After the BEACON project and the workshop concept presentation, Patrycja Płonka, a project manager at the Association of Municipalities Polish Network „Energie Cités” (PNEC), presented a short overview of the legal framework and financing sources in the context of actions regarding energy efficiency, RES and improvement of air quality, thus defining the scope of discussion. The short theoretical part was followed by the practical one.
The conclusions and the possible solutions for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the tools and the support systems were summarized, and the most important ones were structured and prepared to be presented the next day to regional representatives: Ministry of Climate, National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, Marshal's Office of Mazowieckie Voivodeship.
Members of our Association among the winners of the ECO-CITY 2020 competition
During the International ECO-CITY 2020 Conference on 21st September this year, results of the 7th edition of the Eco-City competition were announced. The winning local governments were awarded in following categories: water management, energy efficiency, urban greenery, waste management and sustainable mobility. In each competition category two prizes were awarded – the first one for cities with less than 100,000 residents, and the other one for cities with more than 100,000 residents. Furthermore, special prizes and a distinction from Michał Kurtyka, the Minister of Climate were awarded.
In total, 59 cities from 14 voivodeships applied for the 7th edition of the contest. 90 applications were sent, of which over 60% by local governments with less than 100,000 residents. This year’s winners include two cities belonging to our Association, actively participating in the BEACON project, which are: Bydgoszcz and Zamość.
In the ‘energy efficiency’ category, Bydgoszcz won the prize for comprehensive activities in the field of energetic efficiency improvement, the use of renewable energy sources, as well as energy and water cost management systems. Aside from activities typical for the improvement, such as installing of renewable energy sources installations, the city distinguished itself by conducting investments related to the development and the promotion of energy-efficient construction and the management of the Renewable Energy Sources Demonstration Center, which plays a significant role in the pro-ecological education of the youth.
Study tour to the City of Bydgoszcz
As part of the project ‘Water footprint as a tool for education, integration and initiating actions for local water resources protection’, on 8th September 2020, a study visit was held in Bydgoszcz for representatives of cities involved in the project, i.e. Cieszyn, Ełk, Jasło, Kalisz and Milanówek.
The day started at the Water Tower, where we were welcomed by Mr. Marek Jankowiak, the spokesman for the Municipal Water and Sewer System in Bydgoszcz, who told us about the place. It was originally a reservoir that provided water supply to every residential, industrial and public building. Afterwards, he introduced us briefly into activities of the city connected with rational water management.
How bus stops can become an ecological showpiece of the city – a visit to Siemiatycze
In 2017, in the city centre of Siemiatycze – at John Paul II Square, two unusual green stops were created. They are planted with flowers and have mini gardens on the roof.
The project entitled ‘The Living Bus Stops – modern ecological solutions in Siemiatycze’ was implemented with the financial support of the Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Białystok (Wojewódzki Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej, WFOŚiGW) in Białystok in the amount of 60,000 Polish Zloty from March to June 2017.
During the construction of the bus shelters, greenery was combined with natural wood. Plants were selected to change with the seasons of the year. The bus stops are also equipped with boards presenting simple tips for residents regarding environmental protection in everyday life and with irrigation system, significantly simplifying the maintenance of greenery. It is worth adding that in the evenings the ‘living’ shelters, thanks to the LED lighting, look as attractive as during the day.
Climate protection despite budget constraints – a new handbook for local governments issued under the BEACON project
The activities of cities and municipalities for sustainable development, energy transformation and climate protection are more and more advanced, local governments are eager to engage in ecological projects, wanting their cities to be perceived as environmentally friendly places. However, municipalities’ budgets have their limitations, and the level of expenses resulting from the tasks entrusted to them is increasing, therefore the implementation of many investments in energy efficiency improvement, air quality or renewable energy sources depends on possibilities of obtaining financial support or the use of new financing instruments and tools.
Energetic transformation of Polish cities and municipalities – the seminar in Serock
After such a long lockdown filled with numerous restrictions and online work – the first event could finally be organised, where the representatives of local governments from all over Poland had a chance to meet in person.
On 30th June – 1st July 2020 in Serock near Warsaw, a seminar entitled ‘Energetic transformation of cities and municipalities – mitigation and adaptation to climate change’ took place. During the seminar, issues related to low-emission transformation in cities in the context of the EU’s goal of climate neutrality and issues concerning the financing of the local activities for climate change mitigation and adaptation were discussed. Participants had a chance not only to listen to the presentations and to participate in a discussion panel, but also to take advantage of consultations and exchange of experiences in small groups during an interactive session of good practices.
During the opening of the seminar on 30th June 2020, the participants were welcomed by Artur Borkowski, the mayor of Town and Municipality of Serock, – Leszek Drogosz, the president of the Board of The Association of Municipalities Polish Network ‘Energie Cités’ and director of the Infrastructure Office in the City Hall of Warsaw –, and Anna Jaskuła, the director of the Association of Municipalities Polish Network ‘Energie Cités’ office.
1st meeting of the Polish Regional Stakeholder Advisory Group
On the 27th of February 2020 the first meeting of the Polish Regional Stakeholder Advisory Group took place in Płońsk, in the City Hall within the ENTRAIN project. The aim of the project is to increase the competence of local authorities to develop and implement local strategies and action plans to help boosting RES application within district heating networks in the region. Partners from 6 EU countries participate in the project and the Polish pilot city is Płońsk, which has a very well-functioning biomass-fired electrical power and heating plant. It is planning new capacities using RES within the Płońsk Energy Cluster.
The results of the first stage of the competition under the "Local Development" Program has been announced
We already know the list of 54 municipalities, whose projects were selected for the second stage of recruitment from 213 submitted ones, under the "Local Development" Program, financed from EEA and Norwegian funds.
Among the qualified 54 municipalities were 4 cities-members of our Association: Ełk, Piastów, Jasło and Cieszyn. Congratulations!
Now they are starting the intensive work on the preparation of a complete project proposal (together with the Local Development Plan and the Institutional Development Plan) with comprehensive support from the experts of the Association of Polish Cities and the Institute of Urban and Regional Development.
The duration of this phase will depend on the pace of work of the Applicants and the course of cooperation with the abovementioned experts. It will take at least 6 months.
Real-time monitoring of energy consumption saves money!
Within the TOGETHER project our Association installed smart metering system in 9 pilot buildings located in municipalities of Besko, Raciechowice and Żyraków. The system measures real-time electricity and heat consumption and should not only help in optimising energy management (and thus reducing energy bills) but also give immediate feedback on the real effects of implemented energy-saving measures. And we can already see the first of them! One of the pilot buildings is the Town Hall in Besko, which has been experiencing problems with reactive power since the installation of central UPS (uninterruptible power supply). Such energy is not included in the energy consumption but is treated as an undesirable phenomenon and scrupulously measured by modern energy meters. In a bimonthly billing cycle the charges for reactive power only reached 500-800 PLN (approx. 120-190 EUR) depending on the season. Two companies undertook effort to compensate this power but with limited success as nobody could precisely indicate the times the phenomenon occurs and its intensity.
Energy-saving tips for public buildings managers and users
Public buildings are used by many people: workers, service persons, visitors etc. Studies and common practice are unanimous in saying that user behaviour matters a lot when it comes to improving energy efficiency and reducing the building’s carbon footprint. Even the technical-only measures one can adopt (such as a building’s retrofitting) are more effective and less expensive when combined with educational and motivational activities, as well as better operation and maintenance of the new or modernised systems and equipment. In order to encourage more conscious use of energy, the consortium of the TOGETHER project, where our Association is a partner, prepared three sets of energy-saving tips addressed to three different users’ groups:
