From 7 – 8 June 2016 the City of Częstochowa welcomed representatives from Polish and German municipalities to the second consultation meeting held within the “Polish-German cooperation on low emission economy in cities”. The meeting addressed the questions related to the efficient use of energy in the city, in particular how to control and monitor energy use in public facilities, how to engage the local community, and what financing options are available to deliver energy savings.
Local governments are aware of the energy savings potential in public buildings and have experience with diverse approaches to energy management, as those showcased at the workshop: using information and communication technologies (ICT) to monitor energy consumption in Czestochowa and implementing LED street lighting and increasing the use of renewable energy in Rosbach v.d. Höhe.
However, the municipal administration’s direct energy consumption represents only a small share of the overall energy demand. At the workshop, participants discussed on the basis of project-related experiences solutions to successfully engage with the local community – incl. private households and businesses – in order to sustainably change energy consumption patterns.
Finally, a great barrier for municipalities to foster low-emission transition remain financial constraints. The participants explored the real potential of assets and resources they have at their disposal, from financial and infrastructural to human and social capitals, as well as regulatory power, on the basis of hands-on experience.
Read the key take-aways of the workshop below. Presentations are directly linked in the summary documentation:
Moderator's Conclusions of the Workshop in Czestochowa
Following the workshop, on June 9, 2016, the representatives of Polish and German municipalities visited various low-emission projects implemented in Czestochowa, which is one of the leaders in local energy management among Polish cities.
The program of the field trip included the water treatment plant WARTA S.A. that incorporates state-of-the-art energy efficient technologies, the cogeneration plant FORTUM that provides the city with heat, and the new hybrid buses fleet owned by the Municipal Transport Company. One of such buses drove the participants between the site visits.
Photos and detailed description
