When: 30 October 2025 | 15:00 - 16:30 CET
Duration: 1 hr 45 min
Topic: This session focuses on the transformation of urban energy systems—complex, interconnected structures that shape how cities produce, distribute, and consume energy. We will explore this domain through a systemic lens, recognising the interdependencies between (smart) electricity grids and heating and cooling networks, using levers of change such as governance, finance, and social equity.
By the end of the module participants will:
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Gain understanding what is the role of cities in energy transition.
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Gain knowledge about how cities can lead and speed up energy transition in a systemic manner.
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To learn about the holistic approach to reducing carbon emissions includes heating, cooling, and electricity demand, distribution and production through practical cases:
• Espoo’s process and approach to systemic energy transition• district level energy planning,• positive energy district development process and principles -
Who is this session for?
This session is for everyone interested about how cities can lead and speed up the energy transition, e.g. cities' climate, energy and built environment experts and leaders.
Supporting Material
- Session presentation: https://netzerocities.app/resource-4969
- Online learning courses about POSITIVE ENERGY DISTRICTS, recommended for additional insights: https://www.pedlearning.eu/ (free, requires registration)
- NZC group files: 6th summer school material from Milan, focused on energy transition: https://netzerocities.app/group-netzerocitiessummerschool - additional reading, material and tools on how to speed up the energy transition, main focus at district level.
- Real life case examples on Positive Energy Districts from Scalable cities projects: https://smart-cities-marketplace.ec.europa.eu/insights/solutions/solution-booklet-positive-energy-districts
- MOOC on PEDs (Online course about Positive Energy Districts)
- Additional reading: CCC highlights: STRIVING TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS
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Additional guides, approaches and tools for how cities can speed up the energy transition are available for all at the materials for the seasonal school files held in Milan in June 2025
Sustainable energy Positive & zero cARbon CommunitieS demonstrates and validates technically and socio-economically viable and replicable, innovative solutions for rolling out smart, integrated positive energy systems. SPARCS facilitates the participation of buildings to the energy market enabling new services and a virtual power plant concept, creating VirtualPositiveEnergy communities as energy democratic playground (positive energy districts can exchange energy with energy entities located outside the district). Cities of Espoo Leipzig demonstrated solutions for Positive Energy Districts in 6 districts, and the fellow cities of Reykjavik, Maia, Kladno, Kifissia and Lviv built replication plans in their own local context.
CrAFt (2022-2025)
CrAFt (Creating Actionable Futures) connects the New European Bauhaus with the Cities Mission. It explores collaborative governance models, promoting cultural, aesthetic, and social innovation to accelerate climate-neutral urban transitions and embed the NEB principles in city planning, policies, and practices across Europe.
Facilitators
