Béatrice Alcaraz

Working, living, learning and growing up in one of the world’s largest passive districts

Due to be completed in 2022, the “Bahnstadt district” is currently being constructed on the site of a former railway goods yard. Office space, housing, a university campus, a school, a kindergarten, shops and leisure centres will be built with (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 24 May 2013 | 09h40 | 81 visits
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Prove that it works and create a snowball effect

We have learned how to count the water we produce and sell in order to reduce losses, and to count waste to limit production. We do the same with the energy we use and green-house gas emissions. But this data should not only be used by (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 21 May 2013 | 10h31 | 68 visits
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Create and implement a territorial bio-waste action plan

However we still produce a lot of organic waste in many sectors: agri-food business, unsold food products, leftovers from restaurants and canteens, animal faeces, etc. Waste producers are legally responsible for treating their waste. However, (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 7 May 2013 | 11h30 | 162 visits
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Aberdeen: reconciling business, sustainable development and a high quality of life

"Energetica" covers a strech of about 50 km (30 miles) in Aberdeen Shire (GB) and aims to provide a healthy, eco-friendly and economically dynamic place to work and live in. As one of the world’s leading place in the modern energy industry, (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 6 May 2013 | 12h03 | 67 visits
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Energy Cities becomes the European Association of local authorities in energy transition

By officially announcing this new baseline at its Annual Rendezvous in Växjö (Sweden) last week, Energy Cities demonstrates its will to make the uniqueness of its member cities much more visible. All initiatives taken by these 1000 (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 3 May 2013 | 13h04 | 148 visits
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Eradicate fuel poverty at local level

Taxing a rare product leads to a reduction in its consumption, one of the major components of the energy transition. Therefore we are going to use less of a more expensive energy. The thermal quality of our dwellings and the performance of our (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 30 April 2013 | 14h03 | 149 visits
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Follow today Energy Cities' Rendezvous from home !

www.energy-cities.eu/live Follow all plenary sessions : the overview on where we stand in the energy transition process, the round tables, the storytelling of Växjö etc. Enjoy all the highlights of the Energy Cities’ Annual Rendezvous in live! (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 24 April 2013 | 19h33 | 272 visits
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ENERGY CITIES INFO N°41: The hidden resources of our cities

This resources represent a priceless potential and a source of huge opportunities if properly mobilised at the local level. This issue of Energy Cities INFO is almost exclusively dedicated to local initiatives that are today paving the way for (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 15 April 2013 | 15h48 | 149 visits
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Lead by example by transforming municipal energy management

It might be inferred from the above that this is negligible. On the contrary! It is possible to have a direct effect on energy and budgetary expenditure, with quick results. The required investments can often be financed from the savings made, (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 11 April 2013 | 16h32 | 194 visits
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Energy Efficiency in Europe : 27 country reports available

The project Energy-Efficiency-Watch 2 (EEW2), running from September 2010 until August 2013, aims to facilitate the implementation of the Energy Services Directive. One key activity of the EEW2 project was an extensive survey on the (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 8 April 2013 | 09h38 | 178 visits
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"A 2030 framework for climate and energy policies"

This document launches a public consultation lasting until 2 July 2013, allowing Member States, other EU institutions and stakeholders to express their views. Energy Cities welcomes this initiative but deeply regrets that the document does not (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 28 March 2013 | 13h55 | 207 visits
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Final recommendations for the use of Cohesion policy funds

The European Union is on good track to meet this target. The report "Practical recommendations to increase the share of sustainable energy investments in the upcoming SCF programming period 2014-2020" is the fruit of a series of events and (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 22 March 2013 | 14h22 | 135 visits
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An energy retrofitting plan for the whole building stock

These buildings are extremely diverse. Some are very old, even historic, whilst others are more recent and their thermal quality may vary from 1 to 10.They may be occupied by owner-occupiers, landlords or tenants. The spectrum of possible (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 19 March 2013 | 09h45 | 184 visits
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Over 60% of renewable energy for the district heating - Metz (France)

Now, Metz has the first district system heating to use such a high part of renewables in France. Indeed, the unit is powered by over 60% of renewable energy: wood residues and steam from the waste. Key figures: 100-km district heating, (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 15 March 2013 | 12h37 | 134 visits
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Make arts and culture part of the energy transition process

Energy echoes our Western development model, which reached a stalemate when the rest of the world started imitating it. It is a societal issue. From local to global, we need to imagine again and again the energy civilisation of the 21st (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 12 March 2013 | 10h22 | 136 visits
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"Energiewende" vs "Transition énergétique" - Stuttgart (DE) 19.-20. März 2013

Bei der zweitägigen Veranstaltung werden die Herausforderungen aus politischer und fachlicher Perspektive beleuchtet. Ein Schwerpunkt wird außerdem auf dem Konvent der Bürgermeister und den Konvent-Plattformen in beiden Ländern liegen. Die (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 7 March 2013 | 14h41 | 168 visits
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Identify local resources in order to plan your energy policy

At the global level, it comes up against fossil resource limitations and climate constraints and is a source of geopolitical tensions. At the local level, this attitude tends to make consumers, citizens and local and regional authorities feel (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 26 February 2013 | 11h55 | 188 visits
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Besançon (FR) awarded Cit’ergie® eea Gold® label

Since 2004, the municipality of Besançon has been implementing a programme of quanditifed and costed actions on its energy policy. By engaging in the experimental programme led by Energy Cities and the ADEME Franche-Comté, Besançon managed to (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 14 February 2013 | 09h27 | 116 visits
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Green Week 2013 seeks local air quality events

This year Green week 2013, a European Commission initiative to be held in Brussels on 4-7 June 2013, will focus on Cleaner air for all, and is looking for events taking place in towns and cities around Europe to link in with this theme. The (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 11 February 2013 | 15h24 | 155 visits
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Energy Transition: Collect local savings and invest them in sustainable local energy projects

The term “short distribution channels” is used for both food (increasing local production) and energy (local renewable energy). We must now invent “short bank channels” that reinstate traceability between the savers and the local energy solutions (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 5 February 2013 | 16h57 | 205 visits
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Sustainable historic centre: Delft's participation in ‘URBACT-LINKS’ project

In the final conference of LINKS on 10 January , Vice-mayor of Delft Milène Junius explained what it means in the context of Delft: a strategy of "conservation by development". The identity of Delft can be summarised in a few words: technology, (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 29 January 2013 | 11h14 | 201 visits
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Tampere (FI) - Towards a Carbon-neutral City

ECO2 – Eco-efficient Tampere 2020 implements the climate and energy objectives of the City of Tampere. The programme supported by Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund supports projects that promote a low-carbon and carbon-neutral urban structure. (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 24 January 2013 | 15h52 | 157 visits
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Energy Transition: Ensure public budgets integrate positive and negative energy externalities

We call “externalities” the cost of the consequences of these micro-economic decisions paid for by society. The externality is said to be positive when the decision avoids societal costs on the natural, social and economic environment. It is (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 15 janvier 2013 | 15h53 | 175 visits
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Energy transition: Use urban planning as a tool for controlling the territory’s energy use

Depending on its design, a city or a neighbourhood will encourage or discourage energy efficiency and renewable energy use. Urban planning decisions can influence how easy it is to cycle to work. An increasing number of local authorities are (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 8 January 2013 | 12h38 | 370 visits
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Energy Transition: Co-create a long-term vision to shape all policies

Our world, however, is dominated by the short term. How can we consider long-term issues when the media has a timeframe of one day and the markets of just one hour? What would be the use of public policies if they had to adopt such time (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 18 December 2012 | 10h28 | 230 visits
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Energy Efficiency Directive, or how to reach the 20% energy efficiency target and prepare the future

It requires setting up a series of measures, the implementation of which will be the responsibility of the Member States: Energy companies are requested to reduce energy sales by 1.5% every year among their customers. This can be achieved via (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 7 December 2012 | 11h56 | 218 visits
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Energy Transition : 1.2 Unite all stakeholders in a local energy alliance

Unite interested private, public and associative players in local energy or energy transition alliances. Establishing such alliances is relevant at all levels: local, regional, national and European. They provide stakeholders with the (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 6 December 2012 | 11h42 | 137 visits
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Energy transition - 1.1: Take local control of energy supply

Take responsibility for the territory’s energy supply. This is a decision which comes under national laws. Experience shows that entrusting a local administration with power and responsibility always leads to better service. In the field of (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 29 November 2012 | 12h43 | 164 visits
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Public buildings in France : cities associations and Prime Minister commit to an annual rate of renovation of 3%

Indeed, a rhythm of 3 % a year means renovating the whole building stock by 2050 -which is the deadline to reach the national "Factor 4"*. Therefore, an annual rate of 3 % seems quite logical. Energy Cities is highly satisfied with the joint (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 15 November 2012 | 17h30 | 243 visits
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Energy & lifestyles: About the need and desire for change

Can you see any links between today’s (financial, climate and energy) crises and today’s lifestyles? Looking at many people’s lifestyles in Western (and increasingly also other) societies, many links to “peak everything” and climate change are (...)

By Béatrice Alcaraz, on 9 November 2012 | 08h41 | 227 visits
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