G7 Cities Summit: Adoption of the Urban 7 Mayors Declaration
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The German Association of Cities, the Global Parliament of Mayors and the international cities network ICLEI have joined forces to form a Cities Alliance to accompany the German G7 Presidency. The alliance is organising a conference on Tuesday, 3 May a U7 Mayors Summitwhich brings together high-level representatives of cities from the G7 countries. Representatives of the media are invited to follow the event virtually.
The international exchange is under the heading "Engaging the Urban World - Cities as Engines of Change for Peace, Democracy and Sustainability".. It is the most important event of cities in the framework of the German G7 Presidency. A joint declaration by the cities will also be adopted: In the „Urban7 Mayors Declaration“ the city leaders from the G7 countries will present their expectations of politics and business in order to meet the global challenges on the ground.
Participating and speaking as the German delegation will be:
Lord Mayor Markus Lewe, Münster, President of the German Association of Cities,
Lord Mayor Peter Kurz, Mannheim, Chairman Global Parliament of Mayors,
State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
State Secretary Dr. Rolf Bösinger, Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction
The Mayors Round Table is also attended by city leaders from the G7 countries USA, Japan, Canada, Italy, the UK, France and the EU. Among the topics discussed at the event will be: Consequences of the war in Ukraine, role of cities in multi-level governance, impact of climate change, status of democracy, sustainable urban development, municipal development cooperation and the United Nations Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Cities Summit is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW) of Engagement Global.
A press release of the German Association of Cities and its partners will also be published for the event. Further information is available on the Summit website at: https://g7u7.org/
With the successful implementation of the state program "Area-wide Safety Charging Network for Electric Vehicles" (SAFE), Baden-Württemberg is the first state to have an area-wide charging network for electric cars in a 10-kilometer grid. The SAFE charging network consists of more than 450 charging stations.
While the construction of public charging infrastructure for electric cars is still being discussed elsewhere, Baden-Württemberg has built up a comprehensive charging network in recent months. A reliable charging infrastructure with more than 450 charging points now covers the entire state in a 10-kilometre grid. A consortium of 77 municipal utilities and suppliers as well as three municipalities had joined forces under the leadership of EnBW and successfully implemented the state programme "Area-wide Safety Charging Network for Electric Vehicles" (SAFE). The final event was held today (04.11.2019) in Stuttgart to take stock.
Electromobility is not only suitable for the big city!
"I am extremely pleased that we have taken electric mobility in Baden-Württemberg an important step forward with the SAFE project. Because with the nationwide expansion of the charging infrastructure, we are showing: Electromobility is not only suitable for the big city! I was able to see this for myself during my charging stop in Bad Urach today. SAFE, which was realised within the framework of Baden-Württemberg's strategy dialogue on the automotive industry, thus illustrates that electric mobility in the state is not only a clean and efficient, but also a reliable form of mobility," said Minister President Kretschmann. A consortium led by EnBW had been awarded the contract for the project in May 2018. "The parties involved have managed to set up a nationwide network of charging stations in one and a half years. I would like to thank EnBW as the project leader and its many project partners for this remarkable achievement. Together we are showing that we are pushing ahead: We are stepping on the gas and advancing electromobility in Baden-Württemberg step by step," Kretschmann continued.
Transport Minister Winfried Hermann explained: "E-charging must be as safe as it is simple. Above all, the charging points must work. With the nationwide SAFE charging network, we are creating the basis for the electrification of passenger car traffic in cities and rural areas. In this way, we are facilitating the switch to climate-friendly e-mobility."
81 Partner on behalf of the State of Baden-Württemberg
The SAFE charging network consists of more than 450 charging stations and will be operated by the project partners for at least six years. More than 250 already existing normal charging stations and more than 60 fast charging stations could be included in the network. But the consortium also built around 40 new fast charging stations and 88 normal charging stations. In addition, twelve existing charging stations were upgraded.
"This is how the mobility revolution must be managed," says EnBW CEO Dr. Frank Mastiaux, summing up the cooperation in the project. "With clout and teamwork, 81 partners have built up a powerful and reliable charging network within just 18 months. Complex infrastructure projects not only need a reliable framework, but also a planned and coordinated interaction between different players. SAFE is an example of how this can be achieved: through a high level of prioritisation by each project partner on site, as well as with the state of Baden-Württemberg as the key driver and funding provider."
The central requirement of the SAFE programme was: In a grid of ten by ten kilometres, there is at least one charging station with 22 kilowatts of power. In a second grid of 20 by 20 kilometres, there is also at least one fast charging station with 50 kilowatts of power. SAFE thus provides an area-wide charging network for drivers of electric cars: On average, there is a charging station every ten kilometres throughout the province - even in rural areas. All e-car drivers have easy access to the SAFE charging stations via the connected electromobility providers.
Starting signal for the further expansion of the charging infrastructure
SAFE has laid another foundation stone for the expansion of the charging infrastructure in Baden-Württemberg. In order to drive this forward, the Charging Infrastructure Network BW will bundle the exchange in the state even more strongly. Current challenges will be discussed and solutions developed via this open platform. The state agency for new mobility solutions and automotive Baden-Württemberg e-mobil BW GmbH is coordinating the new network, in which the experiences and findings of SAFE will be taken up and continued. In addition to its own commitment to the rapid expansion of charging infrastructure, EnBW will also remain closely associated with the new network as a partner. The state of Baden-Württemberg is thus directly taking the next step to prepare the charging infrastructure in the southwest of the republic for the ramp-up of e-cars. To this end, it had also launched the Charge@BW funding programme for non-public charging points launched.
On the SAFE website you will also find a Map overview of all SAFE charging stations between Wertheim in the north and Constance in the south, and Kehl in the west and Giengen an der Brenz in the east of Baden-Württemberg.
In 2018, Deutsche Bahn fed 57 percent green electricity into the grid. This is an increase of 13 percent in electricity from renewable energies compared to the previous year. DB is thus already the largest consumer of green electricity in Germany.
In Troisdorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, the largest tenant electricity project in Germany is currently running with subsidised funding from the so-called tenant electricity surcharge under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). The project, which was supported by EnergyAgency.NRW following an initial consultation, supplies 24 social housing apartments in three multi-storey buildings with a total of 75 residents with electricity. For this purpose, all roof surfaces were covered with photovoltaic modules with a total output of 86.9 kWp. The PV system is completed by six Powerwall 2 battery storage units from Tesla. "The tenants have committed 100 per cent to the project. In addition, the PV electricity, insofar as it is not consumed by the water-to-water heat pump or the tenants, is first stored in electricity storage units. This works so efficiently that we already reached an average self-sufficiency level of 83 percent in May. On isolated days and nights, even 98 percent," explains Frank Scholzen from Scholzen Immobilien, the company that owns the properties.
In rental electricity projects, electricity is generated in a rented property - by PV and/or combined heat and power (CHP) units. This direct electricity is often sold by the operator of the plant to the local energy supplier or - as in Troisdorf - by the landlord to the tenants. "The electricity offered to the tenants is cheaper than electricity from the grid. The advantage for the system operator is an additional income opportunity, as well as an ecologically sustainable electricity supply," explains Wilhelm Schröder from EnergyAgency.NRW, who accompanied the project in an advisory capacity.
However, the three buildings of Scholzen Immobilien are not only characterised by an innovative power supply, Troisdorf is also future-proof in the area of heat: The heating system consists of two water-water heat pumps with a combined thermal output of 76 kW. The well depth is only 14 metres - thanks to the high groundwater level not far from the Rhine. Scholzen: "The smart meters supplied by the Aachen-based company Discovergy enable continuous monitoring of the energy flows between the PV system, heat pump, energy storage and main meter."
In this complex and demanding project, many parties have to be coordinated. In Troisdorf, the following were involved:
Priogo AG from Zülpich (specialist partner for photovoltaics, heating technology, electromobility)
Discovergy GmbH from Aachen (smart metering systems)
Stadtwerke Troisdorf GmbH (distribution system operator)
Westfalen Group from Münster (residual electricity supplier)
Vaillant Group from Remscheid (manufacturer of the heat pumps) and Geotechnik GmbH from Wesseling (well drilling company)
In the meantime, the company Scholzen Immobilien is planning another tenant power project in Düsseldorf.
By the end of April 2018, a total of 19 tenant power projects subsidised under the EEG with an installed capacity of more than 350 kWp had been realised in NRW. The EnergyAgency.NRW has published a brochure entitled "Mieterstrom - kurz erklärt" (Tenant Electricity - Explained in Brief), which presents in detail the technical and legal aspects that need to be considered when implementing projects.
Developer Daniel Manschke from Volterion fills the electrolyte into the battery storage units in the climate quarter of Stadtwerke Herne. Photo: Stadtwerke Herne
Violet, green, blue and yellow - inside the innovative battery storage systems now available in the Climate quarter of the municipal utility company, will be colourful in the future. The electrolyte, which can store up to ten kilowatt hours of self-produced solar power, changes color depending on the state of charge.
Each of the new storage tanks holds 500 litres of the storage liquid. Redox-flow batteries in the cellars of the seven houses. The developers of the Dortmund-based manufacturer Volterion, a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT, installed and filled them themselves in Herne. This is because the climate district is an interesting technical demonstration object for them: Up to now, they have only installed battery storage systems in large-scale projects. In the single-family homes in Sodingen, the battery is only about the size of a two-door wardrobe.
Compared to conventional rechargeable batteries Redox-flow batteries are characterized by high operational reliability and extreme durability. Even a complete discharge does not harm them.
"With the battery, our energy concept of solar system and heat pump is now complete," explains Stephan Becker, project manager at the developer Stadtwerke Herne. "The climate quarter is now entering the home stretch." The final inspection with the future residents is scheduled to take place in about two weeks.
In April of last year, the municipal utility company began construction of the seven modern plus-energy houses. The small car-free model settlement combines the latest storage technology with renewable energy generation. The supply concept varies in individual details. With scientific support, the most efficient combination is to be found after the residents have moved in.
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