Sustainable, socially inclusive and economically competitive cities. How to create them? This is the central theme of the third study on circular cities published by Enel. The title is precisely "Circular cities - The cities of tomorrow" and was conducted with the contribution of Arup, a company active in the sustainable building sector, Intesa Sanpaolo and the Future Food Institute, an NGO focused on future challenges related to food in a circular perspective.
Cities, the report explains, generate over 80% of economic output but they are also where global challenges are most critical. “Re-imagine the cities of tomorrow in terms of better quality of life, following an approach based on the circular economyrepresents an enormous opportunity”, underlines Enel. In detail, from an environmental point of view, the circular economy can contribute up to 45% to the commitment for global decarbonisation by 2050. From a social point of view, however, circularity will create jobs that are less replaceable by autonomy, requiring new skills and skills. Finally, looking at the economic side, the circular economy can ensure more competitive services for citizens and lower costs for businesses.
Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel, commented: “Electricity is, and will increasingly be, the lifeblood of cities thanks to growing electrification. As a key player in the energy field, we want to contribute to the development of a sustainable urban vision for the future. To do this, we started by combining economic, social and environmental sustainability objectives, taking into consideration all the sectors and elements that make up a city. This vision, even more urgent if we consider the difficulties of the current period, is reflected in the study we are presenting today and is implemented in the circular city projects we are implementing around the world, which represent a further contribution towards a more sustainable future."
But how does Enel promote circularity in the city? The group is seeking to promote an approach to the circular economy based on clear objectives and targets and with governance that is not only top-down but also bottom-up, as well as including all key business areas.
Taking a practical example, a GenoVa the company is adopting a City Analytics solution for real-time transportation analysis and optimization, including the deployment of a city-wide EV charging infrastructure with over 200 charging points.
“Since 2017, on the campus of the University of Genoa in Savona, a Living Lab has been active, created to develop and test technologies for smart grids in a real and controlled environment, thanks to its real electrical loads, produced by the campus itself, as well as of distributed generation, including photovoltaics, co-generation, electricity storage and concentrated solar power (CSP)," the company said. In parallel, the group is replacing 33 million first generation smart meters in Italy with second generation devices.
A Malaga (Spain), Enel, through its subsidiary Endesa, has a laboratory where technologies are tested that will be part of the daily life of the circular cities of the future. In 2009, the Smartcity Málaga project was launched which supports research, development and an innovative ecosystem where all smart technologies work together in a real environment, with more than 20.000 end users. Innovative solutions have been implemented for advanced monitoring and operational flexibility of the networks, which have led to an improvement in their ability to integrate energy flows from renewables, as well as the use of artificial intelligence and big data. The project, carried out in collaboration with local authorities and other partners, is currently evolving into the #eCity Málaga (Smartcity Málaga Living Lab), envisaging a more complete circular approach with the aim of making Malaga one of the most sustainable cities in the world. world.
Across the ocean, a St. Paul (Brazil), Enel has launched Urban Futurability®, a 25 million euro project that involves the construction of a virtual replica of the electricity grid called Network Digital Twin®, which uses the complete digitization of the grid and surrounding areas together with real-time and predictive maintenance to mitigate the risks of extreme weather phenomena, fires and floods, as well as allowing the measurement and mitigation of CO emissions2 and noise pollution.
Through its subsidiary Enel X, the group participates in seven electric public transport projects in four countries on two continents, for a total of 991 electric buses supplied or managed Santiago (Chile), Bogota (Colombia), Montevideo (Uruguay) e Barcelona (Spain).
