News | City-zen

A Tale of Two Cities : interactive pdf now available

December 1, 2019

At the request of many visitors, you can now download the booklet distributed at the City-zen Closing Event: A Tale of Two Cities (interactive pdf) The interactive PDF allows you to navigate to the section of your interest with a simple mouse click. Feel free to download and share! French version (this version has been […]

City-zen Closing Event: Knowledge To Build A Future

November 30, 2019

On 14 and 15 November 2019, the City-zen Closing Event took place in Brussels. The two-day event marked the end of the City-zen program. It was a showcase of accumulated knowledge of five years of City-zen projects. The sessions at the event were aimed at integration of results, sharing of learnings and identifying barriers for […]

On the importance of Urban Leadership: Keynote by Joan Fitzgerald

November 29, 2019

To jumpstart the second day of the City-zen Closing Event, Professor Joan Fitzgerald of Northeastern University delivered a keynote on Urban Leaderhip. In her presentation she drew from her forthcoming book, Greenovation: Urban Leadership on Climate Change (Oxford University Press) in which she argues that cities need to act more urgently in reducing greenhouse gas […]

City-zen Closing Event – Gallery

November 28, 2019

City-zen Closing Event – Presentations & Sketch Notes

Please find the presentations of the City-zen Closing Event below. The presentations, in PDF format, are displayed by in chronological order and by topic where needed. At the bottom of the page you can see selected sketch notes that were made during the event. They might help trigger your memory or provide insights you might […]

Onward! To the best of times!

Q&A on the integration of City-zen results in Grenoble and Amsterdam In an intimate setting, the Deputy Mayor of Grenoble, the Director of the Amsterdam Economic Board and the two local City-zen Project Leads discussed how this program has influenced their cities as well as their ways of working. Moderator Froukje Jansen dug deep as […]

Academia meets reality: City-zen Roadshow visits Amersfoort

November 25, 2019

In October 2019, the City-zen Roadshow visited Amersfoort. Invited by one of the city’s sustainable front-runners, Jo Pieters, the team really looked forward to working with stakeholders in this city known for its sustainability ambitions. The municipality of Amersfoort aims to be without waste and completely CO2-neutral in the next ten years and certainly has […]

Now available: detailed program of City-zen Closing Event (Brussels, 14-15 November)

November 4, 2019

The program to City-zen’s Closing Event (taking place in Brussels on the 14th and 15th of November, 2019) is now available. Please join us for “A Tale of Two Cities: How Amsterdam and Grenoble combined forces on their way to carbon neutrality”! The first day of the event is all about looking back and finding […]

A self-consumption rate of 86% for the unique photovoltaic installation of ALEC

October 29, 2019

For the last ten years, France has encouraged the creation of small to medium sized PV systems with feed-in tariffs, where all the PV production is injected to the grid and sold to an electricity supplier. But today, people are more and more eager to consume what is locally produced, and this trend has finally […]

metrosoleil.lametro.fr: the online tool that calculates the solar potential of your roof

October 24, 2019

Grenoble-Alpes Métropole aims to increase production of photovoltaic electricity by a factor of 6 on its territory by 2030. In order to convince individuals of the interest of equipping themselves, helping them to take the step, the Metropolis has just launch an online simulation tool, easy, neutral and free of charge: Metrosoleil. This one calculates […]

Register now for City-zen Closing Event, Brussels 14-15 November 2019!

October 7, 2019

City-zen’s Closing Event will take place in the heart of Brussels on the 14th and 15th of November, 2019. This event marks the end of the City-zen program and will discuss the learnings of no less than 20 projects aimed at CO2 reduction that have taken place in Amsterdam and Grenoble in the past 5 […]

Efficient renovations to save energy in our social dwellings

August 21, 2019

March 2019 – 280 social housing units in Grenoble have been renovated thanks to the European project City-zen, financed by the European Commission and managed by the Mission Ville de Demain of the City of Grenoble. These renovations were carried out in the Mistral, Saint-Bruno and Teisseire-Malherbes districts, in partnership with local social housing authorities […]

[WORKSHOP] Smart Energy Solutions: what’s keeping cities from implementing?

May 28, 2019

What’s keeping cities from implementing Smart Energy Solutions? Be a part of our replication workshops in Brussels to find out! Register today! Why should I join? Learn about the barriers city municipalities encounter in city development and that are stopping them from implementing innovative technologies! When? 20th June 2019 as side-events to the EU Sustainable Energy Week. From 9AM until […]

City-zen Days Amsterdam: Inspiration, Lessons Learned & Networking

May 16, 2019

From 1-3 April 2019, City-zen Days took place in Amsterdam. This three-day event provided heaps of inspiration and learning to over 100 participants. A wonderful mixture of City-zen consortium partners, sustainable entrepreneurs, civil servants and the general public spent three days on multiple locations throughout the city, taking in theoretical information as well as practical […]

Go2Zero simulation leads to valuable insights during City-zen Roadshow Nicosia

May 14, 2019

Communication and cooperation; those are the two main ingredients for acceleration of the energy transition. This valuable insight was gained during the Go2Zero simulation that took place as part of the City-zen Roadshow in Nicosia, Cyprus. The role playing game, led by consortium partners DNV GL, was hosted by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in […]

Smart Energy Solutions: what’s keeping cities from implementing?

May 13, 2019

Smart city investments have received a lot of attention and funding in the recent past. Most of these initiatives have included attention to replicating to other cities in Europe. However, all these efforts have not led to tangible replication and the enthusiasm about the planned investments often drops shortly after a program’s end. This is […]

City-zen subsidient evidence: sustainable living on the water is possible

May 2, 2019

Wouter Wolfswinkel used City-zen subsidy to turn a 1906 cargo ship into an energy-producing houseboat. This way, he and his family manage to live in a detached house, smack in Amsterdam’s city center – and in a sustainable fashion nonetheless. In an insightful and entertaining (!) story he discloses the ins and outs of sustainable […]

City-Zen Virtual Power Plant Deelnemersavond

On Wednesday April 10, 2019, Sloten’s Mill staged the third and final participants’ meeting of City-zen’s Virtual Power Plant program. Attendance was high, in spite of the local football club’s Champions League match that same evening. The night focused on sharing the project’s results and its conclusion. Project review The project received quite a lot […]

City-zen Days Amsterdam – Gallery

April 30, 2019

City-zen Days Amsterdam – Speakers presentations

Productive Cities – How do we minimize input and maximize output in urban areas Speaker: Professor Greg Keeffe, University of Belfast Download Vulnerable Citizens & policies Speakers: Frits Otte, Utrecht University Download Roadmaps & Roadshows Speaker: Prof. Andy van den Dobbelsteen, TU Delft Additional material (i.e. ‘Energy Slaves’): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcfbp6pqtkw Download Energy efficiency in refurbished […]

City-zen Roadshow: Nicosia, here we come

April 25, 2019

The City-zen Roadshow is on its way to Nicosia, Cyprus. The team is looking forward to vivid discussions as we ask citizens, local companies, students and government officials to participate in sessions geared towards a shared vision of a carbon neutral and zero energy sustainable city vision. Experts from the University of Central Lancashire, TU […]

Retrofitting: A Living Lab That Delivers Surprising Insights

One of City-zen’s demonstration projects is ‘Retrofitting Amsterdam towards zero energy building’. Private homeowners, owners associations and housing corporations in Amsterdam applied the City-zen subsidy towards increased energy efficiency. In this report you can see how 14 (out of 66) remarkable projects have come into fruition, battling a variety of challenges along the way. Residents’ […]

Smart Energy Solutions: What Is Keeping Cities From Implementing?

April 15, 2019

Please save-the-date! Join us for replication workshops in the morning of 20 June 2019 as side-events to the EU Sustainable Energy Week!

City-zen Days Amsterdam: first impressions

The three-day conference on how to reduce CO2-emissions in metropolitan areas spurred discussions, enriched minds with lessons learned and offered excellent networking opportunities. We were honoured by the presence of Amsterdam’s Deputy Mayor Marieke van Doorninck, responsible for Spatial Development and Sustainability. Keep your eyes on this site for detailed reports on riveting presentations and […]

Renovation of condominiums: example of support of the” why not “

January 31, 2019

Starting the thermal renovation of a condominium requires the condominium owners to agree collectively: the work is expensive and collective decision-making is not simple! As part of City-zen, the Local Energy and Climate Agency of the Grenoble metropolitan area – ALEC, wanted to experiment with a new intervention format to help those who hesitate to […]

City-zen Fuck-up Night, geleerde lessen #3: Aan ons enthousiasme zal het niet liggen

December 24, 2018

– aan onze naïviteit wel Waternet houdt zich bezig met alles wat met water te maken heeft in Amsterdam. Afgelopen jaren komt steeds meer de nadruk op duurzaamheid te liggen en welke rol water daarin kan spelen. “Wij startten eigenlijk 5 jaar geleden al met duurzame initiatieven” zegt strategisch adviseur Otto Reinstra. Voor twee veelbelovende […]

City-zen’s All-Electric Track: increasing knowledge and building a network across social housing corporations in Amsterdam

December 19, 2018

For more results, click here or check our final interactive booklet ! In the Netherlands, natural gas in the building environment will be phased out by 2050. Stakeholders, including the social housing corporations, are faced with an enormous challenge: the conversion from a central-organized natural gas-based energy system to an energy system in which dwellings […]

Gemeente Amsterdam steunt tientallen lokale energiecommissarissen

December 17, 2018

Terwijl in Katowice de internationale klimaattop afloopt, zijn in Amsterdam tientallen lokale energiecommissarissen benoemd. Zij zijn het aanspreekpunt voor en aanjager van duurzame energieprojecten in hun wijk. Velen hebben hun sporen de afgelopen jaren al verdiend als koploper schone energie. De commissarissen zijn benoemd door Nationaal Energiecommissaris Ruud Koornstra in samenwerking met het Amsterdamse Platform […]

City-zen Fuck-up Night, geleerde lessen #2: Innoveren – binnen de gevestigde orde

December 13, 2018

Strategisch adviseur Peter Simões kreeg de afgelopen jaren te maken met veel wisselingen in het management en de daarbij horende wijziging in de strategische organisatie. “Was in het begin van dit project de focus gericht op activiteiten buiten de organisatie en het vergroten van de zichtbaarheid, verplaatste de focus naar optimalisatie van de bedrijfsvoering en […]

Amsterdam wil fors inzetten op aquathermie om de stad aardgasvrij te maken met City-zen partner Waternet

December 10, 2018

Amsterdam wil aquathermie inzetten om de transitie naar aardgasvrije wijken te realiseren. De gemeente en Waterschap Amstel, Gooi en Vecht verkennen de mogelijkheid om met het gezamenlijke watercyclusbedrijf Waternet warmte en koude te onttrekken aan oppervlaktewater, afvalwater en drinkwater. In een brief aan minister Eric Wiebes van Economische Zaken en Klimaat vragen wethouder Sharon Dijksma […]

Second Dutch PLANHEAT Heating & Cooling transition round table with City-zen partners AEB and TU Delft

December 7, 2018

On 9 October 2018, PLANHEAT and fellow European project City-zen (FP7) jointly organized a HC transition session at the Sustainable Energy Systems Conference in Delft. The session started off with a joint presentation on the main issues in the Netherlands. (Text by Planheat, source: planheat.eu/archives/1308). Sixty years ago, the discovery of Europe’s largest gas field […]

City-zen Fuck-up Night, geleerde lessen #1: Klimaatneutraal worden begint bij de bewoners – maar ze gaven niet thuis

December 3, 2018

De Fuck-up Night in Antwerpen die op 22 november ’18 plaatsvond, was een avond waarin falen gevierd werd. In het verlengde daarvan lanceren we een serie van drie verhalen over de geleerde lessen bij het maken van fouten. Lees, huiver en doe er je voordeel me; fouten die je niet meer hoeft te maken 🙂 […]

City-zen Roadshow envisions a sustainable future for Preston

November 29, 2018

The roadshow is coming to town… and bringing good news for a sustainable future. What will life be like in your city the coming decades? After Amsterdam, Belfast, Izmir, Dubrovnik, Menorca and Roeselare, … UK Preston citizens were invited in the week of November 12 in the frame of the EU funded City-zen project to […]

Smart City Expo 2018: the experiences by Amsterdam Smart City

November 19, 2018

The Amsterdam Smart City is back in the Netherlands after an intense and inspiring week at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. Amsterdam was one of the six Dutch cities that showed their projects at the Dutch Pavilion. Besides Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Den Bosch, Den Haag and Utrecht prepared a smart city track. […]

[PUBLICATION – EU PVSEC18] Spatial representation of low-voltage network hosting capacity for photovoltaic roof-top installations using an open-source tool

November 13, 2018

On the occasion of the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC), Hespul has published a study on « Spatial representation of low-voltage network hosting capacity for photovoltaic roof-top installations using an open-source tool ». For this work, two areas of investigation have been chosen in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region (France) including  Grenoble-Alpes Metropole within the […]

Fuckup Night – Let’s talk about failure! – 22 November – Antwerpen

November 6, 2018

The Smart City project City-zen tests various technological innovations within the urban context of Amsterdam and Grenoble. These innovations at district level as well as at building level contribute to the 20-20-20 objectives of both cities. Super! But… went well! But…did everything go smoothly? You don’t learn much from success stories. Therefore, on 22 November […]

[STUDY] Understand the decision-making process that leads co-owners to engage in renovation work

October 31, 2018

Since 2016, the GAEL laboratory, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Area, has been conducting an action-research project to understand the determinants of decision-making by co-owners registered in the Mur | Mur (campaign for the insulation and thermal renovation of buildings) scheme run by the Metropolitan Area. This study analyses the economic, financial and sociological aspects […]

The Smart City World Expo | Barcelona | 13-15 November

October 24, 2018

The Smart City World Expo in Barcelona on 13-15 November is approaching very soon ! Although the Expo starts on Tuesday 13 November, as City-zen, we’re involved in a workshop on the International Business Day organized by the Dutch delegation on Monday 12 November. We will also feature with a presentation in the Holland Pavilion […]

Got big ideas to improve Preston? The City-zen Roadshow wants to hear them

International experts will help bring your ideas to life. People are being invited to share their ideas on how they’d like to change or improve Preston to make it a more sustainable and even better city to live and work in. The City-zen Roadshow is coming to Preston for five days from 12 to 16 […]

Sharing experiences: citizens are at the heart of Vehicle-to-grid and Virtual Power Plant demonstrations

October 23, 2018

Without citizens no Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and Virtual Power Plant (VPP) demonstrations. They play a critical role in the energy transition as their involvement is essential to have impact. In the last couple of months meetings were organised with citizens participating in Vehicle-to-grid and Virtual Power Plant to discuss progress and share learnings. Virtual Power Plant […]

City-zen’s Vehicle-to-grid laadpaal voorziet Amsterdam Nieuw-West via elektrische deelauto van groene stroom

October 15, 2018

Voor het eerst in Nederland heeft een elektrische deelauto stroom terug geleverd aan het publieke elektriciteitsnet. Een Nissan LEAF van Buurauto leverde tijdens een test in Amsterdam elektriciteit aan woningen in Nieuw-West via een Vehicle-to-Grid-laadpaal. Vehicle to Grid (V2G) is onderdeel van de Amsterdam Smart City ‘City-Zen programma’ en initiatiefnemers zijn NewMotion, Nissan, Buurauto en […]

SAVE THE DATE – City-zen days from 1 to 3 April 2019 – Amsterdam

October 12, 2018

Amsterdam invites you to experience the heart of its energy transition from 1-3 April 2019. We are very happy to announce the dates for the City-zen Days in Amsterdam on 1-3 April 2019! More information to follow; please put these dates in your agenda. We will be starting to build the programme soon. If […]

Vehicle-to-grid bewonersbijeenkomst

October 11, 2018

[for English, read below] Op 25 september vond een event plaats om samen met buurtbewoners van Amsterdam Nieuw-West in gesprek te gaan over een innovatie die bij hun in de buurt plaatsvindt: de Vehicle-to-Grid laadtechnologie. Centraal stond het delen van het innovatieve karakter van dit project, de bewustwording dat de wijk meer duurzaam opgewekte energie […]

Energy Storage NL publiceert energieopslagkaart van Nederland

September 10, 2018

Energy Storage NL heeft een interactieve energieopslagkaart gepubliceerd. Uit deze kaart blijkt dat er al tientallen energieopslagprojecten in Nederland actief of in ontwikkeling zijn. Het City-zen project Virtual Power Plant is een van de projecten in Amsterdam. ‘De kaart is en dynamische database, gebaseerd op informatie van onze deelnemers’, zegt Stefan Olsthoorn, projectmanager bij Energy […]

City-zen partners Waternet, Sanquin and TU Delft awarded with a bronze medal at IWA Project Innovation Award 2018

August 23, 2018

Waternet, Sanquin and TU Delft are awarded with a bronze medal at the the IWA “Project Innovation Award 2018”! With the project: Bloodbank’s pharmaceutical processes cooled with cold from drink water infrastructure. The ceremony took place at Monday 17th of September at the 2018 Project Innovation Awards, the first night of the IWA World Water […]

First PLANHEAT transition round table in the Netherlands with City-zen partner TU Delft

August 10, 2018

On 26 June 2018, PLANHEAT, City-zen (FP7 project) as well as MSG and EBN organised a heating & cooling transition round table at the VNG annual conference (the Dutch Association of Municipalities) in Maastricht, which was attended by around 40 mayors and aldermen from every region in the Netherlands. (Text by Planheat, source: planheat.eu/archives/1308). The heating and cooling […]

Vehicle-to-grid shares lessons learned at the European Union Sustainable Energy Week

August 1, 2018

From 5-7 June 2018, the SCIS consortium was represented at this year’s European Union Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW). More than 2.500 participants attended the Networking Village and over 60 sessions at the Policy Conference organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy and the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME). The focus of […]

City-zen Virtual Power Plant Bewonersbijeenkomst

July 16, 2018

[For English, read below] Op 29 juni, een zomerse avond voor het weekend, kwamen deelnemers en het projectteam bijeen om de resultaten rondom City-zen project Virtual Power Plant (VPP) te bespreken. Een Virtual Powerplant – virtuele energiecentrale – is een online platform dat de productie en het verbruik van zonne-energie van mensen verzamelt (door het […]

Rehabilitation of the Mistral Towers in Grenoble: urban and social renovation

July 3, 2018

Interview with Gilles Billion, head of the “rehabilitation service”, who discusses the urban renewal of this neighbourhood in difficulty. “Actis has been a social lessor involved in the energy transition for nearly 10 years*. We have rehabilitated or are rehabilitating more than 1,000 homes at BBC level, resulting in a significant reduction in charges for […]

PV system with storage : an innovative and experimental device in Grenoble

June 26, 2018

On May 17, a photovoltaic power plant in self consumption was inaugurated on the roofs of the Grenoble’s local energy and climate agency (ALEC). A look back at this innovation with Jérôme Buffière, project manager at the agency. A few words about the project ? “This type of installation is both a technical demonstrator and […]

Ambitious energy retrofit project Airey Buildings in Amsterdam Nieuw-West nominated for Dutch ‘NRP Gulden Feniks’ award

June 21, 2018

The ‘NRP Gulden Feniks’ award is a prize for promoting and inspiring sustainable use of the existing environment. The Airey buildings in Amsterdam Nieuw-West are nominated for the category Renovation. On Wednesday the 27th of June the organisation will announce who wins the award. Read more about the organisation and the award [in Dutch] nrpguldenfeniks.nl/nieuws/nieuwsoverzicht/zeven-nominaties-voor-nrp-gulden-feniks-2018/ […]

[CITY-ZEN RESEARCH] Connect innovative companies and start-ups

June 20, 2018

Ideas and opportunities arise where people and organisations of all sorts meet. City-zen’ believe is that supporting triple helix collaboration (authorities, knowledge institutions and companies) is a prerequisite for urban innovation and focusing on demonstration of innovations and less on technical research alone. For smaller companies, this setting is great to show and demonstrate their […]

Let SCIS help you to overcome obstacles and to become a smart city yourself!

Have you heard of SCIS, the Smart Cities Information System? The SCIS website www.smartcities-infosystem.eu brings together projects in the fields of energy, mobility & transport and ICT to stimulate the creation and upscaling of smart cities in Europe, thus providing a higher quality of life for its citizens in a clean and climate friendly urban […]

Implementation of a sustainable cooling system succeeded through social factors

Dutch water company and Blood Bank combining forces in a new, sustainable and profitable source for cooling. [An article written by Pien Esmeijer, BSc Science, Business and Innovation student at the VU University in Amsterdam, on the occasion of her graduate internship and thesis] As world-wide proclaimed, energy gained from fossil materials is not inexhaustible, […]

Homeowner shares his lessons learned in energy efficient home renovation: “take into account the risks”

June 18, 2018

We need examples and experiences in sustainable home renovation for making the transition from gas to heat more common. Part of City-zen is the renovation subsidies for homeowners. Homeowners (private individuals, owners associations, housing corporations and investors) in Amsterdam made use of the European City-zen subsidy to make their homes very energy-efficient. The most important […]

[EVENT REVIEW] International Building Performance Simulation Association Conference (IBPSA) May 2018 – France

May 31, 2018

On the occasion of the IBPSA conference that took place on May 15 – 16, G2Elab presented an “Electrical flexibility analysis of heat pumps in a new residential neighborhood”. This study* was realised in collaboration with GEG, University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS and Grenoble INP. Abstract – As Grenoble electrical DSO (Distribution System Operator), GEG whishes […]

Vehicle-2-Grid in SCIS Podcast [listen to the podcast]

May 23, 2018

SCIS Podcast Episode 1: Bidirectional Chargers [listen to this podcast 23:19] City-zen project Vehicle-2-Grid has been featured in the first episode of the SCIS podcast “Urban Reverb”. “If we want to make this a proper product to be placed in the grid, then the price of the charger needs to go down a lot.” Quote […]

Alliander attended a roundtable discussion with NRW-minister of Economic Affairs at German-Dutch Chamber of Commerce (article in Dutch)

May 3, 2018

City-zen – energietransitie en -opslagmedia – projecten Virtual Power Plant en Vehicle 2 Grid waren onderdeel van gesprek tijdens het bezoek van de minister van Economische Zaken van Noordrijn-Westfalen Pinkwart aan de Duits-Nederlandse Handelskamer (DNHK) in Den Haag. Minister Pinkwart, Economische Zaken van Noordrijn-Westfalen, bezocht op 20 april de Duits-Nederlandse Handelskamer (DNHK) in Den Haag. […]

City-zen roadshow landed in Roeselare

May 2, 2018

Within our FP7 Smart Cities City-zen project, I, Sarah Bogaert (Project Manager Energy District Design at Vito), consider the Roadshow to be a superb case of implementing the principle “Think Global, Act Local”. After roadshows in Belfast, Izmir, Dubrovnik, Menorca and Sevilla, this week the roadies have landed in my own beloved country, in Roeselare […]

City-zen colleague Andy van den Dobbelsteen receives Royal Distinction

April 30, 2018

Andy van den Dobbelsteen (Professor of Climate Design & Sustainability at TU Delft) was suprised with a Royal Distinction during the annual Royal Distinction Day or ‘Lintjesregen’. He received the distinction ‘Ridder in de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw’ at the Delft town hall from Delft mayor Marja van Bijsterveldt. Andy has been dedicated to […]

City-zen demonstration projects’ crucial role in pushing new regulatory frameworks

April 9, 2018

A research on legal and financial barriers faced in innovative energy projects For more results, click here or check our final interactive booklet ! To realize a clean-energy system, the city’s energy infrastructure and buildings are redesigned and new energy services are developed. These changes naturally meet economic and regulatory friction: laws and regulations are still […]

The Energy Transition Roadmap to Paris

April 5, 2018

Both City-zen cities Amsterdam and Grenoble working on their Energy Transition Roadmap. We may call it a coincidence: both approximately 500 km away from the real Paris. The roadmap is for these cities the route to the Paris Agreement. After years of in-depth research, the time has come to start the movement in real time. […]

Roadmaps and crystal balls at City-zen

March 27, 2018

How can we guarantee that our cities will be future fit? The answer is that we can’t. Even trying to determine something as basic to daily life as the price of fuel beyond 2030, in the words of Hélène Poimboeuf, Grenoble’s Energy Transition Director, “is like looking into a crystal ball”. The cities of Amsterdam […]

Dutch Vehicle to Grid pilot: charge and deliver – World premiere in Amsterdam

February 28, 2018

Amsterdam is the first city in the world that installed public charge points that can charge electric vehicles and deliver electricity back to the grid by using Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology. Vehicle to Grid is part of a collaboration between grid company Alliander, technology company Enervalis, NewMotion and innovation platform Amsterdam Smart City ‘City-Zen […]

Let’s check: is the energy use of our renovated buildings really improving?

February 21, 2018

Insulation, solar panels, HR glazing and new installations. All over Europe the existing building stock gets updated to become NZEB, a (Nearly) Zero Energy Building. We’d like to know if these renovations live up to their expectations and which investments are the smartest. Therefore we monitor the energy performance of all buildings within the framework […]

City-zen Virtual Power Plant wins the Green Digital Charter Award 2017

January 25, 2018

The Amsterdam Virtual Power Plant, in which some 50 households jointly trade the energy from their home batteries, was awarded the Green Digital Charter Award 2017 by Eurocities during the ‘Imagine the Urban Future: Innovation Collaboration and Trust’ conference in Brussels on 23 January. Since the summer of 2017, the solar energy that is not […]

What are your experiences with energy-saving measures? Have you taken energy-saving measures at home or not?

December 12, 2017

Let us learn from you so that we can reduce the energy consumption in Europe even further. More and more people are deciding to renovate their house in a sustainable manner: for example with insulation, double glazing or by installing solar panels. You might be one of them. But it is also possible that you […]

Grenoble’s energy master plan : less waste, more renewable

The real way to move forward in the energy transition is to consume less energy to heat, move, manufacture … The need is also to gradually replace fossil fuels such as gas, gasoline and fuel oil by renewable energies! To achieve this, the Grenoble metropolitan area has a demanding roadmap by 2030 : reduce all […]

Grenoble School energy challenge : ALEC and GEG, an ongoing partnership for 2017-2018

November 28, 2017

Every year ALEC (climate and energy agency) leads and organizes the school energy challenge, a program of Grenoble-Alpes-Métropole. The aim is to make children aware of global warming, energy savings and air pollution. Understanding these issues may seem abstract to 10-year-olds. That’s why the agency partnered with GEG to monitor some of the participating schools […]

This is what motivated Koos, Frank and Jan to renovate their Amsterdam homes in a highly energy efficient way.

About 5 years ago, ventilating the desire to eat less meat would have been frowned upon. Going vegan would have meant social suicide. Not today. Living a more sustainable lifestyle is on the rise. The number of people that separate waste or buy organic is growing. But when it comes to bigger investments, such as […]

Grenoble, “city of tomorrow”: a place for participative challenges

“Grenoble Ville de demain” (city of tomorrow), is a platform that wants to bring together all the talents of the city to make the energy transition a reality. Transition has different characters : economic, social, urban, energy, digital,… and everybody can take part in the solutions from citizens to the decision makers to the scientist […]

Smart Stories that make Amsterdam Smart City possible !

November 27, 2017

Amsterdam Smart City collected 20 ways of looking at a bright future for the city in an online magazine. Check out some of the highlights of the past two years, including City-zen projects In cold blood, introducing the innovative solution of Cooling with Drinking water and Living of the grid, a user story about the […]

AEB and Port of Amsterdam supply sustainable ship-to-shore power to vessels in Amsterdam

November 14, 2017

AEB Amsterdam, Port of Amsterdam, Senfal and Energy eXchange Enablers will jointly supply ship-to-shore power to river cruise and inland navigation vessels. The pilot project is intended to promote the use of sustainable, locally generated power in the port and to reduce costs. The participation of AEB Amsterdam is an important step for the ship-to-shore […]

Lecture urban transition by prof. van Timmeren en Dr. Martin now online available

September 26, 2017

Watch the lecture prof. Arjan van Timmeren (AMS institute) and Dr. Craig Martin (TU Delft) gave on September 11th (2017) at the Delft University of Technology about urban transitions. On 11 September, prof. Arjan van Timmeren (Environmental Technology & Design) talked about cities, knowledge institutions, citizens and industries working together on advanced metropolitan solutions. Examples e.g. […]

The secret to citizen engagement. Lessons from a Manchester success story.

September 25, 2017

Does your project’s success depend on the involvement of citizens? But are you struggling to interest or motivate them for subjects you are passionate about, such as clean energy, smart cities or sustainability? Last March, when visiting Manchester, we had the pleasure of meeting Dave Coleman, co-founder and Managing Director of the Carbon Literacy Project (and member […]

Why carefully designed clean energy plans often end up in the trashcan

July 11, 2017

You thought you were doing a good job. Together with your team, you have been carefully designing a plan to connect one of the city’s districts to a specific clean energy solution that could bring down carbon emissions drastically. But all of a sudden the grid operator says no: making the necessary adjustments is too […]

Sneak preview of soon to be published key-barriers-to-energy-transition research

What does it take to realize clean energy in cities? What barriers do we need to remove to make it happen? Last year the Amsterdam Centre for Energy (University of Amsterdam), DNV GL and La Metro examined which economic and regulatory barriers the various City-zen projects experience when trying to achieve a fossil free city. […]

A look back at #EUSEW17: inspiring speakers, compelling conversations and smart city storytelling

July 4, 2017

by Yana Pargova, Project Manager, GOPA Com – 03 July 2017 Original article Another great edition of EU Sustainable Week is behind us! The event offered three dynamic days filled with interesting discussions, inspiring speakers and conversations that you wished would never end. We, the Smart Cities Information System’s (SCIS) team, had more excitement than […]

Innovative home battery project in Amsterdam in the spotlight

June 27, 2017

On Friday 23rd of June, City-zen’s innovative home battery project (virtual power plant) in the Amsterdam Nieuw-West district enjoyed the spotlight when not only Amsterdam Alderperson Abdeluheb Choho visited John van der Putten, one of the participants, but also various Dutch media paid attention to it. Citizen partners Alliander, Exe and Greenspread are working together […]

Enery saving in progress! City-zen @ seminar Smart Buildings in a Smart City Prague.

June 6, 2017

“Save water: share your shower” / “This designer bag is yours to use during your stay (and much cooler than disposable plastic bags)” These were just some of the nudges in my room at the Mosaic House in Prague, a former office building that has been turned into a BREEAM excellent hotel, where I was invited […]

Menorca : beautiful island today, sustainable island tomorrow

June 1, 2017

By Igor Taranic, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), with contribution from Dr. Craig Lee Martin, TU Delft 30 May 2017 Original article In the last week of April I had the pleasure to participate in the CITY-ZEN Roadshow in Menorca, one of the Spanish Balearic islands. The event named “Menorca – a sustainable island […]

WEBINAR: On dealing with non-technical challenges such as social acceptance in smart city projects

City-zen’s Craig Lee Martin (Technical University of Delft) was one of the expert speakers on a webinar hosted by the SCIS (EU Smart Cities Information) platform on May 17th. The webinar showcased examples of main financial and economic barriers encountered by smart cities projects; regulatory and administrative barriers, and measures needed to promote social acceptance […]

[SÉMINAIRE] Donnée énergies / Self data – Mercredi 14 juin à Grenoble

May 31, 2017

Comment accompagner une gestion collaborative des données accessibles, partagées et sécurisées ? Vincent Fristot – adjoint à la transition énergétique, Laurence Comparat – adjointe à l’Open Data et Christine Gochard – directrice générale de GEG vous invitent à venir échanger avec des spécialistes de la donnée et de sa protection. Séminaire dédié aux professionnels sur […]

City-zen project shows European cities the way

May 16, 2017

Running cities on clean energy may be technically feasible, but it is very tricky from an organisational and economic point of view. The EU project City-Zen is readying hearts and minds for the challenge. The Delft Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment is doing its bit in the form of trial projects, serious gaming […]

Renovation of co-owned apartment complexes: dream first, then decide

April 18, 2017

To refurbish apartment complexes, the majority of voting co-owners must be in favor of renovation activities. Collective decision-making is never easy. And if it involves money, well, it is even harder. To cater for that difficulty, the Local Energy and Climate Agency of Grenoble metropolitan area – ALEC, created a participatory workshop called “Refurbish my […]

School Energy Challenge: children on board to bring energy consumption down

April 12, 2017

“Teacher, that’s the day when we set up a multi-socket!” Giving individuals access to their energy usage, thanks to the VivaCité platform, is an ongoing initiative in Grenoble. As part of the 3rd edition of the successful “School Energy Challenge” lead by ALEC (local energy and climate agency) on the metropolitan area of Grenoble, one […]

Creative workshop: brainstorming on how to engage people in saving energy at home using the collaborative platform VivaCité

How to give residents better access to their energy consumption data? How should they interpret those, and above all, what will they do with it once they have better insight in their energy consumption? Engaging people in using the VivaCité tool, a collaborative platform for managing data for housing (electricity, heating, gas and water), is […]

Due to great success, a second edition of the Mur/Mur insulation campaign is launched : interview with its driving forces

April 10, 2017

In 2010, Grenoble-Alpes Métropole (La Métro: the metropolis authority) and its partners launched the Mur|Mur, insulation campaign to realise its objectives formulated in the “Air-Energy-Climate plan”: a massive reduction of energy consumption while improving housing quality. This plan gave technical and financial support to citizens that want to renovate their homes in a highly energy […]

In Grenoble’s Presqu’ile Ecodistrict, 800 dwellings will be heated and cooled with geothermal energy

Awarded by the government “Investments for the future”, Grenoble is making sustainable building a priority, in particular in the Presqu’ile area. For this purpose, the city relies on new technologies and innovations. City-zen takes part in this ambitious project. In addition to being a university and research campus, the Presqu’ile area will host many new […]

Different challenges, same goal: ambitious European cities strive for clean energy.

March 28, 2017

When it comes to the transition towards clean energy, cities are more ambitious than their national governments. To be able to move forward, cities are looking for support, room to experiment and new competences. That was the main message to the European Commission and Parliament at the political debate on the third and final […]

What we can learn from the world’s top 3 smart cities

City-zen was featured in an article by Startup Grind: You probably know there are more than 7 billion living humans on Earth, but have you noticed that between the years 1900 and 2000 the world’s population increase was three times greater than the entire previous history of humanity? Yes, this is an increase from 1.5 […]

National legislation is one of the barriers in the transition towards clean energy, says Annelies Huygen

February 27, 2017

“We are in a time of total disruption. We simply can’t know what energy supply will look like in twenty or thirty years from now.” Annelies Huygen – Sr. researcher at TNO and professor ‘Ordening van de Energiemarkt’ at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) – was interviewed on Dutch Business News Radio about what she […]

Is Europe ready for the smart buildings revolution ? BPIE report features innovative projects including City-zen

February 21, 2017

An analysis by the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) on the readiness of EU countries to transition to smart buildings concludes that no Member State is fully prepared to take advantage of the benefits that smart building technologies will entail. BPIE assesses aspects such as dynamic operability, energy-system responsiveness, renewable energy uptake as well as […]

City-zen’s Roadshow awarded by the city of Dubrovnik (Croatia) !

February 6, 2017

Following the City-zen Dubrovnik ‘Roadshow’ held in November 2016, Craig Martin, responsible for both the ‘Roadshow’ and precursor event ‘SWAT Studio’, has on the instruction of Andro Vlahušić (Mayor of Dubrovnik) been awarded The City of Dubrovnik & DURA (Dubrovnik Development Agency) ‘Contribution Award’. The award is in recognition of outstanding contribution to the sustainable […]

Menorcans filled with anticipation about visit ‘equipo’ City-zen

January 13, 2017

In May the City-zen roadshow, lead by Craig Lee Martin (TU Delft), will travel to Menorca (Spain). The Menorcans are filled with anticipation: the local newspaper already announced the planned visit: ‘Expertos de la UE visitan la isla para acelerar la descarbonizacion’

Rockstart Accelerator Smart Energy program: are you in?

January 9, 2017

Is your startup company using internet technology and game changing business models to accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable energy supply? Join Rockstart’s Smart Energy Accelerator program! Original article from Rockstart.com: Is your startup company using internet technology and game changing business models to accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable energy supply ? […]

“Context is king”: City-zen’s Craig Martin on how to achieve fossil fuel free cities

December 16, 2016

On the 8th of december smartcities-infosystem.eu (SCIS) published their interview with City-zen’s Craig Lee Martin (Delft University of Technology) on his roadshows for ‘on-site’ urban intensive workshops that collaborate with institutions and city stakeholders all over the world to propose vital and realizable sustainable City Visions: SCIS: At each stop of the Roadshow the City-zen team […]

Spotlight on Elise le Goff, project manager at CCIAG, Grenoble’s heating company

December 6, 2016

In general we tend to publish more on the technologies and processes of our City-zen innovations than about the people behind them. However those men and women are the ones we can often learn most from! What are their experiences and lessons learned? Therefore this time, we put the spotlight on Elise le Goff, project […]

What legal and financial challenges do we face in the transition towards clean energy in cities ?

A city operating entirely on clean energy. Sun, wind, biomass or geothermal heat… in theory it’s possible. But what about real life? How do we integrate new energy solutions in existing buildings, systems and, last but not least, the lives of people? What are the legal and financial barriers? Based on the 20 City-Zen demonstration […]

Cooling homes by using cold from a river: this is how it works

“In The Netherlands we know about pumping water. We’ve been doing it for hundreds of years. Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) also is common in The Netherlands. Both techniques aren’t new. Combining these two proven technologies is however what makes the comfort cooling plant in our Houthaven district innovative.” Jannis van Zanten, project leader heat […]

How to make a monumental post war building futureproof? Housing cooperation Eigen Haard took up the challenge successfully

How to make a monumental post war building futureproof ? Dutch housing cooperation Eigen Haard took up the challenge successfully: their model is now widely adopted by others. Between 1949 and 1965, 10.000 Nemavo-Airey dwellings were constructed in the Netherlands, half of them in Amsterdam. As the small apartments (40-60m2) and the poor insulation do […]

Sustainable energy : hot topic for houseboat owners in Amsterdam

December 5, 2016

It turns out many people living in houseboats on the Amsterdam canals and surrounding waters have an above average interest in sustainable living. A great number of them have turned their homes in super energy-efficient floating houses. High demand To inspire others living on the water in Amsterdam and share their knowledge and experience, City-zen […]

Serious role playing game GO2ZERO for energy decision makers ready to GO!

Amsterdam Smart City’s Annelies, Rick and Colette were invited to take part in the very first test session of the serious role playing game GO2ZERO, developed by City-zen’s partners Delft University of Technology and DNV-GL. Colette after playing the game: “It turns out being a local energy supplier isn’t easy! Playing the game gave me […]

Citizens say yes to home battery project in Amsterdam

It turns out that Amsterdam’s district Nieuw-West is home to many energy pioneers. Within a month, 37 people with PV panels have signed up for a pilot project with home batteries that lets them store (or sell at a favourable time) their surplus solar energy. 15 more have shown serious interest in participation. Outside Nieuw-West, […]

Beta version of award winning game Age of Energy live

“The last couple of months have been hard work, but the new artwork and numerous playability upgrades have definitely been worth it!” Gerben Kijne (Clicks +Links) The Age of Energy, the award winning game designed to make it fun to start saving energy at home, is now available for public beta testing in Android. Head […]

Sanquin and Waternet join efforts to reuse cold from drinking water infrastructure for cooling

November 24, 2016

Beginning of November an innovative City-zen project in Amsterdam Nieuw-West was officially kicked off : blood bank Sanquin and water company Waternet started constructing a connection to the main piping system of the drinking water infrastructure. This connection facilitates the use of cold from the drinking water infrastructure. A project that creates a win-win situation […]

Amsterdam 2050: A gas free city

November 22, 2016

Amsterdam will not use any natural gas anymore to heat its buildings in 2050. A bold strategy to achieve this ambitious goal has been announced by the municipality last week. The city will work together with housing corporations, the tenants association and gas grid and district heating operators on this mayor transition. Already next year, […]

City-zen/EU GUGLE : 2 projects for shared goals

October 27, 2016

Sustainable renovation models from smarter cities. That are the keywords of the EU GUGLE project and one of the objectives City-zen stands for. On two occasions, we had the opportunity to meet members of EU GUGLE and learn more about their strategies and activities to reach their goals : in Vienna and during the SCIS […]

City-zen field trip in Vienna

October 20, 2016

On 3-5 october 2016, we organised, with our partner Energy Cities, a field trip in Vienna to know more about the city strategy on retrofitting, citizens empowerment and district heating. Vienna, one of the most livable cities, draws its future in a smart city framework to carry on ensuring quality of life through innovation. These […]

Heat meets Power

August 30, 2016

June 9 2016, DNV GL and Warmtenetwerk organized a knowledge exchange seminar with support from City-zen on the hot topic of Heat meets Power. More and more it is recognized that (sustainable) electricity and heat infrastructures could be mutually interesting in stabilization of grids and in optimizing the business case for renewables. About 50 people […]

DNV GL visual analytics toolkit for Smart Green Cities – CLAIRE

Gain data-driven insight and a clear overview to make informed decisions in the complex Smart Green Cities landscape of technical, social and economic transitions. By 2050, some 70% of the world will be living in cities, irrevocably changing the relationships between cities and their surroundings. This explosive urban growth will have a huge impact, including […]

EUSEW16 – Webinars on retrofitting and citizen engagement are online

July 4, 2016

Did you miss our webinars during the EUSEW ? Don’t worry, you can find them below. Retrofitting webinar Citizen engagement webinar For more webinars (finance, district heating and cooling, replication at scale)

Sanlih-E TV shows City-zen’s projects in Amsterdam to Asian audience

June 2, 2016

Especially for the Asian followers of City-zen, we would like to draw your attention to this broadcast of the Taiwanese Sanlih-E Television. They’ve filmed in Amsterdam in spring 2016 and visited AEB and Sanquin, showing their plants and the way City-zen helps them to reduce CO2 emissions.

What else is happening in City-zen cities ?

Both Amsterdam and Grenoble launched a new platform recently, gathering many smart and sustainable ideas, projects and people. Have a look at Amsterdam Smart City and Ville de Demain of Grenoble to see what’s else is happening in City-zen’s cities.

Grenoble’s local energy and climate agency

Established in 1998 on the initiative of local authorities, Grenoble’s local energy and climate agency (ALEC) advises both stakeholders and citizens from the metropolitan area. ALEC aims to change habits and mentalities in the field of housing, mobility, lifestyle and consumption. ALEC has become a major partner of local authorities for monitoring energy use and […]

City-zen : make things happen!

June 1, 2016

We all know that running innovation is not “a long calm river”. New challenges and impacts from external factors may disturb the original framework. And as we do with climate change, we need to adapt. City-zen can’t escape from this rule and an amendment is being submitted which includes smaller and larger changes compared to […]

City-zen crossed interviews – TU Delft and Queen’s University Belfast

May 31, 2016

TU Delft Craig Martin Queen’s University Belfast Greg Keeffe Why are you part of the project ? Craig Martin : My role is to coordinate the ‘Roadshow’, together with its student-focused precursor, the ‘SWAT Studio’. I define the Roadshow method by which the team approaches each hosting city. The aim is to actively engage […]

GEG/ATOS innovative projects – latest news

May 26, 2016

EcoCity GEG manages the “Smart Grid” part of the Grenoble EcoCity project with Atos Worldgrid . In the bargain, new jobs and new services to enable everyone ( residential customer , service, community) , to better manage their consumption , improve energy efficiency and monitor the effectiveness of actions implemented . Achievements Deployment of the […]

An interview with Marjolein Cazemier. Together with 9 other couples they transformed a former school building into family homes.

May 19, 2016

“We live in a hyper-modern and energy efficient house, but with the character and atmosphere of a nineteenth century school”. Marjolein and her husband, along with nine other couples, bought an old school building in Amsterdam, Oud-West. Together with their son they now live in a former classroom that has been converted into large house. […]

Clicks and Links game nominated for Big Chip Awards

May 3, 2016

The Age of Energy game has been shortlisted for the Big Chip Awards 2016 in the category “Best Public Sector Project”! The game allows youngsters to take up energy saving challenges. Big Chip is the UK’s longest running digital industry awards and the biggest outside London. It has an unrivalled reputation for judging consistency and […]

EeB PPP Project Review 2016 published

March 16, 2016

The EeB PPP Project Review 2016 lists the progress of 110 co-funded projects within the EeB PPP under the 7th Framework Programme (FP7) for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and 17 new co-funded projects under the Horizon 2020 programme for 2014. City-zen is one of them. This list gives a comprehensive insight in the focus […]

City-zen funding for retrofitting projects in Amsterdam – energy efficient home renovations

March 10, 2016

The European Commission provides funding through City-zen for energy efficient home renovations. Amsterdam Smart City is looking for inspiring and innovative projects in Amsterdam. Some residents have already taken this step, like Wigger Verschoor from Amsterdam North, who has almost completed his home energy efficient home renovation. Wigger Verschoor alongside his energy-efficient heating system. Photo […]

AMS Institute to lead smart cities sessions during economic mission to France (10 / 11 March)

March 7, 2016

Both French and Dutch cities are increasingly facing challenges of sustainability and quality of life and therefore need smart metropolitan solutions. Making the city ‘smart’ – or similarly ‘intelligent’ or ‘innovative’ – can help to tackle and mitigate these challenges. To share thoughts and experiences and to come to further cooperation, ‘smart cities’ is one […]

Ambitious residential retrofit projects for City-zen in Amsterdam.

February 8, 2016

Homeowners can apply again for European support. At the end of 2015, homeowners of ambitious residential energy retrofit projects in Amsterdam were able to apply for European support via City-zen. Amsterdam Smart City selected projects with in total 475 dwellings. Not only housing corporations and property investors, but also homeowners and co-owners applied. For the […]

“Grenoble, city of tomorrow” campaign: a new opportunity to support City-zen in Grenoble

February 4, 2016

Last Tuesday evening, 26th of January, a big event gathered almost 200 people in Grenoble Museum to push city council’s initiative “Grenoble, ville de demain/Grenoble, city of tomorrow”. Tools and projects to increase Grenoble’s potential of innovation are provided: City-zen is one of those! Platform of sharing and anticipation, “Grenoble, city of tomorrow” is like […]

Gerben Kijne, the designer of The Age of Energy on 2016 Forbes 30 under 30 list

February 2, 2016

Forbes 30 under 30 list is a list of 300 top of top young leaders, inventors and brash entrepreneurs. Gerben Kijne made it on the list with the game the Age of Energy, developed by partner Clicks and Links. “The design boss of Age of Energy, Kijne, gamifies power consumption in households using smartphones. The […]

City-zen roadshow in Belfast – Part II

January 28, 2016

City-by-City, the collaborative Roadshow methodology will be further developed. In order to address these city challenges effectively, the Roadshow makes use of two contextually dependent approaches. One designed by TU Delft, focusing on energy synergies, the other being a creative design project that responds to spatial & social questions. This is complemented by a trade […]

City-zen roadshow starts in Belfast

January 26, 2016

From the 18th till the 22th of January the first City-zen Roadshow was officially in Belfast! The roadshow consists of a 5-days event in which technologies will be demonstrated, futures are mapped, sustainable propositions are designed then evaluated. This will culminate on the final day with a presented city vision for Belfast. Travelling with the […]

City-zen exhibits at the Smart City Experience Lab in Amsterdam

December 10, 2015

The experience Lab is situated at the ‘Marineterrein’ in Amsterdam, where the European Presidency will take place in the first half of 2016. It’s an excellent opportunity to visit and learn more about the City-zen project and smart cities. The Smart City Experience Lab, recently opened its doors in order to provide an exciting experience […]

UPDATE: City-zen on the road!

November 20, 2015

We are about to head into a new year. For most people a time to reflect on the past year and what’s on the road for 2016. The City-zen project started about one and a half year ago and it is time to accelerate. The consortium partners and the advisory board visited Amsterdam late September […]

VivaCity, 1st collaborative energy data management programme – Latest developments

November 19, 2015

The programme VivaCity involves the developement of an experimental platform for collaborative energy data management, covering the perimeter of the Grenoble EcoCity. It is run by GEG in collaboration with Atos Worldgrid and utility operators in Grenoble (CCIAG). In 2015, the following developments have been realized : 29 dwellings were upgraded with smart meters, installed […]

Three lessons from City-zen in Amsterdam New West – Column by Mirko Van Vliet

The district Amsterdam New-West is a ‘small giant’ by itself with its own specific set of challenges and opportunities. Characterized by cultural diversity, contrasting neighborhoods and citizens with a drive to innovate. After one and a half year of project experience in the district, what lessons can City-zen share with cities across Europe? What challenges […]

Waternet delivers winter cold out of drinking water to Sanquin

Waternet recently launched their plans to cool blood bank Sanquin with cold from drinking water. This will be stored under the ground in winter and will be used for the blood banks cooling systems in summer. A very “cool” and sustainable initiative. In the winter, Waternet’s drinking water is extra cold, and now gets an […]

The first City-zen “Roadshow” travels to Belfast in January 2016!

The City-zen Roadshow will travel the length and breadth of Europe to define sustainable visions for cities, its neighborhoods and its citizens. In total 8 cities will be visited over the next 4 years, each roadshow consisting of a 5-day event in which technologies will be demonstrated, futures are mapped, sustainable propositions are designed then […]

Smart Cities Information System

November 10, 2015

Supported by the European Commission, the Smart Cities Information System (SCIS) is a continuation of the CONCERTO series of projects, started back in 2005. The SCIS also focuses on the energy dimension of ICT and transport that already includes city buildings, building clusters and city districts. It reflects the growing importance of innovation in urban […]

WANTED: suitable battery systems

November 9, 2015

Grid Operator Alliander and Energy Provider Greenspread are looking for a supplier of suitable battery systems for the project Energy Storage for Households / City-zen. Is this exactly the opportunity your company is looking for? Do not hesitate and check the demands at TenderNed. Submit before 31-12-2015 and maybe your product will be part of […]

Amsterdam Smart City launches a call to identify suitable retrofit projects for City-zen.

October 23, 2015

Owners of ambitious energy retrofit projects in Amsterdam can apply for European support via City-zen until November 30th, 2015. The available support of 2,6 million euro will be distributed to the most ambitious projects, with the largest reduction in CO2 emission reduction. Not only housing corporations and property investors can apply but also home-owners and […]

Developer City-zen Serious Game nominated for Young Innovator Award – Wien, Austria

October 19, 2015

Gerben Kijne (Clicks and Links) is nominee in the category “Young innovator award”. For the first time ever, European Utility Week will hold an Industry Awards ceremony for those who have shown outstanding commitment and accomplishments to a sustainable utility industry. The Young Innovator Award serves to scout out and recognise an individual who has […]

Amsterdam field visit great success

October 6, 2015

From September 20 till September 23, Amsterdam hosted the second City-zen field visit. In 3 days, representatives of the 22 partners together with the members of the Advisory Board visited the Waste to Energy Company (AEB Amsterdam) , the circular and sustainable city district Buikloterham and other inspiring locations to debate with, learn from and inspire each […]

Circular and sustainable Buiksloterham

October 1, 2015

The city district of Buiksloterham (Amsterdam) – right across the IJ river on the backside of Central Station – is aiming to be circular and sustainable.In this area a grassroot, hackable, organic area development is taking the place of traditional property development of this former brownfield area. This new form of development ask for new […]

Arjan van Timmeren appointed Scientific Director of AMS Institute.

September 3, 2015

AMS Institute is a new ambitious scientific institute located in Amsterdam. In this institute science, education, government, business partners and societal organizations are working tightly together to create solutions for the complex challenges a metropolitan region like Amsterdam is facing.

The Things Network wants to make every city smart

September 1, 2015

Amsterdam is set to become a ‘connected city,’ with the launch of a new Internet-of-Things wireless network that will allow objects to transmit data between each other – and The Next Web is helping to bring it to life. The Things Network is a first-of-its-kind system that uses low-power, low-bandwidthLoRaWAN technology to cover the city […]

“The Smart Citizen” about Amsterdam

July 21, 2015

While most cities are struggling to manage the triple helix of collaboration (government, vendor and academia) to improve their smart credentials, the city of Amsterdam has effortlessly strung the fourth strand in its helix: the say-so of community. The DNA of Amsterdam is in trade and its mayor Eberhard van der Laan is clear that […]

The Age Of Energy: the first game to turn energy saving into something fun.

June 30, 2015

The Age of Energy (previously known as SmartSim game) has launched a new website and from now on it’s possible to sign up for the newsletter and e early acces beta testing team. The Age of Energy works the same way as familiar freemium smartphone games. The only difference is that instead of asking you […]

First demo in Amsterdam ready : school benefits from Comfort Cooling with cold from the IJ river

May 22, 2015

Last September, the newly built elementary schools Het Meervoud and De Houthaven in the Houthaven district in Amsterdam opened its doors to their pupils and staff. As these buildings are connected to the Comfort Cooling network, this means the first part of the first demonstration in Amsterdam is ready! Just as the other parts of […]

Local news from Amsterdam – Spotlight Amsterdam Smart City

Spotlight Amsterdam Smart City – Hielke Ploeg Since studying at the University of Amsterdam, my bond with Amsterdam has grown ever stronger. I’ve become “smarter”. Having children – my own little Amsterdammers – has helped me to once again become more aware of how important it is to use our energy responsibly. Not only because […]

City-zen crossed interviews : Atos and Siemens

Siemens Nederland NV Louis Bekker ATOS Worldgrid Jean-Louis Deimerly Why are you part of the project ? Siemens is industrial partner in the project since innovative technologies are major levers for sustainable city development. Effective infrastructure contributes to economic prosperity and an improved quality of live. The complexity involved requires a holistic view, sustainable and smart […]

An update on the SmartSim Game – By Gerben Kijne

May 5, 2015

The last couple of months, the Alpha version of City-zens behaviour change game was tested in Amsterdam. Reactions were positive and we’ve received constructive feedback to take into account while developing the Beta version. Most importantly, players seemed to really enjoy the competition that ensued from the test session and some players broke all records […]

City-zen, a project in blossom

May 4, 2015

It’s late spring. The narcissus near the Sloterplas in Amsterdam have fainted away and the temperature in the valley of Grenoble is rising slowly but steadily. Some days it feels like summer already. It’s not only spring in nature, but also in our project. City-zen is gearing up to get to full blossom. The first […]

City-zen field trip in Grenoble

April 17, 2015

On the 8th and 9th of April 2015, Grenoble hosted the first field trip for City-zen and local partners. The puprose of this visit was to discover Grenoble ambitious projects and to participate in the debate on the challenges facing the city. Round tables and site visits marked this field trip, which offered a wealth […]

Brilliant ideas : 5 of the smartest cities in Europe

March 25, 2015

Read on for a list of three stellar cities (in no particular order) – what they’re doing how they’re doing it and why we want more like them around the world. 1. Barcelona, Spain Start with a city that hosts its own annual Smart City Expo. Add to that a robust and wide-reaching public Wi-Fi […]

VivaCity, 1st collaborative energy data management programme

February 3, 2015

The Grenoble territory, an ideal environment for innovation and energy transition, is promoting a ground-breaking collaborative energy management approach. Its originality lies in a trial of joined-up cooperation between local energy operators, in a joint building initiative between the city of Grenoble and Grenoble Alpes Métropole. This programme, called VivaCity, involves the development of an […]

Amsterdam outlines new sustainability measures

December 12, 2014

The Amsterdam College of Mayor and Alderpersons have outlined new plans to increase the pace of improving sustainability in the Dutch capital. As part of the new motion, the number of households using locally-generated sustainable electricity needs to have increased by at least 92,000 by 2020. Concrete plans have been drawn up for energy saving […]

Words from local coordinators

November 27, 2014

Amsterdam Smart City Annelies Van der Stoep, local coordinator Municipality of Grenoble Perrine Flouret, local coordinator Why are you part of the project ? “Amsterdam Smart City (ASC) is a unique partnership between companies, governments, knowledge institutions and the people of Amsterdam. In five years, ASC has grown into a platform with over 100 […]

Develop your smart city : City-zen game using real energy data

November 25, 2014

As part of the project, an applied game using real energy data is being developed by UK partner Clicks and Links. The game will be deployed in the city of Grenoble and in Amsterdam. The goal is to engage youth and citizens to save energy by raising awareness and changing behaviour. As gaming is fun […]

BNR broadcast of 19 november : smart grids

November 19, 2014

BNR, one of the leading Dutch news radio channels, had a program on smart grids on Wednesday 19th of November. In this program the focus was on a pilot with energy storage in batteries at home. In Amsterdam Nieuw-West, up to 10 people will have a battery at home to store their energy. This makes […]

TU Delft scores with world’s most sustainable terraced house

October 2, 2014

With their concept Prêt-à-Loger, Home with a Skin, the TU Delft student team won first prize in the Sustainability category at the Solar Decathlon 2014 in Versailles. The terraced house sets an example for improving the sustainability of existing buildings in Europe. The student team opted to improve the sustainability of a terraced house dating […]

City-zen is also on Twitter !

September 16, 2014

Follow us and stay up to date about the project and its milestones. One address : @CityzenEU