Future projects

Role models for future projects CONCERTO as a path finder..

Role models for future projects CONCERTO as a path finder for a better future

The CONCERTO initiative started with ambitious goals – and it has been successful. CONCERTO`s objectives regarding buildings have generally been met and have even been exceeded in some cases. Almost every CONCERTO community clearly reduced the energy demand of buildings and their CO2 emissions. The set target of reducing the energy demand of new buildings by 30 % compared to the reference building, according to national regulation, has been achieved in the CONCERTO communities with few exceptions.

windfarms

The installed capacity of renewable energies has also been considerably increased by most CONCERTO communities. Many innovative technologies already exist and are ready to be applied. An important aspect is that these technologies formed part of an integrated technological approach, including a smart combination of measures, and were no longer just single, individual technologies.

The project partners had to learn to deal with new technologies that had not been available in some countries beforehand. Measures and strategies had to be adapted to local conditions – not just on a technical level, but also taking climate and cultural differences or local political aspects into account. The CONCERTO initiative proves that if given the right planning and if all necessary stakeholders are included from the beginning until the end of the project, cities and communities can be transformed into sustainable energy pioneers. Most CONCERTO projects have already inspired follow-on projects and many policy developments at local and sometimes even at national scale. These projects have thus laid an important foundation on which Smart Cities projects can now build.