The municipality development on electric vehicles

Make Amsterdam an exemplary city in the use of energy, this is the purpose of the initiative Amsterdam Smart City launched, in the beginning of June, by the Manager of Dutch grid Alliander and AIM (Amsterdam Innovatie Motor), an association chaired by Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen, which supports innovation and entrepreneurship in the metropolitan area. Its aim is very ambitious, since, on the horizon of 2025, Amsterdam would achieve a reduction of 40 of its CO2 emissions compared to 1990. With regard to infrastructure and municipal equipment, the idea is to achieve "climate neutrality" by 2015. For the Mayor of Amsterdam, "If the city wants to grow, it must do so in a sustainable development perspective, to maintain its attractiveness." "And we want to show, he adds, that can be many things in a city average of international scope as Amsterdam."

"Smart" meters

Amsterdam Smart City initiative should thus raise over the next two years about 15 projects pilots destined to change places of life and work, means of transport and public space to a more rational energy consumption. If they give good results, these projects can then be replicated or generalized to the whole of the city.

Among the first wave of projects that has just been launched, "climate Street" is perhaps the most iconic (read below). Other initiatives focus on one aspect of the problem. This is the case of the Geuzenveld project, which is to equip, next September, 700 dwellings in the neighbourhood of "smart" meters Built in the 1950s, Geuzenveld has both social housing apartments rental or condominium buildings. The purpose is to allow its inhabitants to measure precisely their energy consumption and CO2 emissions, to encourage, by custom programs, to reduce by changing their habits. The ITO Tower project tackles, his tertiary real estate. The ITO tower houses in effect up to 38,000 m2 of offices occupied by different companies, all partners in the program. This is to install, starting in the fall, a comprehensive energy management system, based on sensors providing detailed, information to optimize the consumption of the building, without detriment to its comfort and functionality.

Transport, which are responsible for one third of the emissions of CO2 at Amsterdam, are another important shipyard, although the bike already occupies a place of choice, since it is used for 37 of the travel. The boats will be the first to benefit from a special municipality, effort from next September, the port will build 73 new electrical connection points. They can if connect to when they will be at the dock, rather than turn their Diesel generators.

Office of environmental

But Amsterdam energy optimization efforts are not limited to the single Amsterdam Smart City program. The private project GreenMills will for example associate, end 2009, the port of Amsterdam, three companies Dutch, Noba, Rotie and Orgaworld, to produce biofuel from waste. According to Markus Brans, who pilot the project, "the idea is to create a multi-modal facility, combining the process of the 3 participants to convert to fuel a wide range of waste animal and vegetable fats, and liquid waste from the food industry". The annual production capacity should be approximately 170 million litres of biodiesel, 10 MW of electricity and 25 million cubic metres of biogas transformed into electricity and heat. This project should contribute to the objective of Amsterdam, in 2020, meet 30 of its needs through renewable energy (against 6 today).

The municipality development on electric vehicles. It is the 10,000 in 2015, starting with its own fleet, which will be entirely replaced. And on the horizon to 2040, dervra mobility be exclusively electric. The first 30 taxis of this type should be made by the JAT company before the end of the year. So they can feed their batteries, the Town Hall is launched in the installation of reloading points. Individuals and businesses will benefit also from incentives to switch to electric cars.

According to Marijke Vos, the Deputy Mayor in charge of sustainable development, "it is impossible to quantify the overall effort of the city energy", because it takes various forms (subsidies, tax incentives, investment...) and many other activities have an environmental component. However, it may mention the existence of an Office for the environment, with an annual budget of 3 million euros, and a special fund of 20 million euros after a record royalty by Schiphol Airport. It will be used to support the creation and development of companies in the solar and wind energy, to promote the dissemination of these technologies.