Pioneering project of energy transition
In Viladecans we have been selected by the European Union to promote an energy transition project in our city, the Vilawatt. Viladecans City Council proposal, supported by other specialized Catalan partners, is funded by the European Union's Urban Innovative Actions. Viladecans project was one out of the 18 projects chosen from 378 proposals submitted. In the field of energy transition, the projects that have been selected are the projects of Viladecans, Paris (France) and Gothenburg (Sweden).
The keys to understand how VILAWATT works
Vilawatt is all about the creation of a new joint structure formed by citizenship, companies and the City Council with the aim of creating an integral energy operator for a more efficient energy management. This joint structure will take the form of a Public-Private-Citizen Partnership (PPCP).
This operator will promote the capitalization of savings with the aim to finance the energy rehabilitation of 3 buildings and 60 dwellings (initially in the Montserratina district) and will work to strengthen the local economy with the creation of a local currency, the Vilawatt.
In this way, the initiative will allow us to address social justice objectives by combating energy poverty from within the energy system itself.
The project lasts for 36 months, from 1 November 2016 to 31 October 2019, with an investment of 4.2M € by the European Union, 80% of its global cost (5,3M).
The promoter of the project and main partner is Viladecans City Council. 9 public and private partners give us their support for the execution of the different phases of the project:
- Ubiquat Tecnologies - Partner responsible for the co-design of the local energy currency
- Cercle Gespromat - Partner in charge of the management of social mediation and legal, financial and technical aspects related to the rehabilitation of buildings
- EGM - Local energy consultant who will be responsible for the study and analysis of data to create an energy information system
- LIMA - Entity that promotes sustainable construction and that will contribute with its experience in the design of buildings with low environmental impact
- VIGEM and VIMED - As municipal companies, they will provide support in the technical management and implementation of the project
- CÍCLICA - Cooperative society that will support specific activities related to community involvement and community participation
- Barcelona Urban Ecology Agency, key partner in the definition and implementation of the local energy operator
- Catalan Institute of Energy, which will help to define the model of energy savings contract
Ajuntament - Relacions Internacionals
Ajuntament - Medi Ambient
Ajuntament - Alcalde
CÍCLICA
EGM Estalvi & Eficiència Energètica
Cercle Gespromat
Ubiquat Tecnologies
VIMED/VIGEM
Ajuntament - Relacions Internacionals
Ajuntament - Medi Ambient
Ajuntament - Alcalde
CÍCLICA
EGM Estalvi & Eficiència Energètica
Cercle Gespromat
Ubiquat Tecnologies
VIMED/VIGEM
This is how Carles Ruiz, Mayor of Viladecans, sees Vilawatt project
«We strongly believe in this project, because one of the most important challenges that cities have to face is the improvement of the quality of life»
«We want to promote among citizens the culture of energy saving, by providing them with tools to make this possible, and develop a local platform to integrate all local efforts in the way of energy transition»
«The objective is multiple and really ambitious: to reduce the energy bill, to reverse the gains of this decrease in improving the housing, and to boost the local economy»
How will we boost this process?
The main urban challenge that Vilawatt will achieve is to secure a stable Energy Transition Process in the city of Viladecans. Housing sector in Viladecans is not being energy retrofitted as expected because of high risk perception by private sector. We will focus first on fostering deep energy renovation in low income communities, where higher efforts need to be done.
VILAWATT project will create an innovative PublicPrivateCitizen organizational structure (PPCP), for energy governance at local level. The most remarkable innovation of the solution lies in the PPCP integrating 4 key tools for the energy transition, which have never been implemented before:
Local energy operator to supply and produce Renewable Energy Solutions (RES)
Local energy savings service operator, including an innovative Energy Savings Contracting Model to capitalize energy savings)
Local energy investments operator (Energy Savings Company –ESCO- for deep energy renovation investments)
Local energy savings based currency.
The deep energy renovation of 3 residential buildings in one of our Districts, La Montserratina, will boost the energy savings capitalization fluxes within the new PPCP structure.
The renovation of buildings will follow a participatory process involving both building owners and building designers.
A mindset change in Viladecans citizens and the adoption of the new PPCP governance structure will empower and motivate Viladecans citizens to play an active role on deep energy renovation processes.
LET'S DISCOVER VILAWATT!
International relations department
Fundació Ciutat de Viladecans
L'Antiga Riera street, number 8
08840 Viladecans
