Background

Electrification in the transport, building and industry sectors (e.g. e-vehicles, smart buildings) plays a crucial role on the path towards climate neutrality.

The European Commission estimates in its Energy System Integration Strategy that this electrification will double the amount of electricity in final energy demand from current levels, reaching at least 50% by 2050. To achieve our climate goals, this electricity needs to be largely renewables-based. This means generating electricity from a variety of renewable sources, mainly connected in low- and medium-voltage grids.

Each of these transitions will bring important changes to the way the electricity system functions. Increased flexibility with respect to how the overall electricity system is managed is the only way to adapt to these changes, to keep costs down, and to limit costly grid expansions.

Flexibility is a cornerstone of a more efficient, optimised and fit-for-the-future energy system. Furthermore, electrification of final energy demand creates new sources for system flexibility, and provides new opportunities for such flexibility. This is where smart buildings and electric vehicles can play a significant role as Decentralised Energy Resources that should be integrated in the power grid.

Cities and towns are at the forefront of these changes and play an essential role when it comes to building renovations and the integration of increasingly more electric vehicles in the energy system.

Event aim and scope

The event “Powering the 'net-zero carbon' city: best practices in the smart integration of buildings and transport” will present and discuss how electric vehicles and smart buildings can provide significant, distributed flexibility sources to run an increasingly variable energy system, while supporting decarbonisation.

This event will showcase best practices and success stories in cities across Europe, with the aim of demonstrating what is possible today, as well as what benefits can be derived for citizens, the system and society overall. Discussions will inspire local action.

The event aims to avoid complex technical and policy discussions, and will instead take an engaging approach, with a focus on communicating opportunities and benefits of the clean energy transition, in particular to local actors.

Key insights from the smartEn project’s Q&A paper on the value of flexible buildings, which also addresses the implications of increased electrification of buildings and transport, will also be presented.

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