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While governments focus on how to protect consumers from escalating energy prices, Belgium shows an important way forward. Since 2002, eligible households have been shielded from price fluctuations in the energy market. People don’t have to struggle. Carl Packman discusses the approach taken by Belgium in an article on The Guardian website. There is…
An assessment report on the effectiveness of Low Emission Zones between 2018 and 2020 found a sustained and significant reduction in emissions in the city
On Monday, the environment and energy administration in the Brussels-Capital region published the results of an assessment report on the effects of the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) on the city’s air quality and the types of vehicles citizens prefer to operate.
Researchers link the zones to sustained improvements in the air quality, especially when it comes to pollutants like nitrogen, soot and fine dust particles, detrimental to physical and mental health. Furthermore, the zones prove an effective tool for reshaping the car habits of private citizens, promoting the usage of more efficient vehicles.
The IEA’s report released earlier this year, “Hydrogen in North-Western Europe: A vision towards 2030”, welcomes the fact that the six countries analysed – Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK – have the ambition to build a hydrogen economy. They are Europe’s major hydrogen producers and consumers, have major ports that already service this sector, have natural gas infrastructure that can be repurposed, and access to new offshore wind and carbon storage capacity that can make low or no-carbon hydrogen. But the report’s main purpose is to warn that the current pipeline of projects is not enough to meet ambitions. Policies must be strengthened, with better coordination. The report makes its recommendations, including the development of an integrated regional market, support for innovation and market size scale-up, and the creation of a strategy for new production capacities for low-carbon hydrogen.
The City of Ghent will be providing low-interest long-term loans to its citizens. The advantageous funding amounts to 13 million euros and is meant to facilitate the energy transition of households and the city as a whole. The new system is expected to start operating from next spring.
The residents of the Flemish city are in great need of energy loans as half of them lack the financial means to invest in climate renovations. This is what a study by Professor Johan Albrecht from the University of Ghent and the Agoria Industry Federation have concluded. Based on their findings and on the need to improve the quality of life of local residents, the city administration decided to launch a rolling fund with advantageous loans, open to everyone who needs them.
Some people know Leuven, a Belgium city of 100,000 not far from Brussels, for its beer: It’s home to both Stella Artois and the world’s largest brewer, AB InBev. Others know it for KU Leuven, one of…
Deputy Mayor of Ghent Filip Watteeuw hopes that the city will accelerate the transition towards electric vehicles by adding an extra 100 charging points at the car parks. “The number of charging points is constantly increasing,” says Deputy Mayor for Mobility, Public Space and Urban Planning, Filip Watteeuw. “With this new program, an extra 100 …
Some time ago the City of Genk, in collaboration with the other partners involved, applied for a regulatory sandbox at Thor Park. "Today Minister Zuhal Demir announced the Thor Park to be the first regulatory sandbox in Flanders. We are particularly pleased since this means that new opportunities are opening up for cooperation on the energy system of the future, " explains Mayor Wim Dries.
With their research, EnergyVille anticipates the changing energy system at Thor Park. Challenges are, for example, the mismatch between the less predictable production of sun and wind and the demand pattern of customers, changing consumption patterns of end users of technological innovations in the field of energy storage, smart charging of electric vehicles and smart control of heating and cooling. In addition to the theoretical part, experimental research activities are also essential.
Bruges is ambitious. Although it is already an established cycling city with a high modal share of 42 per cent, it aspires to become Belgium’s leading cycling city. CIVITAS Handshake is helping it do so.
Appointing a city poet (Stadsdichter) is popular among local authorities in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium). It follows a tradition, found in the Netherlands at the start of the XXI century. Venlo is considered the first city to appoint a city poet with Emma Crebolder becoming the first one in the Dutch-speaking area. Since 2003, for example, Tilburg has had a city poet, who is appointed for a period of two years and as of 2016 the city also appoints a Junior City Poet for 1 year. Dozens Dutch cities, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Groningen, Eindhoven, have appointed a city poet. Some of their counterparts in Belgium work for Ghent, Deinze, Hoogstraten, Geel, to name but a few.
Belgium-based brewing conglomerate AB InBev has announced that it will use a train to transfer most of its beer shipments to the port of Antwerp by 2020.
The company, which has its headquarters in the Belgian city of Leuven, is the world’s largest brewer exporting beer from Belgium to 100 countries. Every day, several trucks currently transport the beer from its production site to the port of Antwerp.
With 'My2050' the Belgian government aims to encourage a debate with all citizens (and pupils of the 3rd degree secondary in particular) on how we can make our society evolve towards a low carbon society by 2050.
Elected in October 2018, Mohamed Ridouani (39) is Mayor in the city of Leuven, formerly responsible for Education, Sustainability, Economy and Urban Development. He stands for positive change and aims to turn Leuven into one of the most caring, green and prosperous cities in Europe, in cooperation with the citizens, knowledge institutions, companies and organisations. He’s the inspirer of Leuven 2030, for which Leuven received the European Green Leaf Award 2018 from the European Commission.
Le site du journal Le Soir Plus, premier site d'information en Belgique francophone. Actu en continu, archives gratuites, galeries photos, podcast, vidéos, blogs de la rédaction, résultats sportifs
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According to a report by Le Soir, yesterday, the mayor of Etterbeek, a district in the Brussels Capital Region, stated that local authorities needed to find more funds for green projects. Mayor Vincent De Wolf explained that the COVID-19 pandemic has left many municipal coffers empty and ill-equipped to finance important climate change policies.
This is why he proposed a loan scheme, where private citizens will be able to invest in their local governments, specifically for sustainability projects. The scheme he outlined showed that the money would be invested into the city for a period of 5 to 8 years and promised a 1.5% to 2% dividend rate.
The idea of tapping into citizen wealth, specifically for green projects is fairly unexplored, however, there are a few prominent examples from the European Union. One of the most successful case studies involves the city of Vienna and their scheme to sell shares from photovoltaic plants.
The basic idea behind that plan is to let citizens share the climate transition period and become an active part of it. On the one hand, it’s a way for the city to source quick funds and on the other, citizens who cannot make their own PV systems can take part in the green transition.
Charleroi mise sur un plan de rénovation énergétique déjà en cours. En effet, plusieurs zones de la ville au passé industriel sont en cours de réurbanisation et la Ville veut en profiter pour évaluer le potentiel énergétique de ces zones afin de permettre la planification de réseaux qui permettraient de gérer au mieux les flux d'énergie. D'autre part, les autorités communales ont analysé les potentielles sources d'énergies locales et renouvelables offertes par leur territoire. La région dispose en effet de certaines ressources liées à son passé minier. Le potentiel géothermique découlant de l'ancienne exploitation minière de la région est très important et proche du centre-ville. De plus, le gaz de mines, aussi appelé grisou, s'accumule dans certains puits de mine et pourrait être utilisé pour générer assez de chaleur et d'électricité pour alimenter plusieurs milliers de ménages. La Ville de Charleroi envisage également de produire de l'énergie via la valorisation de la biomasse, qui consiste à utiliser les déchets de bois issus du secteur de l'industrie ou des recyparcs. L'hydrogène et le solaire sont aussi évoqués comme sources d'énergie possibles. Afin de répartir ces flux d'énergie à travers la ville, Charleroi mise sur la construction de réseaux de chaleur, un système qui permet de distribuer à l'échelle d'une ville la chaleur produite par plusieurs chaufferies, situées dans des endroits différents, via des canalisations.
It aims to discover which trees and shrubs will survive the changing climate
For the past several months, Leuven has been working hard on its latest environmental project. As is usually the case with the Belgian city, the project can be qualified as innovative at least according to two dimensions: objectives and location.
La Région bruxelloise mettra ces terres agricoles à disposition d’agriculteurs dans le but de favoriser les circuits courts, a précisé Alain Maron ministre bruxellois de l’Environnement.
Leuven, Belgium, has been named the 2020 European Capital of Innovation for its use of innovation to improve residents’ lives.
The €1 million cash prize, which every year recognises cities’ innovative solutions to social challenges that engage and empower its citizens, was awarded to Leuven in a ceremony with EU Commissioner Mariya Gabrielduring the EU Research and Innovation Days in Brussels, Belgium, on 24 September.
It gives citizens a chance to contribute to substantial energy savings while making profit
One of the largest cooperative projects on renewable energy in Leuven has officially started on Monday, informs the local authority. The city, together with two local cooperatives will be supplying ten public buildings with clean energy. The best part – residents of Leuven can invest in and acquire solar installations, thereby making a profit and contributing to the sustainable development of their city.
16 members should advise on how to make local food consumption more sustainable
In February, Ghent will be advancing on the path towards sustainable development. As the local authority announced last week, the members of the administration will no longer fly short distances to perform their duties. Instead, they will prefer travelling by train, which is considered more environmentally friendly.
Le projet COLECO a pour objectif de lancer une dynamique locale d’autoconsommation collective en Wallonie picarde par la mise en place d’outils digitaux qui permettront de créer des communautés locales d’énergie éco-responsables, c’est-à-dire des communautés de voisins qui produisent et consomment ensemble une énergie locale durable. Le projet est mené par IDETA en collaboration avec l’intercommunale IEG, les communes de Wallonie picarde, la COOPEM (Coopérative Energie Mouscron) et l’entreprise HAULOGY, spécialisée dans le développement de logiciels pour les acteurs du monde énergétique.
Publication date: 12.09.2019
Stéphane Roberti is the new mayor of Forest, a commune in the Brussels region, and is using his mandate to open up city government and drive forward the green transition. From citizen’s participation to housing and green space, we asked Roberti where Forest is headed at a time of political uncertainty when cities across the world are gaining importance as sites of struggle and change.
Depuis quelques jours, les panneaux de la nouvelle campagne de l’Agence wallonne pour la sécurité routière (AWSR) fleurissent le long des voies rapides de Wallonie. Avec un slogan qui va faire lever le pied à quelques automobilistes : « Rouler tranquille, c’est chill ». Gageons que, pour certains, la compréhension du message ne sera pas immédiate : rouler tranquille, c’est… quoi ?
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