Presenting blue-green roofs in Bolzano during a European heat wave

Diverse perspectives on energy transition in Bolzano

After two years of online meetings, it was finally time to visit an in-person conference. The Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions Conference  was organised by Eurac Research for the 4th time in Bolzano. About  200 people from all over Europe attended this conference. I was the only participant from KWR, but the Netherlands were generally well represented. I have made connections with people from the municipality of Alkmaar, TNO, the Applied University of Amsterdam (HvA), to name a few. Presented topics were quite broad and diverse, focusing on positive energy districts, (electric) mobility, energy communities, energy citizenship and many presentations from European projects. There was even a session on the development of long-distance hiking paths.

The Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions Conference was at the NOI Techpark in Bolzano, near the Dolomites

Presenting the Urban Photosynthesis project: green-blue roofs with solar PV

My presentation about the TKI project Urban Photosynthesis further contributed to the diversity of topics. I showed how the combination of vegetation, rainwater storage, shower water reuse and PV panels can possibly lead to a win-win-win situation instead of an either/or question, which is now often the case. Specifically, I am trying to answer the question if the solar panels above the green-blue roof will perform better than the solar panels on the adjacent building with a typical bitumen roof. Next to the possible enhancement of PV power output, the roof also has cooling properties. Shower water reuse reduces the amount of clean water necessary to water the plants, even during hot periods (learn more in this 3-minute video). There was a European heat wave during the conference week, with temperatures reaching 37-39 °C in Bolzano every day, which made my presentation even more relevant. Afterwards, many people approached me with questions or inquired about possible project follow-ups at their location. My most important lesson is that we all have to become more active energy citizens and that by doing what you like and what you are good at, you can make a contribution.

Els van der Roest summarises the results from a workshop on positive energy districts

Sustainable travelling is both fun and stressful

An important question with conferences is; how to get there. At KWR, we are working on a more sustainable travel policy, and train travel is now the preferred option in our organisation. For me, train travel has been the preferred option since my last flight in 2016. The trip to Bolzano looked very convenient on paper, with a night train from Utrecht and only one change in Innsbruck. The night train was comfortable enough, and I shared a cabin with three other people, talking and playing games before going to sleep. However, the connection from Innsbruck to Bolzano has caused me a lot of stress on both trips. Due to cancellation and immense delay of trains, I had to take different trains from other train companies, bought new train tickets or used buses. I planned more than two hours of exchange time in Innsbruck on the way back, which turned out to be essential. So, my advice would be to ensure you have enough time between trains and more than one hour with night trains. To put this in perspective: I met people from the Netherlands who took the plane and had so many delays and cancelled flights that there was not much difference in terms of stress. In terms of climate impact, though, my train trip has 4-6 times lower climate impact than flying, which gives me reason enough to continue travelling by train.