Energy Efficiency for Public Transport Infrastructure in Central Europe: a new cooperation to explore sustainable solutions

PRESS RELEASE

A new Central European cooperation project has been kicked off on the 27th-28th June 2019 in Leipzig, Germany. City authorities, public transport companies, universities and sustainable mobility consultants join forces to explore and test energy efficiency measures and the role of renewable energies in public transport systems.

INTERREG EfficienCE

EfficienCE is a cooperation project funded by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE programme that aims at reducing the carbon footprint in the region. Most Central European cities have extensive public transport systems, which can form the basis of low-carbon mobility services. About two third of the commuters in the Central Europe program area are using public transport. Measures to increase the energy efficiency and share of renewables in public transport infrastructure can thus have a particularly high impact on reducing CO2.

This is achieved by supporting local authorities, public transport authorities and operators developing planning and financing strategies and action plans, as well as implementing pilot actions, developing tools and trainings to plan and operate low-carbon infrastructure. EfficienCE’s pilot activities include new light-weight photovoltaic materials on metro stations to operate the station’s lighting systems, elevators and escalators in an energy-efficient manner; using existing infrastructure to charge electric vehicles; or the integration of buffer storages in electric public transport systems to balance peak loads and thus increase their energy efficiency. Project results and lessons learned from pilot activities as well as gathered knowledge and best practices on energy-efficient measures will be transferred across Central European regions.

Twelve partners, including seven public transport authorities/companies from seven countries are working together for three years to exploit the untapped potentials in this sector and to contribute to the EU’s ‘White Paper’ goals to cut transport emissions by 60 percent by 2050 and to halve the use of ‘conventionally fuelled’ cars in urban transport by 2030.

The project is supported by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme funded under the European Regional Development Fund.

Project in numbers

  • 12 partners
  • 7 countries
  • 2,4 million EUR budget
  • 2,0 million EUR funding
  • 29 outputs
  • Project duration: 1.4.2019 – 31.3.2022

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