Periodic Reporting for period 3 - IRIS (Integrated and Replicable Solutions for Co-Creation in Sustainable Cities)
Reporting period: 2020-04-01 to 2021-09-30
The IRIS project supports the Lighthouse cities of Utrecht (NL), Göteborg (SE) and Nice Côte d’Azur (FR) and their Follower cities Vaasa (FI), Alexandroupolis (GR), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (ES), and Focsani (RO) to address their urgent need to deliver energy and mobility services in their cities that are cheaper, better accessible, reliable, and that contribute to a better and more sustainable urban quality of life. By demonstrating smart solutions that integrate energy, mobility and ICT, rooted in a City Innovation Platform, IRIS quantifies their value, and connects interests of many different stakeholders in innovative business models, allowing for upscale and replication of integrated solutions for sustainable cities across Europe and world-wide.
The overall concept of IRIS is the Transition Strategy comprising five (5) Tracks that together provide a universal yet versatile framework to address both common and district specific challenges. Within these five tracks, IRIS envisions to demonstrate a set of integrated solutions built on top of both mature and innovative technologies. The integrated solutions are defined on the basis of a common-shared know-how interchange among the lighthouse and followers cities, and planning of replication from the early beginning of the project. Track 1, 2 and 3 enhance energy efficiency and utilize grid flexibility by balancing supply and demand dynamically and by 2nd life battery and V2G storage, to allow increase of renewable energy production and roll-out of e-cars and e-buses. Track 4 supports this by data sharing, a common architecture, use of standards, and governance practices accelerating innovation, standardisation and implementation of affordable smart applications. Track 5 integrates interdisciplinary citizen engagement and co-creation in Tracks 1 to 4, connecting the needs of end-users with those of other stakeholders, in further support of innovative business models.
The expected impacts of IRIS are an open innovation ecosystem motivating citizens to act as prosumers; more effective urban planning and governance of integrated solutions; exploitation of validated innovative business models based on multi-stakeholder collaboration; more stable, secure and affordable energy and mobility services for citizens, with improved air quality.
The overall concept of IRIS is the Transition Strategy comprising five (5) Tracks that together provide a universal yet versatile framework to address both common and district specific challenges. Within these five tracks, IRIS envisions to demonstrate a set of integrated solutions built on top of both mature and innovative technologies. The integrated solutions are defined on the basis of a common-shared know-how interchange among the lighthouse and followers cities, and planning of replication from the early beginning of the project. Track 1, 2 and 3 enhance energy efficiency and utilize grid flexibility by balancing supply and demand dynamically and by 2nd life battery and V2G storage, to allow increase of renewable energy production and roll-out of e-cars and e-buses. Track 4 supports this by data sharing, a common architecture, use of standards, and governance practices accelerating innovation, standardisation and implementation of affordable smart applications. Track 5 integrates interdisciplinary citizen engagement and co-creation in Tracks 1 to 4, connecting the needs of end-users with those of other stakeholders, in further support of innovative business models.
The expected impacts of IRIS are an open innovation ecosystem motivating citizens to act as prosumers; more effective urban planning and governance of integrated solutions; exploitation of validated innovative business models based on multi-stakeholder collaboration; more stable, secure and affordable energy and mobility services for citizens, with improved air quality.
The work performed in M1 to M48 of the IRIS project focused on the successful planning, implementation and the monitoring of 50+ demonstration measures in the Lighthouse City Demonstration Sites, the knowledge transfer to Fellow Cities and the horizontal WPs focussing on supporting actions.
- WP 2 “EU wide cooperation with ongoing projects, initiatives and communities” contributed to actions and meetings of Board SCC01 Coordinators (IRIS is currently chair of both the Board of Coordinators (From September 2021 onwards) and the Task Group on Replication), SCALE and EIP-SCC. From this collaboration IRIS has contributed to recommendation papers to the EU Mission on 100 Climate Neutral Cities.
- WP 3 “Development of Bankable Business Models and Exploitation Activities” achieved the delivery of D3.4 "Smart City User Innovation and Business Incubation Program Handbook for Implementation in IRIS cities and beyond" containing replicable approaches for business incubation. WP3 supported the development of Key Exploitable Results as part of Lighthouse deliverables and the new IRIS showcase website.
- WP 4 “City Innovation Platform” has been operational in the IRIS LH cities Utrecht, Nice and Gothenburg and activities continued towards the integration of the CIP and the IRIS KPI Monitoring tool (developed within WP9).
- WP 5 “Utrecht Lighthouse City Demonstration activities” the focus of the work was on implementation and start of monitoring of the demonstration measures within all transition tracks. First results from most implementations are visible. Some demonstrators are still in final preparation and commissioning phase.
- WP 6 “Nice Lighthouse City Demonstration activities” the focus of the work was on implementation and start of monitoring of the demonstration measures within all transition tracks. First results from most implementations are visible. Some demonstrators are still in final preparation and commissioning phase.
- WP 7 “Gothenburg Lighthouse City Demonstration activities” the focus of the work was on implementation and start of monitoring of the demonstration measures within all transition tracks. First results from most implementations are visible.
- WP 8 “Replication by Lighthouse regions, Follower cities, European market uptake” has created deliverables D8.2 A mentoring roadmap, D8.12 European level replication plan and is working with the Fellow cities on the implementation of their replication plans. To support internal project knowledge transfer the Site Management and Replication Board (SMRB) workshops have commenced on a monthly basis.
- WP 9 “Monitoring and evaluation” has been focused on continued collaborative implementation of the monitoring framework and the IRIS KPI tool with the LH-city teams. The Deliverable D9.6 Report Intermediate report after one year of measurement is delivered in M48.
- WP 10 “Communication and Dissemination” has produced a/o 67 news articles, 11 webinars, 9 project videos, 7 academic publications. IRIS website has welcomed over 35,000 visitors . Collaboration at 14 major international events, 9 major national events and 2 academic conferences of note.
- WP 11 “Project management” has ensured 1) coordination, alignment and interaction between WP teams; 2) risk management; 3) amendment process and contact with EC/INEA; 4) implementation of task 11.4 subcontracting budget.
- WP 2 “EU wide cooperation with ongoing projects, initiatives and communities” contributed to actions and meetings of Board SCC01 Coordinators (IRIS is currently chair of both the Board of Coordinators (From September 2021 onwards) and the Task Group on Replication), SCALE and EIP-SCC. From this collaboration IRIS has contributed to recommendation papers to the EU Mission on 100 Climate Neutral Cities.
- WP 3 “Development of Bankable Business Models and Exploitation Activities” achieved the delivery of D3.4 "Smart City User Innovation and Business Incubation Program Handbook for Implementation in IRIS cities and beyond" containing replicable approaches for business incubation. WP3 supported the development of Key Exploitable Results as part of Lighthouse deliverables and the new IRIS showcase website.
- WP 4 “City Innovation Platform” has been operational in the IRIS LH cities Utrecht, Nice and Gothenburg and activities continued towards the integration of the CIP and the IRIS KPI Monitoring tool (developed within WP9).
- WP 5 “Utrecht Lighthouse City Demonstration activities” the focus of the work was on implementation and start of monitoring of the demonstration measures within all transition tracks. First results from most implementations are visible. Some demonstrators are still in final preparation and commissioning phase.
- WP 6 “Nice Lighthouse City Demonstration activities” the focus of the work was on implementation and start of monitoring of the demonstration measures within all transition tracks. First results from most implementations are visible. Some demonstrators are still in final preparation and commissioning phase.
- WP 7 “Gothenburg Lighthouse City Demonstration activities” the focus of the work was on implementation and start of monitoring of the demonstration measures within all transition tracks. First results from most implementations are visible.
- WP 8 “Replication by Lighthouse regions, Follower cities, European market uptake” has created deliverables D8.2 A mentoring roadmap, D8.12 European level replication plan and is working with the Fellow cities on the implementation of their replication plans. To support internal project knowledge transfer the Site Management and Replication Board (SMRB) workshops have commenced on a monthly basis.
- WP 9 “Monitoring and evaluation” has been focused on continued collaborative implementation of the monitoring framework and the IRIS KPI tool with the LH-city teams. The Deliverable D9.6 Report Intermediate report after one year of measurement is delivered in M48.
- WP 10 “Communication and Dissemination” has produced a/o 67 news articles, 11 webinars, 9 project videos, 7 academic publications. IRIS website has welcomed over 35,000 visitors . Collaboration at 14 major international events, 9 major national events and 2 academic conferences of note.
- WP 11 “Project management” has ensured 1) coordination, alignment and interaction between WP teams; 2) risk management; 3) amendment process and contact with EC/INEA; 4) implementation of task 11.4 subcontracting budget.
The IRIS project has achieved significant progress on the different solutions and demonstrators in the 3 Lighthouse cities, in some of which a notable progress beyond the state of the art has further been reported. As an indicative example, a city wide network of 500+ V2G chargers have been deployed in the city of Utrecht, while significant progress has been achieved in the standardization activities of the smart bidirectional V2G car charging technology (ref: ISO 15118), having a technological impact on a global scale. Furthermore, innovative storage solutions have been deployed in Nice, comprising of battery systems and a flywheel integrated to an Advanced Energy Management System to showcase shaving of consumption peaks and maximization of building self-consumption in real operating conditions, while advancements in positive energy buildings are demonstrated in Gothenburg.
The original expected impacts set at the beginning of the progress are closely monitored and, based on the ongoing progress of the demonstrators and already deployed solutions, significant results are expected to be achieved by the end of the project in various domains, varying from increase of the energy efficiency on district scale and share of renewable energies further stimulating self-consumption, to significant roll-out of EVs and increase of local air quality. Finally, indirect socioeconomic impact is expected through the planned demonstrated solutions, improving everyday life of the citizens, adopting positive attitude towards smart-city solutions, increasing employment and addressing energy poverty.
The original expected impacts set at the beginning of the progress are closely monitored and, based on the ongoing progress of the demonstrators and already deployed solutions, significant results are expected to be achieved by the end of the project in various domains, varying from increase of the energy efficiency on district scale and share of renewable energies further stimulating self-consumption, to significant roll-out of EVs and increase of local air quality. Finally, indirect socioeconomic impact is expected through the planned demonstrated solutions, improving everyday life of the citizens, adopting positive attitude towards smart-city solutions, increasing employment and addressing energy poverty.