How the Munich’s Energy Transition is becoming the Everything Transition

The notion of an isolated electricity, or even energy, transition in urban environments is obsolete. The interconnectivity of various issues, including mobility, waste management, housing, food, climate adaptation, biodiversity and more means that these issues cannot be tackled one at a time. 

The easiest way to explain this is for you to look at an urban street outside your home or workplace. What needs to change to radically drive down emissions, produce clean electricity, and be resilient in the face of climate change? The buildings need to be made more efficient. The heat source needs to change which might mean district heating, water needs to be both conserved, meaning replacing waste water pipes, and flooding needs to be anticipated meaning underground storage or at least paving to allow for increased absorption. Above ground space needs to be re-allocated for active travel and public transport – bus lanes, bike lanes, tram lines and better footpaths. Trees need to be planted for cooling where there is sufficient underground space for them to flourish while other greenspace needs to be created to encourage biodiversity. 

Changing everything is a big challenge.

Where to start? 

Interconnected Transitions

Cities are not a patchwork of isolated systems. But we need to at least determine where a comprehensive transition plan is necessary, and where it isn’t. In Munich, as part of their quest to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035, district heating is the trigger for a full-scale neighbourhood approach or a less comprehensive, building-specific approach. In less densely populated areas that won’t get district heating the city provides a half day consultation to occupants, doing a full energy audit of the building and providing a report on how the building can be upgraded to reduce its energy consumption, increase comfort and, if possible, produce renewable electricity. It’s a significant commitment that looks positively ephemeral compared to the more intensive neighbourhood approach in areas that will receive district heating.

“In high density quarters we will combine energy, the energy infrastructure, with adaptation to climate change, planting of trees, green and blue infrastructure, and mobility. You have a lot of discussions with the citizens,” said Christine Kugler, Head of Munich’s Department for Climate and Environmental Protection.

Integrated Urban Planning

Munich established its department for Climate Protection about two years ago and while it is still being formed and growing it has already started operating in a pilot neighbourhood. The trigger for the neighbourhood approach is density and district heating but the focus is very clearly on community consultation. The trigger allows inhabitants and the city to reimagine what a neighbourhood might be – what amenities (gardens, trees, playgrounds, bike lanes, underground waste collection points, etc.) are most popular and how best to incorporate them.

“In a District Transition Plan we analyse data and we have very good databases with the buildings in 3D and a model of the city so we know how the buildings are provided with heating energy. If it’s district heating, or gas or oil, we know that and the energy demand. So that says to us, oh, the building should be renovated, or if it’s okay. And you can cover that with the potential you find. And we have different studies about waste heat, near surface geothermal potential and about deep geothermal. And this is a dynamic model we combined that with our basic model so we know exactly so what is going on. The next step is to make scenarios about prices, about legal practicalities, how fast heating systems can change and so on,” continued Kugler.

Collaborative Governance: City, Citizens, and Beyond

The success of any urban transition hinges on the active involvement of citizens. From energy consumption to waste reduction, citizens play a pivotal role in shaping the sustainable future of cities. Open dialogue, community involvement, and education are crucial components of a successful transition – these things are so easy to say they border on being cliches.

The reality is that it is hard to do. 

“You make a strategy about how to implement this plan,” said Kugler. “The reality is that the plan is not binding. So we really focus on information and advising communities to create an action plan for a district. It can take three to five years to create and implement an integrated action plan for a district with coordination on mobility and circular economy and food supply and so on. And of course we encourage people with a funding programme (local subsidies).”

2. Regional and National Collaboration

City boundaries do not limit the impact of urban transitions. Collaborative efforts between cities, regional governments, and national authorities are essential. Standardized policies and frameworks can provide a unified direction, ensuring that the transitions are not only effective at the city level but contribute to broader national and regional sustainability goals.

A simple example of the cost of not collaborating are the current German government subsidies for heat pumps Germany. The national government understandably wants to help homeowners get off gas boilers so it subsidises heat pumps. 

“They don’t distinguish between where we should fund geothermal or ground-sourced heat pumps or areas where we plan to build district heating. What we would like to see is that money targeted for areas that won’t get district heating which would really help to implement our strategy. We (different levels of government) need to find a consensus on how best to decarbonise heating,” concluded Kugler.

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Fuente: ENERGY CITIES
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