Guide unveiled at COP27; pilot cities, including Lisbon, Montreal, Stockholm, Geneva, and the Paris region, are set to explore ready-to-use climate solutions from the Solar Impulse portfolio
SHARM EL SHEIKH, EGYPT / ACCESSWIRE / November 14, 2022 / Ahead of the Solutions and Cities thematic day at the international climate conference COP27, the Solar Impulse Foundation is launching its innovative Solutions Guide for Cities, a compilation of cleantech solutions designed to help urban centers quickly build a robust climate mitigation program. The Guide will be officially introduced during the European Commission virtual program for COP27 and can be followed in a live webinar exploring how cities can unlock the opportunities in their ecological transition.
Lisbon, Portugal and Montreal, Canada will be two of the first pilot cities for the Guide. Other interested cities include Stockholm, Geneva, and the Paris region (Île-de-France) with more coming.
"As Mayor of Lisbon, I am proud and committed to endorse the Solutions for Cities initiative that the Solar Impulse Foundation is leading," said Mayor Carlos Moedas. "Cities are uniquely placed to provide a sustainable economic model where clean energy serves the needs of our citizens, in particular the most vulnerable. Lisbon is committed to delivering that sustainable approach with new technologies and innovative solutions. To achieve that, I count on the support of the Solar Impulse Foundation and the relentless determination of my friend Bertrand Piccard."
"The partnership we are announcing today will accelerate the deployment of solutions to the environmental challenges faced by cities, and we hope that many of them will use some of the tools developed by the Solar Impulse Foundation. Climate action is at the forefront of Montréal's priorities and as the North American Vice President of C40 I will keep working to move the needle forward both locally and internationally," declared the Mayor of Montréal, Valérie Plante."
"Our foundation has identified more than 1,400 technological solutions that exist today to protect the environment in an economically profitable way, but the world is not moving fast enough to acquire the implementations needed to reach carbon neutrality," said Bertrand Piccard, founder and chairman, Solar Impulse Foundation. "Cities are the primary generators of economic activity and at the same time they are responsible for three-quarters of global carbon emissions. Our Solutions Guide for Cities demonstrates how solutions can be implemented in a profitable way to help speed their decarbonization plans."
Among the solutions vetted and labelled by the Solar Impulse Foundation as both clean and profitable, the Foundation selected a trial of 188 that are effectively solving key challenges for cities' decarbonization and had real life case studies of implementation across more than 130 municipalities and 28 countries.
Solar Impulse-identified solutions for cities include more environmentally friendly building materials such as recycled concrete made of processed mixed granulated demolished rubble, efficient biobased insulation panels, anti-glare and heat managing glass for windows, greywater recycling, vehicle-to-grid, geothermal storage, and geothermal air-water heat pumps, as well as often overlooked but highly effective energy efficiency measures.
Despite the increasing sense of urgency, most cities have not started net zero planning because they lack an analysis of key sectors contributing to their emissions, have no access to the most relevant technologies and solutions, and face difficulties in prioritizing their efforts. The Guide addresses these core issues by showing where actions can be taken across the value chains of five main sectors that are closely interlinked with a city's ecosystem: Energy & Power Grid, Construction & Buildings, Mobility & Logistics, Waste Management & Water, and Urban Infrastructure. It details and addresses the myriad "pain points" that city leaders face in managing their ecological transition, including significant adoption roadblocks.
The Guide utilizes a unique bottom-up approach, leveraging cleantech innovators' knowledge of their clients' adoption barriers and highlighting their success stories to inspire climate action.
"We believe the players that are most eager to boost climate solutions adoption are the ones who can make a business out of it," continued Piccard. "Yet we recognize that the solutions and their capabilities are only part of the puzzle. The goal is to modernize the legal framework to create a need to pull the solutions to the market."
To assist in this task the Solar Impulse Foundation invited other organizations, called "systemic enablers," to join the initiative and share their best practices to move from urban vision to solutions adoption. These groups, including the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), and NetZeroCities, among others,[1]have been working on these requirements for many years and will help cities in deploying solutions from the Guide.
For more information about the Solutions Guide for Cities, the European Commission will host a webinar featuring Bertrand Piccard, forward-thinking mayors, and the various contributors of the Guide, on Monday, Nov. 14 at 15h00 CET in Europe (16h EET in Egypt).
About the Solar Impulse Foundation
The Solar Impulse Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by explorer and cleantech pioneer Bertrand Piccard. Following the success of the first round-the-world trip in a solar-powered plane, its mission is to accelerate the adoption of solutions capable of protecting the environment in an economically profitable way. It thus reflects the unifying and realistic approach of its founder around 'Qualitative Growth'. Demonstrating that it is possible to meet ecological challenges without undermining economic development, the Foundation achieved, in April 2021, its first objective of identifying and labeling 1000 'Efficient Solutions', assessed as clean and profitable by independent experts. While continuing to increase its portfolio of solutions, Bertrand Piccard and the Foundation are seeking to facilitate the emergence of these technologies on the market through advocacy in favor of modernizing the legislative framework and by publishing guides to support political and business decision-makers in their ecological transition.
About Bertrand Piccard:
A pioneering spirit and an influential voice to encourage the implementation of efficient solutions.
One of the first, as early as the 2000s, to consider ecology through the lens of profitability, Bertrand Piccard is considered an opinion leader on the themes of innovation and sustainability. Chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation, he promotes qualitative growth by demonstrating the economic potential of clean technologies. Denouncing the absurdity of polluting and inefficient systems that are still too often used today, he advocates for the modernization of the legal framework to facilitate access to the market for efficient solutions. His voice is heard within the largest institutions, such as the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Economic Forum, and his commitment has earned him several nominations, such as Champion of the Earth and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.
Media Contacts
Global Press Officer
Daniela Diego
daniela.diego@solarimpulse.com
M: +41 79 663 5270
Erica Zeidenberg
US PR for Solar Impulse Foundation
erica@hottomato.net
M: +1 925 518 8159
[1] Metabolic, Local Governments for Sustainability, International Cleantech Network, World Wildlife Foundation, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, BABLE, Carbon Disclosure Project, NetZeroCities, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, and MakeSense.
SOURCE: Solar Impulse Foundation
View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/725426/Solar-Impulse-Foundation-Launches-a-Solutions-Guide-for-Cities-to-Help-Cities-Reach-Net-Zero-Goals