From PlusEnergy neighborhoods to the PlusEnergy city

HUB BERN | Project AUE-3

Our goal:

To apply the concept of PlusEnergy neighborhoods to the larger and less homogenous area of an entire municipality. In addition to energy production, we also include the consumption side (encompassing the main drivers of mobility, dwelling, and nutrition) in order to foster sustainable urban development. We are developing incubator and implementation projects that can be transferred to the whole of Switzerland. 

PlusEnergy house in Romanshorn: the modernized building from the 1960s now generates more energy than is needed for hot water, heating, air conditioning, and household electricity. Photo: Viridén+Partner AG 

In a nutshell:

A PlusEnergy city generates more energy than it consumes—through consistent use of renewable energy, energy-efficient buildings, smart infrastructure, sustainable design of mobility, climate- and energy-conscious urban planning, and citizen participation. The goal of a PlusEnergy city is to contribute to climate neutrality, reduce energy costs, and enable a high quality of life for its residents. 

An innovation process with energy suppliers and other actors on the key topics of energy production and efficiency is currently being planned. Meanwhile, the project is investigating future ways of sharing energy data, for example in the context of local energy communities. It is also examining how cost–benefit analysis can be conducted for an EnergyPlus industrial site, and how cities can be supported in testing fossil-free logistics in urban centers with the help of an artificial-intelligence-based model. 

The project regularly holds exchange events with experts and partner cities to promote dialogue between them and enable new input. These events highlighted the need for a common participatory platform, leading to the creation of deinklima.ch. Since 2023, partner cities have been able to use this platform to conduct participatory projects on climate protection. Beginning in summer 2025, the platform will be transferred to the Office for Environment and Energy and made available to all municipalities in the Canton of Bern. 

More information: 

www.deinklima.ch (Platform for exchange, in German) 

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In collaboration with:

Office for Environment and Energy of the Canton of Bern (AUE) 

Status: Ongoing project