Cleantech Barcelona
Here, we highlight cleantech initiatives developed in the Barcelona area, which is becoming a reference for the south of Europe, and rest of the world.
-
oriolpascual Oriol Pascual
Barcelona will be the 2013 world capital of the electric vehicle and will hold the next edition of Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS), the benchmark world congress for this sector. The city has taken the relay from Los Angeles (United States), becoming the venue for the EVS27.
Upon knowing that the Catalonian capital had been chosen to host the EVS27, the deputy mayor highlighted that “electric mobility and its associated industry represents a sector with great economic potential and high added value for Barcelona, from an economic point of view as well as for sustainability and energy companies”.
Read the entire press release at Barcelona Growth Newsletter.
The second EcoEmprenedorXXI programme kicks off with the aim of giving support to the creation and growth of innovative companies in the area of clean technologies: renewable energies, energy efficiency, and sustainable mobility, management of the water cycle and energy management of waste.
The participants in the EcoEmprenedorXXI will receive training, advice, tools and resources aimed at kick-starting their projects. Some of these activities will be presented in English with the aim of attracting innovative and enterprising talent from all over the world. Furthermore, the participants could win a prize worth 35,000 Euros, which also includes start-up incubation and internationalization actions.
On the afternoon of 27th October 2011, after the Global Clean Energy Forum, all participants were invited to join The Barcelona Clean Energy Innovation Tour organized by Barcelona City Council. The 3 hour guided bus and walking tour discovered why Barcelona is becoming the innovation hub of the Mediterranean and a smart city leader in clean energy.
Discover why Barcelona is becoming the Economic and Entrepreneurship Hub of the Mediterranean and a Smart City leader in Clean Energy: download the guide (PDF) and do your own tour when visiting the city.
In 2050, 75% of the world population will live in an urban environment. The constant population growth will require an urgent reflection on how these spaces will absorb and facilitate the life of their inhabitants. Fira de Barcelona’s new event, Smart City Expo & World Congress, which will be held from 29 November to 2 December, responds to each of the challenges that will arise with this scenario and redefines current cities. The congress will be the meeting point for sector professionals, heads of public administrations and experts, who will give the keys to understanding the workings and development of cities of the future, known as smart cities.
The concept ‘Smart City’ refers to cities that, seeking to increase the quality of life of their inhabitants, develop technological improvements in order to create urban environments that are not only more liveable but also more efficient in the management of available resources, whether they be energy, water or air quality. This need has led to high tech companies from different fields providing large cities with new technological applications, which also means a new business opportunity.
Speakers include, amongst others:
- Carlo Ratti - MIT SENSEable City Lab
- Adam Greenfield - Urbanscale
- Neil Gershenfeld - MIT Center for Bits & Atoms
- Vicente Guallard - Ayuntamiento de Barcelona
- Michael Braungart - EUR
- Enric Ruiz-Geli - Cloud 9
- Gunter Pauli - ZERI Foundation
Smart City Expo & World Congress
29 November - 2 December 2011
The offshore wind turbine developed at the Alstom Wind headquarters in the 22@ will be 40% more powerful than current turbines.
The biggest wind turbine in the world is being designed in the 22@ Barcelona district. Ecotecnia (Alstom Wind), the French group Alstom’s wind energy branch, is working on creating a 6 megawatt offshore wind turbine with 150-metre diameter blades at the engineering centre the multinational owns in the innovation district.
Although to date offshore wind power has only been used in the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and on the coast of the United Kingdom, renewable energy experts already consider it one of the most promising technologies and view it as a viable candidate for substituting onshore wind power. Situated offshore, where there is a constant supply of wind, it offers vast potential in terms of power (40% more electricity) and it has a far smaller impact on the environment than land-based facilities.
The energy challenges of the future and the fight against climate change saw Barcelona take on the role of capital of energy innovation last week.
From 1-3 June, more than 3000 professionals from 121 countries participated in a new edition of the Carbon Expo Trade Fair, the top forum on low-carbon technologies, emissions trading and climate funding. The event, organized by the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), the World Bank and Fira Barcelona, showcased the latest developments and proposals for tackling climate change.
Via Barcelona City Council
Alstom Wind, Alstom’s renewable energy division located at Barcelona’s 22@, launches two wind farms in Minnesota.
Alstom, a global leader in the supply of equipment and services for power generation, announced the start of commercial operation of the Adams and Danielson wind farms in Meeker Country, Minnesota (United States). The projects, which are the result of a contract worth approximately $60 million, began commercial operation on March 9 2011. Alstom’s entry into the North American market builds on the company’s broad global experience in wind power. Worldwide, Alstom has installed or is installing over 2,100 wind turbines producing over 2,700 MW on over 110 wind farms in Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, the UK, Turkey, Brazil, India and Japan.
Photo by andjohan
Barcelona has been chosen by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism, and Trade to represent Spain at the International Automobile & Manufacturing Technology Exhibition - Auto Shanghai 2011.
Press release - Word Document
Barcelona is the first city in Spain to be equipped with fast-charge points for electric vehicles.
The station, which is found at Lope de Vega 125 Street, allows electric vehicles compatible with CHAdeMO technology to charge up to 50% in 10 minutes. CHAdeMO technology - Charge and Move - is a protocol featured by most recent electric models which enables them to connect to these types of stations.
The launch of this innovative charging point is another step in Barcelona’s consolidation of its status as a European hub for electric mobility. Currently, Barcelona boasts a total of 184 charging points for electric vehicles.
Via LIVE Program
The first electric motorbike designed in Barcelona has arrived. On 13 April, as part of the EV Battery Forum, Volta Motorbikes presented its Volta–EV.01 prototype, a project on which European Institute of Design in Barcelona and the Anima Barcelona studio both collaborated.
The Volta EV.01 prototype is a 100% electric and urban bike that stands out for its sporty design. Its in-built battery can be charged in just two hours using any domestic 220 V outlet or at public charging stations for just €0.40. There will be two versions of the bike, a 15 CV one, equivalent to a 125 CC petrol model, and a 38 CV one.
On 15 and 16 June, Barcelona will host the International Herald Tribune Global Clean Energy Forum. For two days the future of renewable energies will be discussed with amongst more than 300 politicians, top business figures and world industry leaders from 30 countries.
The competitiveness and funding of renewable energies, future innovations and an assessment of expectations for the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP 17, scheduled to take place on 9 December in Durban, are some of the issues up for discussion at the event, whose slogan is “Is the world ready for renewables?”.
