Straits Times 27 Mar 10;
Germany's Freiburg city is world-famous for its green energy policies, and Singapore is hoping to learn from it during the World Cities Summit here in June. Freiburg Mayor Dieter Solomon talks to Melissa Kok about how it implemented sustainable urban solutions
# Q: How successful have Freiburg's energy policies been in reducing carbon emissions?
A: Freiburg is one of the few major German cities where carbon dioxide emissions have actually been on the decrease for years. This is a direct result of our policy which promotes renewable energy such as solar power, and the expansion of the public transit system. Today, 70 per cent of all trips in the city are carried out with environmentally friendly means of transportation such as riding a bicycle instead of driving a car.
# Q: What other benefits has environmental technology brought?
A: No other branch of economy is growing as fast as the environmental economy, with new jobs and economic advantages for the entire city. More than 15,000 people in the greater Freiburg area are employed in the industry; more than 2,000 of them in the research, development and production of solar technology.
# Q: Where can we see solar panels in Freiburg?
A: They can be found on residential buildings, factories, sport stadiums, hotels, trade fair halls, schools and universities. Even the correctional facility has a solar roof. A total surface area of 15,000 sq m - the size of three football fields - is used for the collection of solar heat, to produce heating and warm water.
# Q: Is it costly?
A: Solar power generation is more expensive than other types of energy. Therefore, a national energy Act guarantees that solar energy can be fed into the main power grid at a fixed price. This feed-in tariff provides a good return for home owners with solar roofs and re-finances the investment. The price difference is passed on to all energy customers.
# Q: How did you convince people to get on board?
A: Ecological projects are always successful when they create a win-win situation for all partners involved, namely the economy, citizens, schools, research and development, industries such as building and construction, the energy supplier, and even tourism. Herein lies the most important task of urban policies: We have to create advantages for all players and support their engagement of solar energy. The city itself sets the example. Freiburg is an internationally renowned example of sustainable urban development. Every year hundreds of experts, politicians and journalists come to the city in order to learn from our experiences. This is also the reason why Freiburg has been selected to present itself as a best-practice example of sustainability to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
# Q: What do you hope to gain from the upcoming World Cities Summit in Singapore?
A: We would like to share our experiences with other cities, but we are also eager to learn from others. Some cities are successfully working on zero-carbon concepts such as, for example, the new administrative city in Sejong which lies to the south of Seoul. Because this city will be newly built from the ground up and in line with the most modern standards, much greater successes are possible than in a historically grown city like Freiburg.
About the city
FREIBURG, known as Europe's most prominent 'solar city', is located in south-west Germany's wine-growing area, and has a population of 220,000.
In 1986, it became one of the first German cities to tap sustainable energy to protect the climate.
It has cut back on carbon emissions by 13.5 per cent since 1992. The city's energy policy has three objectives: reducing energy consumption, implementing the use of renewable sources such as solar power instead of fossil fuels, and promoting efficient energy use.
In 2007, the city council resolved to cut greenhouse emissions by 40 per cent by the year 2030.
For this reason, Freiburg's heat insulation standards are stricter than those in other German cities.
Every private household there is supplied with electricity from regenerative sources, with solar energy and other renewables contributing 4.2 per cent of the power that Freiburg needs.
The city generates 50 per cent of its electricity from natural gas plants.
The remaining 45 per cent comes from imported electricity from renewable energy and nuclear power.
