Kozani is the only Greek city selected to launch a groundbreaking climate action through the NetZeroCities Pilot Cities program, a two-year program funded by the EU under the European Union Cities Mission.
Along with 52 other pilot cities, Kozani will implement innovative actions to accelerate climate neutrality and decarbonization. The pilot cities, selected from a wide range of 103 proposals, involving 159 cities from 33 countries across the European Union as well as the countries associated with Horizon 2020, will set the urban climate transition on a new trajectory.
The Municipality of Kozani will implement the program as a lead partner, in collaboration with key partners in the circular economy scheme, DEYAK and DIADYMA. Also, partners in the project will be EYATH, academic and research centers such as AUTH with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, EKETA with the Institute of Chemical Processes and E-Energy Resources, the German Institute for Solar Energy Julich of the University of Aachen, while the technological partners include the German Kraft-tanlagen, a subsidiary of the French giant Bouygues, ABB Hellas, ZEUS Helios and Ergoncell based in Kozani.
The Municipality of Kozani will implement the project “Net-zero Energy future through the identification of innovative Technologies under a circulaR, sustainable, and inclusive just transitiON- NEUTRON”. The project concerns the development of a thermal battery system, at a research level, that will be powered by electricity produced by RES, as well as by waste and wastewater management in the context of a circular process. The goal is to replace the oil used for the needs of Kozani District Heating.
With this Pilot Cities Program, Kozani will test and experiment new approaches to transform city life and work. Targeting the reduction of thermal energy costs and the fight against energy poverty, the weaning off of solid fuels and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions released by the above process, as well as the achievement of sustainable utilization of waste and wastewater in the area.
The Pilot Cities Program will be an opportunity to exchange knowledge with other cities, building on each other’s experiences, replicating and scaling solutions that work in similar contexts. This will ultimately lead to a faster transition towards climate neutrality across Europe.
