By Elaine Hsieh, Program Director & Senior Analyst - VERGE
Although it may be hard to believe right now, Europe is full of initiatives that could teach the rest of the world how to thrive.
While we often hear about Germany’s renewables ambitions, we think it’s time to also acknowledge the ambitious work of other European countries that can easily be overlooked.
For example, France is building its first “district smart grid” across the entire city of Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, covering the electricity needs of about 10,000 people in a 160,000-square-meter area while increasing efficiency and reducing carbon. Initially based on a 2009 pilot to build the first energy-positive office building in Europe, this community-scale project called IssyGrid is unique for France since it comes from a group of businesses located in the community and has expanded to other companies. It’s an innovative approach involving multiple players and shows that smart grid development is a new opportunity for local businesses.
In addition, a new building project being built near Amsterdam called Park 20|20 has the goal of becoming the “first full service Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) working environment” in The Netherlands. This unique office development is based on a human-centered design approach and uses C2C principles. That means all the main building materials can be endlessly recycled. How’s that for inspiration?
We’re looking forward to featuring a keynote panel on IssyGrid, a Convergence Talk about Park 20|20, and many other interesting initiatives showing VERGE in action at our Convergence Paris event on June 13-14.
For more inspiration, check out our recaps from VERGE Boston and Living Future below.
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VERGE Talks Worth Watching |
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Complimentary GreenBiz Webcast
The Changing Role of Technology in Building Efficiency - A User's Perspective Sponsored by Johnson Controls
In this session, Johnson Controls VP Building Technology & Services, Laura Farnham, will lead an animated discussion and moderate a user panel on the ever-changing role of technology in buildings. Topics include energy efficiency and performance optimization through building wide systems integration, analytics and data management. Register here.
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Living Future Inspiration |
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Sponsored Content
Join us for the 24th Annual Energy Efficiency Forum!
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Request an invitation here.
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| May 22, 2013 |
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Convergence Paris 2013 Wed, Jun 26 - Thu, Jun 27 Paris
EE Global 2013 Mon, May 20 - Tue, May 21 Washington
How Combined Heat and Power Saves Money, Reduces Emissions and Improves Energy Security Wed, May 22 Washington DC
Capturing Hidden Value Potential in Demand Response & Energy Efficiency Markets Wed, May 22 New York NY
WEST Summit 2013 Thu, May 23 Mountain View CA
GreenChill Webinar: California's Refrigerant Management Program - Program Features Relevant to Supermarkets and Opportunities for Supermarkets to Save Money Thu, May 23
Innovations in Technical Education to Advance Sustainability: Student Leadership Thu, Jun 6 - Sat, Jun 8 Alfred NY
DOE FEMP Re-thinking Operations and Maintenance in High Performance Buildings Thu, Jun 6 Falls Church
Are We Embarking On An Industrial Energy Management Revolution Wed, Jun 12 Webinar
The Changing Role of Technology in Building Efficiency - A User's Perspective Wed, Jun 12 Webcast
Energy Efficiency Forum Thu, Jun 13 Washington DC
The Eco Technology Show Fri, Jun 14 - Sat, Jun 15 Brighton
2013 Rising Seas Summit Tue, Jun 18 - Thu, Jun 20 Fort Lauderdale FL
31st Energy Management Congress West 2013 Wed, Jun 19 - Thu, Jun 20 Las Vegas NV
Facilities Management Summit Wed, Jun 19 Chicago IL
New York Energy Week Mon, Jun 24 - Fri, Jun 28 New York City
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