Sprawl is bad, concentration is good

By Hans Schneider, Consultant energy transition, Alliander

Hans Schneider

Hans Schneider is consultant energy transition at Alliander, the largest Dutch distribution grid company.
Shaping strategic projects for public & private clients of Liander; preparing strategic and complex projects on innovative energy infrastructure, energy transition, energy & spatial planning and local energy policy. Currently deeply involved in developing a systematic approach for the transition towards a fossil free build environment. Replacing natural gas based heating systems, with electrical of biogas fuelled systems and city heating. Former business developer & consultant in the fields of climate change, energy and environment. Social Scientist. Broad experience in policy research, evaluation and development. Specific experience with RES, RUE, Climate Change (adaptation and mitigation) Policy and Environmental Certificate Trading Schemes.

In his opinion, cities are essential for decarbonisation of the energy system; because of their high density of population and economic activity, cities tend to lower the overall footprint of people and businesses on our planet.
Sprawl is bad. Concentration is good.
However, cities will consume more energy than they can produce sustainably. At least up to 2050, the year that we aim to be CO2-neutral. Cities will claim enormous territories for wind, solar, energy crops and geothermal sources. Decarbonisation in rural areas is easy. In cities it’s hard. Cities will need to save energy, recover heat, store & convert energies and be flexible in time-of-use. Only if cities will be ‘smart’ in their energy use, they can limit their impact on their surroundings.

#DecarbCities is a conference organised  by the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA)

Rue d’Arlon 63 – 67, B-1040 Brussels – Belgium

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