Cities on Power
The challenge of the global climate change and the pressure on resources stemming from the global competition combined with the high dependency of the energy import of the European Union requires concerted strategies and innovative adaptation approaches. The EU directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (RES) from 23rd April 2010 imposes on the EU Member States the obligation to ensure that the share of the energy from renewable sources reaches the target of 20% in the Community’s gross final production of energy in 2020. It obliges the Member States to adopt the renewable energy action plans setting out the national targets. This ambitious target cannot be met without the involvement and commitment of the cities whose energy demand equals for 73% of the gross energy demand of the EU.

Better exploitation of renewable energy strengthens the competitiveness of the European cities, regions and a business, reduces the energy dependency and secures the sustainability of energy supply and reduces the vulnerability to the global competition for fossil fuels. The project “Cities on Power” (CoP) reaffirms the relevance of concerted activities aimed at the increased use of RES in the urban context under consideration of peculiarities of the cities, seeking joint approaches to better exploitation of RES and diversification of the energy supply in the urban context. The project is deeply rooted in the local activities of the involved public authorities and expert institutions aimed at the promotion of sustainable development. 