The Brno Green future plan is to ensure the city’s energy self-sufficiency
Brno, 8 February 2022 – The city of Brno wants to make full use of its energy potential and significantly accelerate towards CO2 neutrality. Furthermore, the Brno agglomeration will be energy self-sufficient and independent of fossil energy sources. The interconnected set of energy and environmental projects of the city company SAKO Brno, which was presented under the title “Green future # 2030” by Petr Hladík, First Deputy Mayor and Filip Leder, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SAKO Brno, is to make a significant contribution to this.
“We want to move Brno towards CO2 neutral by the end of 2030 at the latest and at the same time work to make the city carbon neutral for the next twenty years. Among other things, we can present the potential of the SAKO Brno municipal company to these projects, which we will connect into one large, meaningful whole, ”added Deputy Petr Hladík. “Already in the first phase of implementation, Green future will allow us to reduce CO2 emissions by 55%, the planned 40% commitment so far,” explains Petr Hladík.
Green future counts on the massive use of solar energy in the city’s distribution system, its accumulation and support in the production of green hydrogen. The hydrogen electrolyser will use surpluses produced from renewable electricity and wastewater from the production technology at SAKO Brno. The city’s biogas plant processes gastro waste to produce biomethane and supplies the city with energy and digestate, which can be used as fertilizer. “Together with the involvement of SAKO Brno technologies, which already know how to produce heat and electricity from waste without the use of fossil fuels, it receives a circular, almost self-sufficient and low-energy circulation system that is resistant to external influences and independent of external energy supplies,” said Filip Leder. Chairman of the Board of SAKO Brno.
The production of green electricity and green hydrogen will enable a fundamental development in the use of solar energy in the urban agglomeration, contribute to the decarbonisation of urban transport and renewable energy, and the energy production of energy waste will significantly strengthen the self-sufficiency of the urban agglomeration. “In the coming years, we will use the word decarbonisation in almost all cases,” adds Petr Hladík.
Decarbonise by replacing solar energy will consume electricity in public buildings and later in commercial and private buildings, transport in the city of Brno will be decarbonised. The hydrogen electrolyser will produce sources using the roof of the city’s 40kWp solar power plant and power the city’s car traffic. Urban transport and refuse collection vehicles will become emission-free, electric and hydrogen-free within 10 years. “We have high hopes for the development of hydrogen technology. We asked the manufacturer for a hydrogen truck for waste collection and we will be the first in the country and perhaps in Central Europe to test it. We were impressed by its parameters, saving 10,000 liters of diesel per year per collection vehicle, much lower noise compared to conventional cars and a range of up to 500 kilometers. If the testing turns out well, the renewal of the collection company’s fleet and urban transport will take this direction, ”says Filip Leder.
Part of the “Green Future” project complex is also to achieve energy stability, security and self-sufficiency of the city of Brno. “In case of black-out or other unforeseen circumstances, our agglomerations must have backup energy sources ready. The electric generator will allow us to run SAKO Brno’s production technology from the so-called darkness and using exclusively renewable sources. We will thus be able to ensure the basic electricity output of the city’s critical infrastructure and at the same time ensure the supply of heat and electricity for the inhabitants of Brno, “concludes Petr Hladík.
Green Future expects investments of 3 billion crowns and is expected to provide about 50 to 80% subsidy support.