Synergies between the ClimAct CEE and ASCEND Project
The Municipality of Alba Iulia organised a 2-day workshop in the framework of the ASCEND project which took place on 16th – 17th May 2023. Upon the invitation of Alba Iulia Municipality, ALEA who is partner in the ASCEND project was present in the workshop, too. Given that ASCEND and ClimAct CEE tackles similar issues, namely clean energy districts for the climate neutrality of cities, the workshop was an opportunity for ALEA to present the ClimAct CEE project and highlight aspects that pose commonalities in the 2 projects paving the way for future collaboration in this perspective.
During the meeting, besides the general presentation that ALEA gave, detailing the most important aspects of ClimAct CEE, the workshop enabled discussions on how to maximise the results and resources by means of collaboration between the 2 projects. Also, during the workshop there were discussions on the screening methodology proposed by ClimAct CEE and how it could be beneficial for ASCEND, given the fact that the area identified as LEZ in ClimAct CEE is within the identified area as clean energy district in the ASCEND project. This aspect enabled the participants to identify possible collaborations built upon the ClimAct CEE screening methodology results. It was also a good opportunity to outline directions of possible measures in the future action plans of the 2 projects. The fact that the areas targeted by the 2 projects overlap also represented an opportunity for the municipality representatives as it means that several action points could be implemented in a synergistic manner by the municipality.
ASCEND (Accelerate positive Clean Energy Districts) is a Horizon Europe project implemented by Alba Iulia Municipality as a partner of a bigger consortium, aiming to accelerate positive, clean energy districts (PCED) for the cities’ transition towards climate neutrality and social justice across Europe. The overarching goals of the project are: Make cities healthier, inclusive and climate neutral; Speed and scale the deployment of cost-effective PCEDs solution packages.