Description (EN): We face the challenge of reducing energy consumption to make our cities more sustainable, and water and wastewater facilities are often the largest and most energy-intensive loads owned and operated by local governments, representing up to 35% of municipal energy use. Capturing and reusing stormwater runoff on before it flows into surface waters allows its use onsite either to replenish groundwater supplies through infiltration or for graywater uses, like landscape irrigation and toilet flushing. These techniques are known as Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), the central objective of which is to maintain individual sites' pre-development hydrology. SuDS are common sense and simple technology, such as strategically placed beds of native plants, rain barrels, green roofs and porous surfaces for parking lots and roads. In addition to reducing energy and potable water use, the result is less water pollution from contaminated runoff, less flooding, replenished water supplies, and often more natural-looking, aesthetically pleasing cityscapes. In summary, the use of SuDS reduces energy consumption in cities by: - Reducing use of potable water, hence, energy consumed by acquisition -frequently by pumping- and treatment of drinking water, even higher where desalination is used and/or water imported. - Reducing stormwater inflow into sewer systems, hence, energy consumed by treatment of wastewater and pumping of surface and foul water. - Reducing local temperatures and shading building surfaces, hence lessen the cooling and heating demand for buildings, reducing energy needs and decreasing emissions from power plants. However, knowledge is very weak in Med cities where stormwater has been seen as a problem of waste and damage control. Additionally, data on energy consumption in the urban water cycle is rarely available and hard to find, so it is very difficult for local administrations and decision makers to account for energy efficiency aspects when deciding on different alternatives/solutions, especially water related. Responding to these challenges, E2STORMED will promote the use of SuDS to improve energy efficiency in the urban water cycle and in buildings in MED cities, capitalising outputs and results from previous projects and experiences of E2STORMED partnership (AQUAVAL and SWITCH EU projects, amongst others). In order to address the critical issue of rolling out improved technologies, E2STORMED will improve, adapt, and test in MED cities, existing integrated management tools. E2STORMED work packages are: - WP1: Administrative and financial management of the project / coordination of the partnership. - WP2: Information, awareness raising and capitalization. - WP3: Modification of existing tools and methods for innovative energy efficiency in stormwater management. Exchange of practices and experiences. - WP4: Pilot Actions in 6 MED cities to calibrate and validate the Integrated Management Tools, so they are directly transferable to other MED cities.
Read more Achievements (EN): E²STORMED addressed the challenge of improving energy efficiency through sustainable urban stormwater management, and had the goal to provide local authorities with management tools that allow them to take informed decisions (by improving existing management tools incorporating energy efficiency indicators and adapting them to MED cities).
E²STORMED institutional partners had in charge of the implementation of the management tools (developed by the operational partners) in their cities. Their participation has been of paramount importance as it has been the only way to verify the applicability of the tools to MED cities (going from a theoretical practical tool to demonstrate their real value for the municipalities). In this sense, pilot activities took place in the municipalities that these partners represent: Benaguasil (Spain), Cetinje (Montenegro), Pisa (Italy), Hersonissos (Greece), Zagreb (Croatia) and Msida (Malta).
Modifying and adapting existing tools and methods for innovative energy efficiency in stormwater management, led the E²STORMED project to the following Envisaged Integrated Management Tools:
• Decision Support Tool (DST) to improve energy efficiency in the urban water cycle in smart MED cities by the use of innovative storm water management systems. The DST allows local authorities to take better informed decisions
• Transition Manual for rolling out improved technologies
• Strategic Action Plan for energy efficiency improvement by the use of innovative storm water management systems
In the frame of the E²STORMED, six Regional Working Groups on Energy Efficiency were created, to allow the participation of the main actors related to energy, water and urban development, public as well as private, to enable the identification of new opportunities and works niches (green jobs).
In addition, a green roof was built and monitored in Benaguasil (Spain) to quantify its energy efficiency in comparison to a conventional one.
E²STORMED Decision Support Tool
The E²STORMED Decision Support Tool is a software which supports the decision-making process in urban stormwater management. Using this tool, the advantages and disadvantages of different drainage scenarios can be compared and different decision criteria can be defined to choose the best option for urban stormwater management. The E²STORMED DST encourages making decisions based not only on financial criteria, but also on energy, environmental and social criteria.
The procedure to compare different drainage infrastructures’ scenarios is described in the Quick Reference Guide and the Decision Support Tool Guidelines, included in the E²STORMED DST.
The tool can be used in one of the 6 supported languages (English, Spanish, Italian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Greek) and can be freely downloaded at the projects website.
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