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eCityMálaga: A benchmark for the circular economy in the cities of the future
The eCityMálaga project is a public-private collaborative economy initiative that will be developed in the Málaga TechPark. The objective is to create an urban benchmark for sustainability and circularity applied to energy, transport, building and resources.
Cities occupy only 2% of the earth's surface but 60% of the world's population has chosen to live in them. This means that they concentrate 70% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.
Our way of life and consumption, based on "extract, use and throw away", is exposing our planet to environmental problems that are as important as climate change and the accumulation of waste.
Faced with this situation, the transition to a life model based on a circular economy is considered to be the best solution to ensure a sustainable future.
What is eCityMálaga?
The eCityMálaga project was created with the aim of redefining the current city model and, above all, rethinking the way in which we use raw materials and energy. After the experience accumulated from our SmartCity Málaga and Smart City Living Lab projects, this initiative is another step in the development towards sustainable cities.
eCityMálaga aims to become a benchmark for sustainability and circularity based on a proposal for energy transition and the use of resources within the Málaga TechParK, an urban venue to which it will contribute environmental benefits and greater competitiveness.
To make this project a reality, Málaga TechParK, Málaga City Council, Endesa and the entities located in the Andalusian Technology Park will act through public-private partnership mechanisms in the energy, transport, building and water sectors, supported by the information and communication technology sector. However, it will not be a closed plan, but open to the participation of others.
To respond to the challenges posed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Climate and Sustainable Energy Action Plan, the Action Plan for ta Circular Economy of the European Union and the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, eCityMálaga will be committed to circularity in everything relating to Energy, the City, Ecosystems and the Digital sphere, working on energy efficiency and decarbonisation. This will enable the achievement of an eco-efficient, renewable, innovative and digital city.
Rehabilitation of urban areas
Energy
This project will assess the potential for the improvement of the technology park to proceed with the rehabilitation of its main installations and buildings. After energy rehabilitation, an improvement in energy efficiency of between 35% and 45% of current consumption is expected. Furthermore, to optimise the degree of self-sufficiency, new models based on flexibility between intermittent renewable generation and manageable energy demand will be incorporated.
Flexibility capacity will be included in the electricity distribution network system, incorporating into the Málaga TechPark a new smart grid that has undergone more than 10 years of tests in the Smart City of Malaga and in Endesa's Living Lab.
Málaga TechPark, with almost 2,200 kWh/m² of production per year, will become the perfect venue for the development of photovoltaic generation. So much so that it will be possible to include 7 MW of photovoltaic power with an annual production of 12 GWh, enough energy to supply 25% of current needs for the park or up to 40%, after completing the efficiency actions planned in buildings and transport.
eCityMálaga will also try to achieve a 100% renewable supply, energy that will come mainly from the park's own photovoltaic plant and will be completed with green energy from installations near the site.
City
The project is firmly committed to sustainable mobility: Electric, connected and shared. With this in mind, it proposes an accelerated renewal of the current vehicle fleet, which will be replaced by zero-emission electric vehicles, by 2027, together with a priority access plan for these vehicles.
eCity Málaga will also develop a sensorised urban infrastructure to build a city platform that provides facilities for citizens. This will involve the incorporation of electric shuttles and the creation of platforms to share this mobility as a service, using light vehicles, is also contemplated.
Ecosystem
In order for the park to include technological innovation and a flow of resources, the project will focus on the requirements for water consumption, considering this a scarce resource. In fact, the modernisation and sensorisation of the water system will be one of the key factors in the vision of a circular economy included in the project.
Wooded areas will also be taken into account to improve air quality, as well as waste management and recycling. To meet the goal of a 50% reduction of the waste generated and doubling current recycling rates, the park's circularity index will be monitored together with developments.
Digital
eCityMálaga will need a smart electricity grid, which will involve the incorporation of sensorization equipment and information technologies into the current configuration, and will be responsible for including the connection of renewable energies. A "platform for the smart management of cities" will also be implemented, on which the main features will be the use of Open data, instruments such as Fiware and the standardisation of elements that enable the capture, exchange and the analysis of information.
Collaborative economy
The project will be promoted by the administration, with coverage in origin by the Andalusian Regional Government, the City Council of Málaga, the Málaga TechPark and Endesa, which will ensure the deployment of the first basic elements to prepare the enclosure and develop towards a benchmark area for circularity.
Our company's investment capacity will be a key factor to turn this technology park into an ideal scenario to undertake this development towards a circular city and to be the first to make a future shift in paradigm.
