How does the city of the future look like? The 6th TecTalk – Digital Transformation “Smart City”, initiated by ITQ GmbH Duisburg, the communications consultancy crossrelations and the Förderverein Ingenieurwissenschaften of the University of Duisburg-Essen e.V., was dedicated to this topic.
Under the motto “City of the future using the example of SmartQuart”, experts examined and discussed the “intelligent, sustainable city”, which has been a major topic in politics and urban development for several years, during the TecTalk at the end of August 2021. Dr. Sahra Vennemann, SmartQuart Project Manager, E.ON SE, and the Technical Project Manager, Jürgen Hammelmann, Westnetz GmbH, reported on their experiences and challenges after one year of SmartQuart. Around 35 participants, including executives from companies who want to advance digitalization in their business model, took part in the hybrid event on site and virtually.
According to Capgemini, a majority would like to live in a Smart City. After the first model projects in the major metropolises, the concept is now also picking up speed in Germany. Smart City Transformations are now going hand in hand with the energy and mobility transition and combine this with major leaps in development in urban digitization. The city of the future should not only offer its residents quality of life through comfort and innovations, but also combine this with a particularly effective ecological balance.
The exciting and pioneering SmartQuart project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of the “Reallabore der Energiewende” program. The central concept of the SmartQuart is that the energy that is produced on site is consumed in three different quarters by means of sector coupling. The individual system components should “interact” in a network. In the hydrogen quarter in Kaisersesch in Rhineland-Palatinate, hydrogen is produced for local businesses and drives local public transport. It also covers the heat demand in the industrial area.
An urban quarter in Essen combines living and working on a climate-neutral denominator. Quarter number three in the city of Bedburg relies on green energy that is generated on site and, if there is a surplus, it is also distributed to the other quarters. A project that places the highest demands on those involved. This applies to the technologies used, but also to the accompanying communication with regard to early citizen participation and transparent communication.
Impressions of 6th Duisburg TecTalk
