Path to clean energy: EU City Calculator

The EUCityCalc project brings together 10 pilot cities - Riga, Dijon Métropole, Mantova, Zdar, Palmela, Sesimbra, Setubal, Koprivnica, Varazdin, Virovitica - in different stages of their climate neutrality transition to empower them to devise locally owned and inclusive transition roadmaps. To help them chart this path, these local authorities can now use the new European City Calculator. The tool was developed to empower cities around Europe to develop scientifically and actionable policy scenarios and transition pathways, not only in line with the 2050 EU targets but also underpinned by a cross-sectoral and territorial approach to decarbonisation.

The online platform allows local councils and other stakeholders to integrate the data from their Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan as well as some key socio-demographic trends. The model underlying EU City Calculator completes the missing data (energy, emissions, activity data) thanks to a rich database at the level of each European country. The webtool provides public officials with critical insight and foresight into the implications and ramifications of various policy choices and investments at their disposal. Cities can build their own climate and energy scenarios, discover their impacts and compare them with their climate and energy targets.

Starting on 26 February 2024, all cities in the European Union will have the chance to enroll in the EUCityCalc learning programme to discover how to gather data and use the tool, organise and run co-creation workshops involving different stakeholders, as well as to understand the crucial role that local authorities can actively play in the national policy process. The project is funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, running from 2021 to 2024.