Transport

Freiburg, Germany

Freiburg - an inspirational city powered by solar, where a third of all journeys are by bike

Summary

Since the 1970s Freiburg has developed a reputation as Germany's ecological capital. By 1986 the City had a vision for a sustainable city reliant on an ecologically-oriented energy supply, today its solar, energy efficiency and transport programs are among the best in the world. Over 10 years CO2 emission have been reduced by more than 10% per capita, there has been a 100% increase in public transport use – with up to 35% of residents choosing to live without a car Freiburg is living proof that solar can work in the Northern Hemisphere.

What is it?

A sustainable city driving down CO2 emissions by regulation, incentives, design, long-term commitment and policy reform.

How does it work?

In 1996, the City passed a resolution, the Climate Protection Concept, to reduce CO2 emissions to 25% below the 1992 level by 2010. Target areas include energy (i.e. in buildings, private households and businesses, and in industry), and transport. Emissions from waste, farming and forestry are not included because they are negligible. The majority of the City's emissions reductions have come from co-generation. Almost 50% of the City's electricity is supplied through a CHP steam and gas plant called Rhodia. Heat from the plant is used for industrial purposes for the chemical industry.

2. Transport

Car-free inititatives

• The old town centre became car-free in 1973, and in 1990, a 30 kph zone was introduced for almost all residential streets, except main roads;
• Freiburg introduced a low-cost flat-rate monthly "Environment ticket" for the region-wide bus service in 1991, and there has been a 100% increase in people using public transport since 1980;
• In the new district of Vauban, if residents sign a contract stating that they will live without a car, the requirement to buy a parking space in the district garage is waived, reducing the cost of their housing;
• Around 30 - 35% of the residents have chosen to live without a car. In 2004 and 2005 the city will open two major new tram lines, one from the city centre to Vauban. As a result of these initiatives, motor vehicle use fell from 38% to 32% between 1982 and 1999, in complete contrast to the trend in almost all other central European cities.
• A cycling plan was drawn up in 1970, and the city now has over 500 km of bicycle paths, and a third of all journeys are by bicycle. There are more than 5000 bicycle parking spaces in the city, with more at tram stops for "bike and ride" commuters. The main railway station has parking and other cyclist facilities for 1,000 bicycles.

C02 reduction

In 1997, the average Freiburg citizen produced 10.6 tons of CO2 annually. In 2003, the average Freiburg citizen produced 9.6 tons - three quarters of which comes from the energy sector.

Energy: CO2 emissions have reduced from 1,660,000 tons CO2 in 1993 to 1,574,000 in 2003 – a 5.2% decrease

Transport: CO2 emissions have reduced from 413,000 tons CO2 in 1993 to 393,000 in 2003 – a 4.8% decrease

Energy and Transport: CO2 emissions have reduced from 2,073,000 tons CO2 in 1993 to 1,967,000 in 2003 – a 5% decrease.

Energy saving

• In 2003 34.1 million kWh p.a. electricity from renewables would replace the same amount of climate-damaging electricity
• In 2007, around 40 million kWh p.a

Next steps

The City is aiming for 10% of the electricity from renewables by 2010 – in accordance with German federal government's 2001 Renewable Energy Law, currently it is 4%. This is because the City is without major hydro-power facilities and the development of wind energy has been limited. Biomass offers the greatest opportunity to meet this goal, along with solar.

Application

As an economic development driver, Freiburg's solar strategy does not require any specific structure, or core funding. It is powered by the synergy created by the city's vision among many solar players working together, who gain a mutual benefit from each other's presence. In the open market, solar PV is still too costly for most builders and developers.