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State of the Art Solutions

Across Europe, ASCEND cities are turning ambition into action. From renewable energy systems and smart grids to citizen-driven initiatives and digital tools, cities are testing and refining real solutions for Positive Clean Energy Districts.

This repository brings these innovations together — showcasing cutting-edge approaches that make urban transformation tangible. Explore how different cities are decarbonising buildings, rethinking mobility, and engaging communities.

Whether you’re a city planner, policymaker, or innovator, this is your space to get inspired, navigate what’s possible, and see how others are shaping the future of climate-neutral cities.

Key Findings

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Broker Requirement

Most solutions require an intermediary to connect the dots, facilitate service access, and combine different public funding sources.

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Regulatory Barriers

Regulation and permitting are the main obstacles.

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Data Importance

Data is crucial for planning and evaluating PCEDs.

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Service Model

PCED interventions increasingly resemble a service model, where an orchestrator organizes and combines different actors and funding sources to guarantee a service.

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Digital Transformation Lag

Digital transformation at the municipal level is lagging, with resistance to tools like Digital Twins or serial refurbishment requiring 3D models.

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Reluctance Towards Digital

Cities are hesitant to adopt more distributed or open-source approaches, such as allowing credits for citizens to build applications or projects.

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Scalability Issues

Many solutions lack substantial elements and data to scale, being designed for specific pilot sizes without scalability by design. There is a lack of basic data to build business models and create financing schemes to support growth.

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Human and Resource Constraints

City strategies often have grand designs and objectives without addressing the necessary conditions to scale them.