Amsterdam aims to entirely phase natural gas out of the city’s heat supply by 2050.
It's an ambitious target that will require a major overhaul of the Dutch capital’s energy system since 90% of Amsterdam households are currently heated by natural gas, which contributes 30% of its carbon emissions.
The city's authorities are not wasting any time in cleaning up their energy supply. A profile by The Atlantic's CityLab reveals the plan is already underway. In 2017, 10,000 public housing units will have their gas supplies removed and replaced with a more efficient system. From now on, new housing projects will not have individual natural gas heating systems.
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In the short term, natural gas will still be widely used in existing homes, but on a more efficient scale. Until now, homes in Amsterdam have been generating their own heat. By 2020, the city aims to help 102,000 Amsterdam homes switch from energy produced in their homes to energy generated at a central utility and supplied to individual homes by an insulated pipeline. Creating heat centrally produces significantly fewer carbon emissions than generating heat in individual homes.
Amsterdam is looking at longer-term solutions for weaning the city off natural gas, including using waste heat from power stations, to fuel houses. Ultimately, the city aims to fully rely on cleaner energy sources including solar water heaters.
From roads with built-in solar panels to launching Europe’s first fully electric taxi company, Amsterdam is pioneering innovative approaches to transforming the urban environment — a refreshing commitment to building a city that is clean and green.
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