How can cities develop viable business models and financing approaches for Positive Clean Energy Districts?
On 5 December 2023, ASCEND and NEUTRALPATH organised a joint webinar on Business Models and Financing for PCEDs, bringing together experience from several European initiatives to examine how cities can finance and structure the delivery of Positive Clean Energy Districts. The session reflected a central challenge for PCED development: districts involve multiple stakeholders with different priorities, investment capacities and expectations, meaning that there is no single business model that can be applied everywhere. Instead, business models need to reflect local conditions while creating and delivering value for the actors involved.
The webinar combined perspectives from NEUTRALPATH, ASCEND, PROSPECT+, SCALABLE CITIES and MAKING-CITY. Contributions explored financing for buildings and smart cities, sustainable business models for PCEDs, and financial solutions available to cities and solution providers. ASCEND presented its emerging approach to business model development, while NEUTRALPATH outlined its own methodology and early project experience.
A particular focus was placed on the MAKING-CITY financial toolbox, designed to help cities understand different financial models, providers, delivery vehicles and financing schemes that can support PED implementation. The toolbox links financing options with specific solution packages and aims to create pathways for bankable projects that can attract investment, reduce risk and support larger-scale replication.
The session also highlighted the importance of moving beyond individual financial instruments towards a more integrated understanding of who provides finance, how projects are delivered, and how costs and benefits are distributed among stakeholders. Examples presented during the webinar showed how different actors, including municipalities, citizens, ESCOs, special purpose vehicles and financial institutions, can be connected within a district business model.
The webinar features the following speakers:
- ASCEND: Phillippe Fournand (Blue-Sight Conseil)
ASCEND: Selina Lorenz (USG)
NEUTRALPATH: Stefania Mascolo (Eurocities)
NEUTRALPATH: Miguel Ángel García Fuentes (CARTIF)
NEUTRALPATH: Chiara Managò (RINA)
PROSPECT+: Sylwia Slomiak (EUROCITIES)
Scalable Cities: Damian Wagner-Herold (Smart Cities Consulting)
MAKING-CITY: Rachel Desmaris (R2M)
MAKING-CITY: Mohaddeseh Maktabifard (R2M)
The joint session marked an early step in the collaboration between ASCEND and NEUTRALPATH on financing and business models, creating a basis for further exchange on how cities can move from technical PCED concepts towards financially viable and implementable district projects.