Colombia. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) highlighted the role played in Colombia in the design and execution of important thermal districts. A thermal district is a local institution that leads, implements, and accelerates local ownership transitions, including clean energy transitions. In the process, thermal districts create local jobs and retain and increase wealth, while reducing carbon emissions and air pollution.
Colombia is a pioneer South American country in promoting this approach. As of 2013, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), together with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of Switzerland, has been implementing an energy district project in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (Minenvironment) and the utility company. of the city of Medellín (Empresas Públicas de Medellín - EPM).
In its second phase, starting in 2019, the project has been working closely with authorities and stakeholders at the national and city level to improve and implement national and subnational policies and regulatory frameworks to promote further development of energy districts; strengthening the knowledge and capacities of energy districts of all market players; and provide technical assistance to some 10 selected cities so that they can include energy districts in their urban planning and support the implementation of two or three mature projects in the near future.
From November 17 to 19, the UNIDO project and its partners, ACAIRE (Colombian Association of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning) and CIDARE, the Center for Research and Development in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration hosted the Third International Conference of Energy Districts, the virtual event that brought together with national and international experts from industry and academia, and representatives of the public sector and international organizations.
Carlos Eduardo Correa, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, said that the conference was the ideal setting to show the country's achievements in the implementation of district energy as a contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals.
"All our actions, plans, projects and regulations are aimed at achieving Nationally Determined Contributions, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and, at the same time, contributing to low-carbon development. Here Colombia has an important experience and is an example for the region," he said.
The progress of district energy in Colombia and the region, the importance of its implementation in urban planning, energy maps and clean energy transition, the mechanisms to finance these projects and the use of renewable energies in their execution, were some of the main topics addressed. by more than 30 national and international speakers during the three days of discussions.
"The main component of the project is the sustainability of knowledge and capabilities in Colombia. That is why support and work with academia are fundamental to strengthen the capacities of all actors in the value chain and promote the training of professionals in the areas of sustainability and energy efficiency, among others," said Alex Saer, Director of Climate Change. and Risk Management in the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.
The day was also the opportunity to celebrate the prizes of the II Contest of Universities in Energy District, with the aim of designing a business model for the sale of thermal energy applied to residential users.
The contest, which featured eight universities from Colombia, awarded the first-place winning team with fully funded attendance at the International District Energy Association's Campus Energy in Boston in February 2022.
