Pathway towards Climate-Neutrality through low risky and fully replicable Positive Clean Energy Districts

Project Information

NEUTRALPATH

Grant agreement ID: 101096753

DOI

10.3030/101096753

EC signature date 9 December 2022

Start date 1 January 2023

End date 31 December 2027

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 23 932 617,34

EU contribution

€ 19 618 158,39

Coordinated by

FUNDACION CARTIF
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NEUTRALPATH (Pathway towards Climate-Neutrality through low risky and fully replicable Positive Clean Energy Districts)

Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Zaragoza (Spain) and Dresden (Germany) aim to be climate-neutral in 2030 and are members of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. They have decided to work together with the aim to be pioneers at EU level in climate neutrality and zero pollution by 2030, acting as experimentation and innovation hubs to help all European cities to follow suit by 2050.

NEUTRALPATH aims at demonstrating that Positive and Clean Energy Districts (PCEDs) designed and implemented under participative and human-center principles are cost-effective and feasible solutions to contribute significantly to the cities’ transformation towards climate-neutrality, allowing to speed up the process even to reach SCOPE 2 emissions reduction in 2030. Dresden and Zaragoza will demonstrate 2 PCEDs from the design to the implementation and evaluation stages acting as Lighthouse Cities (LH). Both cities also ambition to act as front-runners of this process creating Climate-Neutral Labs (CN-Labs) conceived as Innovation Hubs with the aim of fostering faster upscaling and replicability at EU level, making three Fellow Cities (Istanbul, Ghent and Vantaa) through their own CN-Labs direct participants of the processes and later on main protagonists of their own PCED design.

NEUTRALPATH will deliver a strong contribution to meet the EU climate targets establishing a collaboration agreement with the Cities Mission Platform focused on exchanging knowledge and experiences, as well as with the main EU initiatives as H2020 SCC Lighthouse projects and SC Marketplace or Covenant of Mayors

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the second reporting period (M16–M33), NEUTRALPATH consolidated the transition from planning to implementation across its two main axes—citizen-driven climate neutrality governance and the deployment of Positive and Clean Energy Districts (PCEDs):
• All five CN-Labs (Zaragoza, Dresden, Ghent, Vantaa and Istanbul) remained active and strengthened their governance and coordination, updating their 2025 roadmaps through structured processes and holding an inter-lab workshop in Istanbul (M22) to exchange solutions on participatory approaches and governance/administrative challenges; in parallel, a shared data-collection tool was launched to track engagement KPIs and activity implementation.
• Citizen and stakeholder co-creation activities were expanded and systematised, using workshops, surveys and public events (e.g. Vantaa CN-Lab kickoff, Istanbul Open Day, Zaragoza participatory sessions), with citizen inputs (e.g. 209 survey responses in Vantaa) feeding into both PCED design choices and the Climate City Contract (CCC) development in each city.
• WP2 consolidated the transition from PCED design to implementation in the Lighthouse Cities (Zaragoza and Dresden), focusing on executive designs, tendering documentation, licensing/permits and coordination between technical and financial workstreams; draft deliverables supporting this implementation phase (D2.3 and D2.4) were prepared/submitted as requested in the first review report.
• Zaragoza: Phase I (envelope refurbishment) reached a key milestone with the executive project completed (June 2025) and permits under review, after a multi-phase public tendering sequence; Phase II preparation progressed, including a strategic shift from biomass-based solutions to geothermal + PV to ensure a fully-electric, carbon-neutral configuration.
• Dresden: tangible implementation advanced at Site A through continuation of the LowEx network pilot with decentralised smart heat stations and integration of small heat pumps, while Site B was adapted due to financing constraints into a planning/knowledge demonstrator (renewable potential and simulation-based urban planning) to preserve learning outcomes.
• Monitoring and evaluation moved from definition to operationalisation, with monitoring programmes defined for Zaragoza and Dresden (equipment distribution, data collection systems) and baseline data collection initiated in energy, social and environmental domains.
• Non-technical transferability and engagement tools were delivered and deployed, notably the multilingual Energize serious/board game (200 certified units in 6 languages) and interactive digital totems (3D maps, clickable technology showcases, educational diagrams), alongside Open Days in Dresden, Istanbul and Zaragoza to increase public understanding and participation around PCED concepts.
• Upscaling/replication and investment-readiness were significantly advanced, including mapping funding sources, conducting PESTEL + stakeholder analyses, developing a bankability methodology, and creating a modular, web-based digital Bankability Assessment Tool to help cities and investors assess financial viability and risk for PCED replication/upscaling; additionally, local context analyses and GIS/MCDA-informed area selection progressed for future PCEDs in Fellow Cities (Ghent, Vantaa, Istanbul).

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

With the main impact of contributing to the climate neutrality of our cities, NEUTRALPATH will provide integrated strategies to address the urban energy transition through PCED implementation.
During this second period important progresses have been carried out towards achieving this impact of the project:
• Advanced Zaragoza PCED Phase I to executive design completion and progressed permits/tender preparation; initiated Phase II preparation and confirmed the geothermal + PV pathway.
• Progressed Dresden implementation in Site A with LowEx network/smart heat stations and adapted Site B into a planning/knowledge demonstrator to preserve replicable learning under funding constraints.
• Kept all five CN-Labs active, updated 2025 roadmaps and reinforced cross-city collaboration with an inter-lab workshop and common KPI tracking.
• Delivered the first full cycle of capacity building (handbook, online modules and in-person peer-learning).
• Advanced investment-readiness and replication with bankability methodology and a modular digital assessment tool, alongside local context analyses for replication in the fellow cities.

View of Zaragoza demo site

View of Dresden demo site