Amsterdam’s plans to go green

Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has committed a Sustainability Fund of nearly €50 million, on top of the existing €40 million Climate and Energy Fund.

The city is developing sustainability plans in collaboration with local industries, supply chain managers, real estate developers and bus and taxi companies.

The target of the Sustainable Amsterdam green agenda is to increase the energy generation per person by 20 per cent between 2013 and 2020, reduce energy use per person by 20 per cent, and increase the solar power capacity from 9MW to 160MW.

Although the city has not reached its 2016 targets, the new funds should secure the next target for 2020.

The number of public electric vehicles (EV) charging stations will be increased, from 1,000 in 2013 to 4,000 by 2018, in order to encourage people to buy and use EVs.

Taxis will all be electric and there will be all-electric bus transport throughout the city by 2025.

There are plans to have more numerous freight transfer hubs on the outskirts of Amsterdam, where gasoline and diesel-powered commercial vehicles will transfer cargo to low-emission or zero-emission vehicles to reduce the number of delivery trucks in the city.

Heat and power will also be generated by burning solid waste, providing power for both residential and industrial customers.

In order to set an example for building owners, €8 million subsidies will be provided by the city to one public housing corporation of the city to retrofit 1,000 flats to a standard of zero-net-energy.

Amsterdam spokesman Peter Paul Ekker, said that support for the green plan in Amsterdam is unanimous: “especially since we now also see that it brings new jobs, new wealth, [and] new business opportunities.”