13 March 2023
🚍 Public #transport is going electric! "There are barriers but no reluctance from public transport operators to introduce #renewableenergy". UITP Secretary General Mohamed Mezghani and WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson sat down in one of STIB-MIVB's new fully-electric busses.
STIB-MIVB is operating public transport in Brussels. They are shooting for: ⬇ 40% less greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. They have signed a #windenergy PPA, and have installed 5500 solar panels on their premises.
But there are barriers for public transport to go fully green:
⚡ For wind: permitting for new wind farms slowing the roll-out of wind energy
🚍 For public transport operators: the need to install new charging infrastructure and the need to increase awareness, particularly about the options for smaller players to source green energy - such as aggregated power purchase agreements (PPA).
How can we solve these challenges?
🤝 Forging new partnerships between transport and renewable electricity suppliers
💶 Raising awareness that renewables are cheap and are key to the decarbonisation of transport - just look at the great examples of Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Deutsche Bahn, and RATP Group
📜Signing more Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) between wind and transport