Grand Lyon Métropole

The Greater Lyon metropolitan area covers more than 500 km² and includes 58 municipalities around the City of Lyon. The urban region was one of the first local authorities to sign the Aalborg Charter for Sustainable Cities. Since then, the metropolitan area has pursued an ambitious climate and energy strategy through a Territorial Air Energy Climate Plan (PCAET) and its actions in the framework of the EU-funded Smarter Together Project.

The objectives of the energy and climate transition of the Greater Lyon metropolitan area

In 2019, the metropolitan area defined 125 actions to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. This requires a 43% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 30% reduction in energy consumption (compared to 2000). It also undertakes to increase the share of renewable energy in the regional consumption.

The Lyon metropolitan area therefore invited associations, residents and local companies to an awareness day and set up twenty citizen consultation workshops to develop solutions. The territory subsequently incorporated 100 of the citizen’s proposals into its 2019-2030 climate plan.

Decarbonise buildings and collectivise underground urban networks

Actions to promote the energy transition of Greater Lyon are recorded in the PCAET as the 2019-2030 Energy Master Plan. This participatory strategic tool makes it possible to track the evolution of energy production and consumption and to define energy transition public policy.

For example, the metropolitan area has set the energy renovation of 200,000 buildings as a priority by 2030. To encourage this effort, it is helping to renovate 100,000 public and private homes through the Ecorénov scheme.

In parallel, Lyon metropolitan area relies on renewable energies to heat 7 city districts and 8 municipalities. The underground heating system conveys water from central boilers to the buildings served. The cooling/air-conditioning network, meanwhile, runs on electricity to cool the water needed to air-condition large installations. Today, more than one million m² of premises in the urban area are connected to the collective system. The urban area wants to increase the number of connected premises in the coming years.

Sources: official website of Greater Lyon metropolitan area; Climate Plan of the metropolitan area; best practice article “Smart City Lyon” (Energy Cities)