You're reading: Business Sense: Will nation’s cities become more energy efficient after Euro 2012?

Reiner Schlatmann wrties: Installing better lighting is an easy way to increase effi ciency and cut energy bills.

The Euro 2012 soccer tournament offers Ukraine a unique opportunity – not only to attract tourists and showcase the country, but also to explore the advantages of efficient use of energy.

New constructions for the tournament – roads, hotels, sports stadiums, airports and other transport – have been made from scratch, and they definitely are more energy efficient than the old ones.

For Euro 2012 to have a positive legacy, it is crucial that the authorities learn how to integrate the energy-hungry new buildings into city plans, coordinating development of the local area to improve its energy efficiency, and make sure that the objects are used afterward.

For Euro 2012 to have a positive legacy, it is crucial that the authorities learn how to integrate the energy-hungry new buildings into city plans, coordinating development of the local area to improve its energy efficiency, and make sure that the objects are used afterward.

Lighting is a typical example of how planning and long-term visions can help increase energy efficiency and save money by cutting energy bills.

Euro 2012 objects have mostly been designed by leading architectural studios that place an emphasis on energyefficient lighting and energy solutions.

The best architects understand that they may pay a little more today for better technology, but this will allow money to be saved in the future. A good example of this way of creating an efficient object is the Donbass Arena in Donetsk, one of the most modern stadiums in Europe where energy efficient solutions were used.

For example, the latest development of high efficient sports floodlights allowed the number of projectors used to be reduced by 10 percent while still maintaining necessary light levels. This means a decrease in energy consumption of 10 percent compared to any other alternative lighting solution.

Even though modern buildings are more energy efficient, the truth is that they actually consume more energy than their predecessors. Imagine an old stadium and its energy needs: a couple of floodlights and some lighting in the director’s office and changing rooms.

The modern stadium is not just a lawn and stands for spectators. It’s a complicated object with wide food courts, powerful media centers, numerous advertising constructions and office facilities. All these features require a lot of energy.

The same holds true for other objects: New Ukrainian airports are larger than the old ones and consume more electricity. Connecting such facilities to the cities’ energy networks creates the problem of energy capacity shortage. Local authorities have to tackle this problem by putting new capacities into operation.

The point here is that the plan for Euro 2012 should not only include the construction of new objects, but also the renovation of surrounding areas as well as nearby roads.

In this work, local authorities can use the smart solutions learned and implemented in the modern buildings in order to reduce energy consumption. Such energy planning may compensate for the increase in consumption by the new facilities and mitigate the need to create additional energy generating capacities.

Thus, the overall energy efficiency of the city will be improved, and as a result, the burden on local budget will decrease.

Unfortunately, no one appears to be taking the lead at the moment. When there are several budget holders at one facility, it usually results in no one seeing the whole picture.

Ukrainians are working very hard to meet deadlines. The biggest deadline for the Ukrainian infrastructure is coming quickly, and of course we all hope, that Euro 2012 projects will be finished on time. But the most important thing for the country is to not stop moving forward.

Because all state and local budgets are tight, every person responsible for lighting in cities and on roads is interested in buying the cheapest lighting solution on the market with limited consideration of the problems that might arise in the future.

Among them are higher energy consumption, more maintenance spending and shorter service terms.

The choice of city lighting does not only affect energy consumption. In fact, our research in various countries shows that high-quality, pleasant lighting makes streets safer, enhances tourism potential, increases time spent by tourists in cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops.

After all, Ukraine wants to earn from tourists, doesn’t it?

Ukrainians are working very hard to meet deadlines. The biggest deadline for the Ukrainian infrastructure is coming quickly, and of course we all hope, that Euro 2012 projects will be finished on time. But the most important thing for the country is to not stop moving forward.

We all know the example of the Olympic Games in Greece in 2004, where inefficient use of Olympic facilities brought more problems than benefits to the country.

The main mistake of the Greek Olympics was the lack of thought put into the construction of some objects and inability to change them after the Games to fit the country’s needs. As a result, today some of the facilities, such as a baseball field, are not in use.

If these freestanding objects were surrounded by entertainment zones, they would be more popular. And this is an important lesson for Ukraine.

It is not always enough to build a huge modern object. To be successful, it should be situated in a zone of high interest with a lot of extra benefits for the visitors, and coordinated to fit into a wider city plan. Ukraine should create a strategy for infrastructure development and focus on its realization. There is still some time to benefit from past experiences and make sure we build for the future beyond Euro 2012.

Reiner Schlatmann is general manager and chairman of the management board at Philips Ukraine.