Lucerne wants to be free of fossil fuels by 2035
The city administration of Lucerne wants to free itself from fossil fuel consumption by 2035. As a first step, vehicles are to be converted to electricity. Subsequently, all properties are to be sustainably converted.
The city administration of Lucerne wants to free itself from fossil fuel consumption by 2035. According to a press release from the city, the first step is to replace around 200 service vehicles from petrol and diesel with electric drives by 2030. By the target year of 2035, the heating systems and hot water supplies in the city’s 150 or so properties are also to be converted from oil or gas firing to renewable systems such as heat pumps. Photovoltaic systems are to generate electricity on the roofs of these buildings. This could cover 35 to 40 per cent of the city’s current demand.
In a recent report, the administration was already able to point to 65 converted properties in the conversion of heating systems that began five years ago. The aim of the heating system conversion is to emit a total of 3300 tonnes less CO2 from 2035. The costs of the conversion are estimated at around CHF 60 million.
“We are not only calling on other property owners to take action, we are also getting involved ourselves,” Katja Dürst, Head of the Environmental Protection Department, is quoted as saying in the press release.