CO2N anticipates the demand of business park developers and associations for collective energy supply for all interested businesses on an industrial or SME-zone. Blikstraat in Wijnegem concerned the development of a new business park with as final objective the design of a sustainability vision and a concept implementation plan for a cluster-energy technique that can be used by POM Antwerp as a tool or guideline in order to put the first steps for the development of carbon neutral business parks.

CO2N investigated the methods that can be applied to obtain carbon neutrality and offered an economic evaluation per action point, taking into account the investment costs, the demand for energy, eventual returns to scale in the case of a joint purchase, yield and pay-back time, subsidies, etc. in a correct juridical context. The project also aimed at drawing up a sub-plan CO2 neutrality, in conformity with the grant decision of the Flemish government, and hereby looks into the role of business park management.

For Blikstraat in Wijnegem, the use of renewable energy sources was investigated, both for individual companies as for business clusters. Furthermore, also the potential of joint production and/or exchange of energy and material was studied, in particular in the light of potential outsourcing to so-called ESCO’s, Energy Service Companies.