The city of Alkmaar is one of two so-called 'Light house' cities (next to Évora, Portugal) and next to six 'Fellow' cities (including Bari in Italy and Granada in Spain) that form the basis of the EU POCITYF project, which is a European Horizon 2020 project aimed at making cultural heritage cities more sustainable, greener, smarter and more livable. In this project, 46 European partners from 13 countries work closely together to implement the so-called Positive Energy District (PED) concept. This concept means that participants strive to produce more sustainable energy than is consumed. The two Light house cities are demonstrating several sustainable innovations, the six fellow cities are closely monitoring developments, with the aim of applying them themselves, taking into account local conditions. The POCITYF project started in October 2019 and has a lead time of 5 years. The total European grant budget for this project is €22.2 million.

Investa is the expertise center located in Alkmaar for biomass and gasification technology and for broad application of the gases produced. As an important member of the Alkmaar energy ecosystem, InVesta works together with Entrepreneurs, researchers and government authorities on sustainable and innovative green gas initiatives in the larger North Holland energy business cluster. InVesta has initiated the construction of a new building for its expertise center at Boekelermeer business park at Alkmaar. Construction has started in November 2021 and will be completed shortly after summer 2022.
The InVesta Foundation has received approval from the EU to join as a partner in POCITYF.
Being a partner in POCITYF will enable InVesta to equip the new building with the latest innovative and sustainable technologies that fit its business operations.

Before participating in the POCITYF project, InVesta already planned to realize the expertise center building to meet the BENG requirements applicable since 1 January, 2021, which means that the building must be (nearly) energy-neutral. By now being able to join the POCITYF consortium InVesta can deploy the most modern, innovative and sustainable technologies and completely exceed the original requirements. Instead of a (nearly) zero-energy building, the InVesta expertise center building will be energy-positive and become one of the showpieces of the POCITYF project.
Innovative solar panels will be installed on the roof and in the façade. A surplus of electricity produced will stored in a battery. The building's heating system will be fully sustainable with PVT panels, which generate heat in addition to electricity, and innovative heat pumps such as a thermo acoustic heat pump. That is not all, the building will have triple glazing, circular (insulation) materials, phase transition materials (a kind of thermal battery), a hydrogen fuel cell, a direct current grid and smart charging points and also the energy flows will be optimally coordinated with a smart energy management system. This will make the InVesta building one of the most sustainable buildings in the Alkmaar region.

Investa Alkmaar brings competences in the field of green gases
According to the project Manager of POCITYF – Mr. José Miguel Costa (Energias de Portugal): "The inclusion of InVesta considerably increments the added-value of POCITYF as a whole. InVesta will not only broaden the multidisciplinary nature of the project, by bringing more competences in the field of green gases, but will also take the demonstration activities to the next level, by linking POCITYF to its future building, which will rank among the most sustainable ones of Alkmaar. The consortium, is, obviously, more than happy in welcoming InVesta as a partner."

This project was co-funded by the European Union, Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 864400.