Energetic Bike Tour of the Gresco

The Energetic Cycling Route takes you past various places that are related to the Energy and Sustainability Program of the Municipality of Groningen.
 
1. We start with an exponent of fossil energy; the Gas Union.
2. We will then cycle towards the Onlanden, where the city's excess water can be stored. This will become increasingly important with future climate changes.
3.From the Onlanden we take the highway towards the Westpoort. Here will be the first real hydrogen filling station in Groningen.
4. We cycle towards Hoogkerk, just before we turn to Vierverlaten we see the Suikerunie on the right. This is where most of the Municipality's Green Gas is produced.
5. We turn left and when we round the bend we cannot avoid the solar park. Zonnepark Vierverlaten consists of 7777 panels and will be owned by the residents of Groningen.
6. After Vierverlaten we cycle along a beautiful route towards the Reitdiepwijk. Perhaps in the future there will be windmills in this landscape that provide electricity for the city. One windmill generates more electricity than the entire Vierverlaten solar park.
7. The Reitdiepwijk would like to become the most sustainable district in Groningen. Sustainability Reitdiep is working on solar panels, zero measurements of the neighborhood and is looking at whether experiments can be done in the neighborhood in combination with the nearby Entrance.
8.Entrance is also where we are going now. But first we cycle past Warmtestad. At the flag, Warmtestad will drill 3 kilometers into the ground for warm water. This warm water is used to provide heat to the Zernike complex and the Paddepoel and Selwerd districts.
9. We are now cycling through the surrounding countryside towards Zuidwolde.
10. From Moeke Vaatstra we cross the bridge through the farmlands, along reed land and along the cycle path along our partner municipality of Ten Boer. In Ten Boer comes the Woldwijk. A sustainable neighborhood must be built here and the neighborhood is also used to place temporary housing for residents whose homes need to be reinforced. In the context of the distance, we skip Ten Boer and cycle towards Meerstad.
11.Meerstad is a natural gas-free district and therefore an example of how soon everyone in Groningen might live. There are also plans in Meerstad to generate sustainable electricity with a solar meadow and perhaps even windmills. We cycle through Meerstad for a while.
12. After Meerstad we cycle towards two solar parks. Nearly 60,000 panels will be installed on the former Woltjerspoor landfill. A little further on the Roode haan business park, approximately 60,000 panels will also be installed. Willow branches are now also being grown on this site, which serve as biofuel.
13. We go under the railway along the allotment gardens of the Tuinwijck. The children's work gardens of the Nature Education Center are also located here. At all four children's workshops, De Gresco has installed solar panels for power generation and for educational purposes.
14.On the other side of the track we pass another large solar project. There are also solar panels at the Noordlease station that have been bought by fans of FC Groningen. There is also a large heat and cold storage system from Warmtestad at the Europapark. However, this is all underground. What you can see is the energy-efficient office building of the municipality; the Harm Buiterplein.
15. We are now cycling past another energy-efficient building; the DUO cruise ship. This property in 2013 4 stars in the BREEAM-NL.
16.The star forest absorbs CO2 and is very good for the city's water management. Trees ensure that water penetrates the ground less quickly, reducing the risk of flooding.
17.We go on the road past the Paper Mill. This swimming pool will be a lot more economical after the renovation. Among other things, the swimming pool is covered and heat is extracted from the sewer; riothermia. Heat is also extracted from solar boilers and heat is recovered from the shower water.
18. Via the Wijert and the Stadsparkwijk we cycle towards Corpus den Hoorn. Here we close with Groen Geel, which has just renovated its canteen and changing rooms and made them more sustainable. Nobility obliges, because our own Geert Kamminga from Groningen Gives Energy is chairman of the club.
19. That was the energetic bike ride, time to refuel!