Sustainable development goals

The Helios ERC project, focused on daytime radiative cooling for urban heat island mitigation, is highly relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the context of Climate Neutrality and Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Here’s an explanation of the project’s importance related to these SDGs:

Climate Neutrality (Full Relevant): The Helios ERC project directly addresses the goal of Climate Neutrality by exploring innovative cooling solutions for urban areas. Urban heat islands are a significant contributor to increased energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. By developing and implementing daytime radiative cooling technologies, the project contributes to mitigating the urban heat island effect. This, in turn, helps reduce energy consumption for cooling, leading to a lower carbon footprint and progress towards climate neutrality.

Sustainable Cities and Communities (Full Relevant): Urban heat islands pose a considerable challenge to the sustainability of cities and communities. They contribute to health issues, discomfort, and increased energy demand for cooling, which can strain infrastructure and resources. The HelioR ERC project’s focus on mitigating urban heat islands through innovative cooling technologies aligns with the SDG’s objective of creating sustainable and resilient cities. Cooler urban environments can enhance the well-being of city residents, reduce energy consumption, and promote sustainable urban development.

Affordable and Clean Energy (Full Relevant): As part of its research, the Helios ERC project explores daytime radiative cooling, which has the potential to reduce energy consumption for cooling purposes. By promoting more efficient and sustainable cooling solutions, the project aligns with the goal of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy (SDG 7). This is particularly important in urban areas where energy demand is high, and the environmental impact of cooling is significant.

Decent Work and Economic Growth (Partially Relevant): While the project’s primary focus is on technological innovation rather than employment generation, it indirectly contributes to economic growth by promoting the development and adoption of sustainable cooling technologies. Such technologies can lead to new market opportunities, job creation, and economic benefits related to energy efficiency and urban development.

Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (Partially Relevant): The Helios ERC project is closely aligned with the goal of fostering innovation. It seeks to develop novel radiative cooling technologies that can be integrated into urban infrastructure. By doing so, it supports innovation in the field of urban climate resilience and sustainable urban development.

International Cooperation (Partially Relevant): While the project’s primary focus may not be on international collaboration, the research and findings from Helios ERC can contribute to the global dialogue on urban heat island mitigation. Sharing knowledge and best practices across borders can enhance international cooperation in addressing urban climate challenges.

Regarding citizen engagement and co-creation, it’s essential to involve citizens and end-user entities in the development and implementation of urban cooling solutions. Their contributions can help ensure that these technologies are effective, accepted, and meet the specific needs of the communities they serve. However, the provided information doesn’t specify the extent of citizen and end-user engagement in the Helios ERC project, so it’s challenging to assess their specific contributions in co-creating R&I content. Nevertheless, active citizen and end-user engagement would be beneficial to ensure the success and acceptance of the project’s outcomes in real-world urban settings.