Energy concepts for smart cities

Abstract

Cities will be the power plants of the future. More than 50% of the world’s populations live in cities, about 65% of the resources are used in cities, and 70% of the emissions are caused by cities. And more and more people move to cities. It is obvious therefore that the transition to sustainable energy systems has to start there. So far, cities are supplied by energy from outside. Any kind of power plants and refineries are situated far from the largest consumer. This system is expensive and volatile. If one discusses the possibilities of energy transition in urban areas, the reduction of the energy demand has to be considered at first. It is not mainly technologies that have to be developed, but also systems. These systems require that distances have to be short, in order to minimize the energy needed for transportation. More than this, houses have to be energy effective (minimum of heating and cooling is required). As a second step, renewable energies have to be harvested onsite. Solar systems on roofs and facades go hand in hand with integrated small-scale wind turbines. The development of smart energy grids for power and heat/cold including storage facilities will be one of the main system-related challenges.