Smart Cities, Smart Energy: keys to a sustainable future

04-Dec-2020

It is widely acknowledged that sustainability must be prioritized in any innovation project. Initiatives are emerging around the world in order to rescue the purpose of technology – to improve the lives of those who use it, creating alternatives for development which preserves the environment with intelligent use of resources and respect for people, expanding access to conditions that guarantee well-being.

It is not by chance that many of the strategies aimed at building a sustainable future are designed for urban environments. At the beginning of the 20th century the world population was around 1 billion people. Today we add up to 8 billion and more than 50% live in metropolitan areas. It is estimated that in 2050, with the world’s population reaching 10 billion people, 6.3 billion will live in cities whose activities are among the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

As megacities become an undeniable aspect of our reality, there is a growing challenge and need for solutions in sustainability, renewable energy and poverty reduction. In the context of the convergence between social innovation and technological advances, Smart Cities project gain momentum, promoting creative and sustainable environments that use technology in their planning process.

One of the premises of Smart Cities is to put people, and not technology, at the heart of smart solutions. If implemented properly, that is, involving citizens in the elaboration of public policies and democratizing access to infrastructure, Smart Cities projects can enable new forms of solidarity and collective action.

One of the current biggest challenges for cities is the generation and sustainable consumption of energy, and that’s a urgent issue: with the exponential increase of the world population, demand for energy will reach unprecedent peak levels. The European Union has set ambitious targets to build sustainable sources of energy. One of the most important of those targets was the launch of the European Green Deal, a “Green Agreement” to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, and in which it undertakes to achieve the so-called climate neutrality, that is, to have the balance of CO2 emissions versus capture at zero level until 2050.

Horizon 2020, a European program to support research, innovation and international cooperation has made 80 billion euros available for innovation projects, among which energy efficiency. It brought to life initiative  like Lighthouse, which focuses on calls for the construction of Smart Cities through Smart Energy. It is all about the sustainable use of energy, bringing together cities, industries and citizens to demonstrate solutions and sustainable business models in terms of energy efficiency. The program has also set out to reach 100 climate neutral cities by 2030, showing how such mission can be achieved by and for citizens.

The Positive Energy Districts and Neighbourhoods program was launched in 2018 by JPI Urban Europe research and innovation hub as part of the EU’s Strategic Energy Technology (SET Plan) action plan, which aims at transforming energy production and consumption in the region. The program currently involves 20 European countries and several agents who seek to develop broad approaches to the use of technologies and the establishment of regulatory environments, encompassing environmental, social and economic perspectives to articulate and improve the skills of cities, industries and scientific communities.

Created in 2013, the Brazilian Network of Intelligent and Human Cities (RBCIH) brings together the 420 largest Brazilian cities. This network is based on the concept of a Human, Intelligent, Creative and Sustainable City. By bringing together researchers from the main Brazilian universities as well as civil society entities, the Brazilian Institute of Smart, Human and Sustainable Cities (IBCIHS) was created in 2017, which currently houses the RBCIH.

The Brazilian energy matrix is ?? is a global reference, for being clean and renewable, with most of the electricity being produced by hydroelectric plants. There has been a strong growth in recent years in the use of biomass and biogas energy, in addition to wind and solar. Despite the fact that energy transition is a relatively recent process, and the countless social and economic challenges that the country faces, there is a good starting point for systemic approaches and for the implementation of projects related to Smart Cities and energy efficiency.

The cooperation between Brazil and Europe on Smart Cities and Smart Energy can be quite rich, since both regions have diverse and important contexts and experiences. The European Union has well-structured public policies and programs, such as the Green Deal, Horizon 2020 and PED. Brazil has initiatives that demonstrate high level of excellence in these areasThe starting points may be different in each region, but the objectives are the same!