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On 27 October 2020 Daring Cities attendees came together to discuss the potential of renewable energy for cities. Now you can watch their discussion on demand.
Energy systems are the backbone for cities central activities, such as public transportation, heating / cooling and productive uses. Energy production and efficient energy use have a direct impact on the entire urban environment and the health and economic prospects of its residents. Cities with clean air and little noise tend to have healthy and productive citizens.
By having a closer look at energy supply and efficient energy consumption in cities, we can understand their impacts and connections to other vital areas of municipal administration. Cities are large energy consumers, also their municipal governments often own and operate municipal infrastructure and have a direct responsibility to provide healthy and sustainable living environments.
Effective local renewable energy deployment can give cities the opportunity to achieve a wide range of socio-economic and environmental objectives. Renewable energy sources can support creating more liveable urban areas, enabling a better life for urban residents. Benefits include better local air quality, mitigating and adapting to climate change, reducing municipal energy costs, supporting economic development, promoting a stable and secure energy supply, and increasing energy access.
Municipal governments play a role in integrating renewable energy, alongside energy efficiency, into urban planning, municipal policies and regulation, purchasing renewables for public buildings and enabling citizens, businesses and other actors to scale up renewables. In addition, multiple opportunities arise for new business in the areas of renewable energy in heating and cooling, transport and power sectors as well as integrated business approaches to link these sectors.
Viewers will learn about opportunities that renewables present for cities to achieve a wide range of objectives, including fighting air pollution, improving public health, mitigating climate change and how cities can enable the transition to renewables. The COVID-19 pandemic makes the importance of a clean and resilient energy system even more evident.
City and national government representatives, city networks and renewable energy experts discuss in the session how the use of renewable energy in cities can both drive the energy transition, climate mitigation and adaptation action