Tag: Smart Cities Summit

Tesla, together with the French renewable energy provider Neoen and the South Australian government will install the world’s largest lithium-ion battery to ensure energy security for South Australia in the future. The future of the energy industry is defined by renewable energy sources and energy storage technologies. The shift towards cleaner and more sustainable alternatives enables energy storage systems to become more largely used. They store the renewable energy which can be then used during peak hours to prevent blackouts. The lithium-ion battery storage is expected to continue to dominate the market as well as to be a leader with regards to the increase of demand and the decrease of costs. This market position is a result of battery systems which meet the needs of the fastest growing utilities sector. Research shows that in 2017 around 76 percent of the energy storage market will account for utilities. Tesla will provide a 100 MW/129 MWh Powerpack system which will store the energy produced by Neoen’s Hornsdale Wind Farm situated near Jamestown, South Australia. Last September, a storm caused blackout which affected the entire state of South Australia and left 1.7 million people without electricity. Tesla Powerpack aims to use the stored renewable energy from the wind farm to solve and prevent power shortages. By delivering electricity during the peak hours this grid scale energy storage project will improve the reliability of the electrical infrastructure in South Australia. The system is expected to be completed by December 2017. It will be the largest lithium-ion battery storage project worldwide which will be able to provide electricity to more than 30,000 homes.

“The system will be three times more powerful than any system on Earth. This is not a minor foray into the frontier. This is going three times further than anyone has gone before.”, Elon Musk said.

This project aims to ensure energy security for the people of South Australia. It empowers the state to take the lead on its energy future, but it also sets an example by making a step forward towards the adoption of sustainable energy around the world. The global COO of Neoen Romain Desrousseaux shared that this project is the right way to introduce sustainable and reliable energy that is cheap to the residents of South Australia. By generating around 1,050,000 MWh of renewable electricity annually, the wind farm is the largest renewable energy generator in South Australia.

“We are creating dispatchable, renewable energy that is the cheapest source of energy in Australia and most places in the world.”, Desrousseaux said.

If you are interested in the latest trends in Sustainable Energy, then Webit.Festival Europe is the right place for you. During the Smart Cities Summit, you can listen to top level speakers such as the following who attended Webit before: the Strategist Energy Transition at Alliander Manon Jutte, the Interim Head of Urban Living and Built Environment  Mike Pitts who led on embedding sustainability across Innovate UK’s strategy and programmes and the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for EMEA at VMware Joe Baguley. Here you can get more information about Webit.Festival, while here you can get all the information you need about the tickets for the event.

The transition to clean energy and sustainability is among the key elements for building our better future. But the success of this process depends not only on governments and local authorities, but also on bright minds in science and on bold entrepreneurs, who are ready to invent, invest and collaborate in the fields of renewables, energy efficiency and sustainability at large. This year, Webit.Festival Europe will gather under one roof some of the most innovative founders, scientists and startups. The event will be held on 25-26 April in Sofia Tech Park under the patronage of the President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, the Mayor of Sofia Yordanka Fandakova and the European Commission. During the Smart Cities Summit mayors, municipality administrations and representatives of government institutions from around Europe will discuss all of the crucial factors that are facing urban administrators in today’s digital world. The Smart Energy track of the conference will focus on the transformation of our local energy systems and dealing with problems, such as pollution and improving the quality of life. The Vice-President of the European Commission, in charge of Energy Union, Maroš Šefčovič will speak about the series of EU initiatives for combating climate change and moving towards a low emission and resilient society. Europe is in the lead of global initiatives like Mission Innovation, which commits major economies to doubling public investments in clean energy innovation. The EU is also supporting the world alliance for efficient solutions to bring 1000 solutions to citizens and businesses by COP24. The commissioner is sure that there is much more we can do to digitize, energize and mobilize our cities and make them more livable, enjoyable and sustainable. The best part is that this transition is not about charity, but profitability. Because it serves investors just as much as it serves people and environment. Alliander’s Strategists for Energy Transition Manon Jutte will share her thoughts on what the city administrations must do to be able to meet the sustainable energy demands of tomorrow. She will also talk about The ZonCoalitie (Solar Coalition), who offers a standard process to speed up the formation of multi-stakeholder coalitions to realize solar energy projects in Amsterdam. Right now the Dutch capital aims at having a solar panel installed for every citizen. However, not every roof is suitable for solar energy panels. Not all house owners do have the money or time to install solar panels. Others do have the money available but their house roof is not suitable for solar panels. This requires cooperation amongst house owners, the local government and solar panels installment agencies. The Deputy Secretary General of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Malcolm Johnson will speak about the role of the specialized United Nations agency. ITU has been at the forefront of standardization within the smart city domain. International standards and key performance indicators developed by ITU not only propel the momentum of the smart city movement but also help provide a feasible development path for aspiring smart cities. Together with United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), ITU has created the United for Smart Sustainable Cities initiative (U4SSC), a global platform for smart city discussions, to facilitate the refinement of the existing standards, among other things. The U4SSC enjoys the support of 16 United Nations agencies and programmes all of which have committed to advancing on the smart city trajectory and supporting sustainable urbanization. Here you can see a full list of the confirmed speakers at Webit.Festival, while here you can get all the information you need about the tickets for the event.