American Public Power Association, SmartEnergy IP release smart city whitepaper

The American Public Power Association in a partnership with SmartEnergy IP released a new whitepaper that provides a roadmap for cities and utilities considering implementing a smart city program.

The paper, called “Creating a Smart City Roadmap for Public Power Utilities,” offers guidelines and recommendations for public power utilities. The report defines a smart city as one that betters the lives of residents and businesses through mindful investments and deployments of advanced technologies. It also lays out key questions to consider when implementing a smart cities program, including which stakeholders to include in the planning, which materials to develop to support the project and other operational considerations.

Utilities must take a proactive role in shaping the smart city vision for their service territories. They also need to engage in conversations early in the process to make sure there is proper coordination, the paper says. Further, the public and private sectors must align, and stakeholders, which at times have opposing interests, must communicate and coordinate with each other.

“Public power utilities play a unique and important role in smart city efforts,” Paul Zummo, APPA’s director of policy research and analysis, said. “This roadmap serves as a first step in educating public power utilities about how they can be leaders in smart city efforts as part of their transformation to utilities of the future.”

The paper breaks down what public power utilities must do to engage and lead the smart city conversation, and includes a proposed “map” to begin laying information down to help communicate internally and to stakeholders.

“It is a pivotal time for today’s utilities as they undergo industry transformation,” SmartEnergy IP founder and CEO Juliet Shavit said. “We were pleased to help with this paper since public power companies play a critical role in the future development of their communities. From smart grid to smart cities, they must leverage the latest advancements in connected technologies to improve the well-being of their citizens.”