SCI Energy Lab Helps Cities Break Barriers to Clean Energy

GLOBE-Net, October 25, 2013 — Sustainable Cities International (SCI) has developed the SCI Energy Lab, a solution that helps cities break down the barriers that continue to cause them to rely on carbon intensive energy sources.

The SCI Energy Lab is a program that focuses on accelerating and up-scaling sustainable low carbon energy initiatives by building city-to-city exchanges that engage key players in active dialogues on urban energy system technologies and implementation.

According to the World Energy Outlook 2012, removing the barriers that challenge the implementation of sustainable energy measures has the potential to decrease the predicted global primary energy demand to 2035 by up to 50%.

[stextbox id=”custom” float=”true” align=”right” width=”300″ bcolor=”b4c8e3″ bgcolor=”b4c8e3″ image=”null”]While progress has been made in the greening of some transportation and building sectors, a paradigm shift is needed to transition cities to a more sustainable future.[/stextbox]

“The SCI Energy Lab offers an intensive knowledge exchange program for ‘next wave’ cities that have an interest in learning from leading cities and have sufficient capacity to act on what they learn,” said Jane McRae, CEO Sustainable Cities International.

SCI launched the Energy Lab on May 29 – June 1, 2013 in Edmonton, Canada. So far the program has brought together ten cities from nine different countries.

Sustainable Cities is working with various stakeholders to engage with the Energy Lab: city staff, national and regional energy agencies, community networks, academic researchers, foundations and the energy industry.

Representatives from participating cities have gathered to present information, establish baselines and to determine how they will use the SCI Energy Lab to advance their existing initiatives and city transition strategies.

Collaborative activities are being undertaken within four thematic areas: building retrofits and energy efficiency; finance mechanisms; stakeholder engagement; and integrated planning.

Coordination and integration across different sectors and scales are both the greatest challenges facing cities and the greatest opportunity to realize multiple benefits like reductions in infrastructure costs, reduced energy needs and the opportunity to use and manage local resources in a more efficient and cost effective manner.

The SCI Energy Lab provides a multidisciplinary forum for collaborative problem solving and idea generation around all aspects of the design, implementation and regulation of urban sustainable energy strategies.

Learn more: about the SCI Energy Lab here

Green Building and Energy Efficiency will be hot topics in the Building Resilient Cities theme discussed at GLOBE 2014, the next in the celebrated GLOBE Series of Conferences and Trade Fairs on the business of the environment taking place in Vancouver Canada, March 26-28, 2014. Reserve your place now. Check here for more details.