Urban sustainability through emerging technologies

Cities consume high energy per unit area as a result of rising concentration of population and therefore can play an increasingly crucial role in driving global sustainability. Though integrating energy efficiency and sustainability can prove challenging, the fusion of both objectives is a critical step towards a green future. This paper focuses on building and transportation sectors which have the highest energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in Ontario. The electricity sector is also considered because of its convergence with transportation and building sectors. Emerging technologies discussed in the paper utilize renewable sources and demonstrate higher efficiency resulting in lower GHG levels. The paper also highlights best practices from leading jurisdictions in building and transportation, intended to serve as an example for urban areas to follow. Use cases and economic considerations of key “game changers” in the electricity sector such as energy storage, micro-grids and direct current transmission and distribution are outlined. Electric utilities are increasingly gravitating to new/emerging technologies as well as non-wires solutions for greater efficiency and system needs. As buildings, transportation and electricity sectors converge, electricity system planners would need to take a broader approach of energy planning, considering other forms of energy from generation to delivery to utilization.