TY - CHAP
T1 - Smart Energy Cities - A Perspective from West Africa
AU - Williamson, Sam
AU - Ray, Charlotte R
AU - Hrdličková, Zuzana
AU - Kajjoba, Derrick
AU - Kasedde, Hillary
AU - Hermanus, Lauren
AU - Labor, Amadu
AU - Macarthy, Joseph
AU - Koroma, Braima
PY - 2023/8/29
Y1 - 2023/8/29
N2 - The smart city paradigm encompasses a set of technological, mathematical and communication innovations which ultimately represent a ‘city in a box’ (Odendaal 2020). The smart city narrative ensures that sufficient data is collected to inform the socio-economic, cultural and environmental construct of urban spaces. A significant part of this data is ‘smart energy systems’, often described as smart grid/technologies, and put simplistically, the smart city paradigm cannot be realised without incorporating energy systems. Increasingly, ‘smart energy cities’ is a concept defined in the literature that combines the concepts of smart cities with energy systems to provide sustainable, resilient, accessible and affordable energy services. However, there are significant issues with smart systems, especially when viewed through the lens of users in the Global South where there is potential to make the system a technology-focussed solution. This has the potential to amplify inequalities, rather than a people-based system that provides a series of just social, economic, and cultural benefits to society. In this chapter, we discuss Smart Energy Cities from the perspective of West Africa, to understand where the pitfalls, challenges and opportunities lie. We conclude that an integrated approach is required to ensure that both high-level requirements and user-level engagement are met in the implementation of systems, and highlight how mobile phones are starting to support some of these changes.
AB - The smart city paradigm encompasses a set of technological, mathematical and communication innovations which ultimately represent a ‘city in a box’ (Odendaal 2020). The smart city narrative ensures that sufficient data is collected to inform the socio-economic, cultural and environmental construct of urban spaces. A significant part of this data is ‘smart energy systems’, often described as smart grid/technologies, and put simplistically, the smart city paradigm cannot be realised without incorporating energy systems. Increasingly, ‘smart energy cities’ is a concept defined in the literature that combines the concepts of smart cities with energy systems to provide sustainable, resilient, accessible and affordable energy services. However, there are significant issues with smart systems, especially when viewed through the lens of users in the Global South where there is potential to make the system a technology-focussed solution. This has the potential to amplify inequalities, rather than a people-based system that provides a series of just social, economic, and cultural benefits to society. In this chapter, we discuss Smart Energy Cities from the perspective of West Africa, to understand where the pitfalls, challenges and opportunities lie. We conclude that an integrated approach is required to ensure that both high-level requirements and user-level engagement are met in the implementation of systems, and highlight how mobile phones are starting to support some of these changes.
M3 - Chapter in a book
BT - Smart Cities, Energy and Climate
PB - Wiley
ER -
