Reuters: "Smart cities" mean rivalry in power, construction

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5190L820090210?sp=true

"Smart cities" mean rivalry in power, construction

Tue Feb 10, 2009 8:09am EST

By Pete Harrison

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Such cities would become self-contained units, their buildings gleaning energy from the powerful weather systems sweeping across their roofs and feeding it down to homes below and vehicles in the streets.

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"A very different business model will emerge over time," said Gearoid Lane, managing director of British Gas New Energy, the UK utility's green division. "If any energy company ignores the long-term impact on future fossil-fuel backed energy sales, they will be in for a shock."

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"In 25 years from now, millions of buildings...will be constructed to serve as both 'power plants' and habitats," says writer and economist Jeremy Rifkin, who has advised governments and corporations on tackling climate change and energy security.

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"The more fluctuating energy you have from renewables, the more it makes sense to have a smart grid," Markus Ewert from the new technologies team of German utility E.ON told Reuters. "It would help stabilize the energy flows, so you don't come up against the limits of the grid.

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