Giving a Green Light to the Smart Australian City

One of the challenges renewable energy advocates have often faced historically is illustrating to people just how fantastic renewable energy can be. Among the great ways to evidence how strong and successful renewable energy is can be shown by the fact numerous cities around the world have switched to running on 100% renewable energy. Thus, getting our cities to run on 100% renewables will be of huge benefit not only to those metropolises, but also advancing the renewable energy cause across all of Australia - and the wider world! So, what cities are leading the way running on 100% renewables? And also, what other aspects must be factored in when making a modern smart city?

Cities Scoring Full Marks on the 100% Achievement

Canberra is commendably the first Australian city to shift towards utilising 100% renewables. It was announced in 2019 the shift would occur from January 2020.  The City of Sydney and the City of Adelaide also followed the lead of Australia’s capital soon after. These local achievements follow on from the pioneering work of cities abroad, such as Burlington, Vermont, Inje, South Korea, and Reykjavík, Iceland - with the entire country held to be the first in the world to make the transition to running on 100% renewable energy. While achieving the running of a city (AKA local government area) on 100% renewables isn’t the same as running a whole (greater) city on renewables, the progress of a nation like Iceland - though indeed smaller in population and territory than nations like Australia - illustrates powerfully the potential for progress when there is commitment amidst a community to going green, and backing from the essential stakeholders is there behind the goal to help achieve it.

Taking on Other Troubles

Running a city on 100% renewables is a wonderful achievement. Yet ultimately, it’s of course not the only goal a city should be striving for in terms of going green. Not only is it necessary to reduce harmful emissions caused by energy generation from fossil fuel sources, but also to turn the page on other activities which cause emissions and/or harm the environment in various ways. Cities in future could certainly look to offset harm done in certain ways by contributing to positive action taken in other ways - such as by acquiring nature reserves and/or planting trees further afield to offset the carbon emissions occurring in the urban arena - but ultimately it’s of course ideal to seek to see the harm being done is ceased altogether, rather than being simply offset. If cities wish to pursue programmes that stop deforestation and then also pursue forestation/reforestation activities, then that’s even better! But ending the harmful activities whenever possible should always be the foremost goal.

In this regard - broadly speaking - Australian cities have some advantages and disadvantages. For instance, as European settlement occurred in Australia at a later date than comparable nations, this dynamic - alongside other factors - means Australian cities have an opportunity to pursue urban growth in adherence with contemporary urban planning practices, to avoid falling into persistent problems that afflict other older (and more established) cities elsewhere in the world. By contrast, it shouldn’t be presumed that just because Australian cities are younger than many similar cities abroad, that they therefore shall pursue more efficient and effective urban planning measures by default. Failing to get urban planning right doesn’t just mean a few unsightly buildings get built, or a garish piece of public art gets put on show (though we appreciate art is subjective!), it means that entire neighbourhoods can be built which fail to create a sense of community and liveability in a sustainable way. Australia is a nation that’s set to continue growing strong in years ahead, and with that shall come so many benefits, but smart approaches to urban planning will be necessary to not only ensure the benefits of such growth are optimised, but also that the great liveability and lifestyle factors which have been hallmarks of Australian cities for generations continue into the future.

Sustaining the Renewable Goal

Just as Australia has a promising path to boosting its renewable capacity in the years ahead, it mustn’t be overlooked that optimising sustainability processes is a critical pillar in our quest to go green. After all, it’s certainly fine to keep pouring new and needed water through a pipe, but if the pipe has a hole in it, then so many of the gains will be undermined and lost. In this regard, the recent woes seen surrounding recycling in the nation is illustrative of this problem, and the need to do better. Not only is recycling going to be a critical part of making our cities cleaner and greener, but there are also numerous benefits on offer when the right processes are put in place - and crucially, given setbacks - maintained.

A good recycling system can save a local council money on waste. It can create new jobs and businesses. Furthermore, it’s also possible to use recycled goods directly in the creation of solar products. These benefits are essential to understand as - while the world won’t end if someone forgets to pop their milk bottle in the recycling bin on bin day! - any idea that it’s no big deal communities don’t have and/or can’t maintain a recycling program is incorrect. Not only does a good recycling plan help reduce waste, but it can help create new jobs, businesses, and tech. Put simply, any notion it’s not good our cities aim to pursue these smart and sustainable goals would be very trashy indeed!

For those super keen on going green we’ve many resources available here at STC to help light the path.