Applicable Smart City Strategies to Ensure Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Integration in Poor Cities: Kabul Case Study

Abstract

A smart city is fundamentally intended to reduce the consumption of resources and optimize efficiencies. In almost any area, efficiency results in energy saving, reduced energy intensity, sustainable economic development, enhanced productivity, a protected environment, and most importantly, cooperation with the climate change battle. Although budget, technology, and the required infrastructure are major constraints for poor cities to achieve smart and sustainable city goals, the benefits of smart cities are multiple for poor cities compared to developing and developed cities. Poor cities achieve improved living environments, security, safety, economic development, governance, and quality of life in addition to achieving sustainable energy goals, and this study seeks to identify those smart renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies that are economically feasible and technically applicable in poor cities. The findings of this research would help poor and low-income, developing cities take the initial steps towards becoming smart cities by applying smart, innovative, and economically feasible sustainable energy projects and initiatives. As a result, these cities will be able to enhance their environment, economy, and employment by transitioning to smart ones.

Health Care in Cities Perceived as Smart in the Context of Population Aging—A Record from Poland

“…In this context, it is worth once again clearly emphasizing the necessity of balancing the smart cities concept, not only in the widely described environmental [29,30,[67][68][69][70] or participatory [32][33][34][63][64][65][66] aspects, but-above all-in the aspect of a balanced urban community structure, in which each resident has equal access to opportunities to improve their quality of life.…”

“…Logistical [21][22][23][24] and infrastructural [25][26][27][28] issues also receive considerable attention. There is a growing number of publications addressing the environmental aspects of smart city life, due to growing number of climate issues [29,30]. However, social aspects still receive less attention [31].…”

The Smart City-Line in Saudi Arabia: Issue and Challenges

“…For example, a "smart city" could represent the total amount of energy needed to meet the needs of the country's inland consumption by integrating renewable sources into the energy system toward clean and sustainable processes (Hoang & Nguyen, 2021), which can be achieved through optimised multi-energy systems in mixed-use districts (Klemm & Vennemann, 2021). Energy efficiency and renewable energy integration in a smart city can be achieved (Sabory et al, 2021). Alagar, & Thirumal (2021) provides a list of smart city solutions that can ensure a "PV-Wind-DG-Battery" for the Hybridization of energy systems with zero energy buildings.…”

Facilitating Smart City Development through Adaption of the Learnings from Enterprise Systems Integration

“…The unpredictability of a city's environment and continuous changes in city policies, standards, and residents' needs are the most significant concerns of today's municipal authorities and public sector managers [1]. Fifty-five percent of the global population live in cities, and it is expected that this percentage will increase to 70% by 2050 [2]. It will cause further urbanisation issues if city operations remain unchanged [3].…”

“…As a result, a city can be regarded as a 'complex system of systems' [5][6][7]. This implies that city systems including energy, education, healthcare, transport, etc., should be considered as a whole to provide integrated, user-centric, efficient, cost-effective, and so-called 'smart' services for the citizens in real time to offer a liveable and sustainable environment for the citizens and enhance their wellbeing [2,7,8]. According to the systems thinking approach, when the system is considered a whole, any change in any component will affect the other elements, because they are interrelated and interconnected in order to deliver the specific goal of the system [9].…”