Cities of the Future: Songdo, South Korea – Energy

Songdo International Business District's information technology network manages energy use in every building, making the city very "green." Episode 7 in the series.

March 28 , 2012

Transcript:

As populations expand and economies grow, people are consuming more non-renewable energy sources than ever. The race is on to make cities radically more energy efficient.

Songdo, South Korea, a new city built entirely from scratch, is on the forefront.

In Songdo, a revolutionary information technology network manages energy use in every building.

Jean-Louis Massaut, Director, Cisco Services Korea: The network that we deploy here is actually connecting all of the components in the city, all of the building subsystems together, so that we can bring energy savings.

Scott Summers, Vice President, Gale International:We're improving the efficiencies of each of the buildings. Our windows have low U value that reduces the amount of sunlight coming in and keeps the energy of the heat or cooling inside the building. Another component to reduce energy consumption (is) we light up the buildings with LED lights.

Peter Lee,Sustainable Design Specialist, Cosentini Korea: On the system level, we introduced water-cooled air conditioning system; it has never been applied to any Korean project before. We also have central home network system through which you can control your electricity use to reduce the dependence on the energy.

These innovations are helping reduce energy consumption in each building by 30 percent.  The city is also tapping into renewable natural resources.

Lee Jong-Cheol, Commissioner, Incheon Free Economic Zone: Sunlight, solar energy, windforce energy are being currently used to operate the city. Even human waste isn't simply disposed of. It is processed through a recycling system and a co-generation plant producing necessary energy.

Scott Summers: We have a co-generation facility that uses natural gas to power electricity. And the waste heat is in the form of hot water, and so we use that waste heat to run up our buildings and provide heating for our residential units.

By 2040, worldwide electricity demand is projected to be 80 percent higher than it is today. Songdo is a model for cities trying to keep pace.

Learn more at thenetwork.cisco.com/songdo

PRESS RELEASE

Mike Holmes breaks ground in Edmonton

Cisco Smart+Connected Communities Solutions Foster Environmentally, Socially and Economically Sustainable Project in Alberta

EDMONTON, AB, March 27, 2012—Phase II of the Boyle Renaissance development officially began construction today in a groundbreaking ceremony hosted by The Métis Capital Housing Corporation (MCHC) in Edmonton's Boyle neighbourhood. 

Attending the event were Mayor of Edmonton Stephen Mandel, Mike Holmes, Darlene Lennie, executive director of the MCHC, ENMAX Energy CEO, Charles Ruigrokand, and representatives of various project participants, including Cisco Canada and the MCHC.

"This development is about building quality, energy efficient homes and making them affordable for the people who need them most," stated Holmes.

The Holmes Group will spearhead the construction of 90 residential units, which will provide senior-friendly, barrier-free housing for Métis seniors and the disabled. Select suites will benefit from Cisco's "Cisco Smart Home System", allowing a person to control advanced home applications from a single touch pad interface.

"This collaboration is helping us improve the standard of living for individuals and communitiesthrough ambitious projects, such as The Boyle Renaissance," stated Rick Huijbregts, vice president of Cisco® Smart+Connected Communities for Cisco Canada. "This development is a fine blueprint for how future communities will be designed, built and managed to achieve social, economic, and environmental sustainability."

ENMAX Energy will provide the necessary infrastructure for district energy and combined heat and power (CHP), allowing the facility to benefit from advanced heating and power systems that use cleaner burning natural gas.

"ENMAX's vision for corporate responsibility includes cleaner energy choices for consumers and investing in the communities we serve," said Charles Ruigrok, interim president and CEO, ENMAX Corporation. "The Boyle Renaissance project allows us to focus on both of these mandates."

Ensuring the development meets efficiency performance levels has been a top priority. "Working together as a team towards this one goal makes all the difference," added Holmes. "When we all step in the right direction, moving forward is easy."

About The Holmes Group

The Holmes Group is an international brand with operations in independent media production, new home building and inspection divisions with expansion into product development. It is entirely owned by Mike Holmes and it is responsible for developing and managing HOLMES branded entities, including HOLMES Homes, HOLMES Inspections, HOLMES Workwear, Make It Right Releasing Inc. and The Holmes Foundation.

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go tohttp://newsroom.cisco.com.

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News Release from GE - Consumer Energy Savings

06 March 2012

GE unveils more Brillion™ ideas for consumer energy savings

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• Brillion™ suite of home-energy solutions expands in 2012 to lay the foundation for a true energy-saving “connected home”
• GE adds a Whole-Home Sensor that provides consumers with continuous energy consumption data – without needing a smart meter
• New GE Smart Plugs provide consumers with even more data, convenience and insight into their home’s energy usage

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — March 6, 2012 — (NYSE:GE) — From the company that brought you the first full line of smart grid-enabled appliances, GE is now launching additions and enhancements to its innovative suite of Brillion™ home-energy solutions and laying the foundation for an energy-saving “connected home.”

“We’ve leveled the playing field by providing a product that communicates a home’s continuous real-time energy consumption to consumers without a smart meter,” said William Paul, product manager, home energy, GE Appliances. “Our new Whole-Home Sensor connects to the consumer’s electrical panel and allows them to understand their energy consumption without waiting for their electricity provider to install a smart meter.”

Whole-Home Sensor: The new Whole-Home Sensor, an integral part of home-energy solutions, is being used in several utility test pilots, including test homes in Warner Robins, Ga., as part of Flint Energies’ recently announced pilot project. It will be available broadly in the second quarter of this year.

The sensor sends consumption data from large 240-volt applications, such as a panel box or pool pump, to the home’s Nucleus™ energy manager, which then communicates that data to a consumer’s existing smartphones or personal computers – helping them make smarter energy choices.

Knowledge of whole-home energy consumption provides consumers with insights into their electricity costs before the bill arrives; offers them feedback on electricity-intensive activities, such as water heating; and allows them to quantify the benefits of their personal energy-efficiency efforts.

Smart-Plug Controls: On a more granular level, GE is also adding Brillion-enabled Smart Plugs, which act as sensors for electronics and non-smart devices that plug into standard 120-volt outlets. These sensor plugs communicate with the Nucleus energy manager, enabling consumers to track electrical usage by the outlet for most 120-volt appliances and devices.

These sensors turn any standard 120-volt consumer good into a ‘smart home’ capable device. The sensors can be moved from device to device, enabling the consumer to perform an audit of their electrical appliances and electronics or to monitor them continuously for ongoing feedback – providing critical insights to help consumers reduce energy consumption.

“Energy data and energy monitoring are GE’s first steps toward a fully connected home,” Paul said. “We fully expect to expand our products beyond energy, bringing more convenience and control elements to the consumer. The beauty of having built-in communications features in our products means that we can also add functionality that makes people's lives easier.”

More Connected Communications Features: GE’s Brillion-enabled thermostats help consumers easily adjust heating and cooling schedules from their Nucleus software interface and alter household temperatures and operating modes remotely from their iPhone.

GE’s new GeoSpring™ hybrid water heater has connected capabilities and features that will allow consumers to more easily and more efficiently provide hot water to their families. Other Brillion-enabled appliances will undergo similar communication enhancements over the coming months.

“We started by exchanging energy information with local utilities via the smart grid, and now we’re expanding our solutions to communicate more and more with consumers directly,” Paul said. “ We also envision a day when these devices and appliances will communicate not just to the utility or to the consumer, but with each other for optimal consumer convenience and efficiency. At GE, we are developing the technologies that enable consumers to begin building their smart homes today.”

GE’s Brillion set of home-energy solutions also includes an in-home display and a full suite of appliances comprised of refrigerators, cooking products, dishwashers, laundry pairs and water heaters. For more information on Brillion home energy management (HEM) solutions, please visit:www.geappliances.com/home-energy-manager/.

About GE AppliancesGE Appliances is at the forefront of building innovative, energy-efficient appliances that improve people’s lives. GE Appliances’ products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, water filtration systems and water heaters. General Electric (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter to build a world that works better. For more information on GE Appliances, visit www.ge.com/appliances.