Digital Energy Net

Mixed-use development blends commercial and residential areas into walkable communities. Such communities typically combine restaurants, retail stores, office space, and housing into an attractive town center or village-style layout. Local governments can support mixed-use development by including it in their comprehensive plans or zoning code updates, or through community visioning exercises which create consensus about…

Green buildings are environmentally-friendly structures made with eco-friendly materials such as recycled steel or repurposed wood, creating a cost-efficient building construction solution that also benefits our planet. Innovative green technologies help lower carbon emissions from construction and operations of buildings, while increasing cost efficiency, supporting responsible supply chains, creating healthier work environments that directly increase…

Sustainable urban infrastructure refers to infrastructure systems designed and constructed in such a way as to achieve long-term economic, social, environmental, and institutional sustainability over their lifespan. Such systems may include nature-inspired structures or be constructed using conventional methods. Building with nature rather than against it provides cities with numerous advantages. These benefits include improved…

Transit-oriented development (TOD) seeks to combine land development and public transport services in order to foster compact city growth, reduce car dependence and decrease commute times; promote healthy lifestyles while optimizing use of city resources; all goals which make TOD a key strategy for successful urban living. TOD areas typically consist of a central transit…

Sustainable development is a philosophy and lifestyle approach to life that seeks to promote human prosperity without harming the planet. It draws its principles from modern natural resource management techniques, 20th-century conservation movements, and progressive views of economic development. In 2015, world leaders made an unprecedented commitment to protect everyone’s rights and wellbeing on an…

Energy efficiency is one of the easiest and cost-effective strategies for eliminating waste and lowering energy bills. Saving electricity (negawatts) reduces air pollution without needing new power plants. Economic Benefits: Lower utility bills provide economic gains to families, businesses and communities alike. Energy-efficient products like heat pump water heaters, efficient appliances and LED bulbs help…

Smart grids empower consumers to take charge of their energy systems and conserve resources by optimizing usage and effectively integrating renewable sources like solar PV. Furthermore, these grids improve system resilience and reliability by minimizing outages while responding quickly when outages do arise. High-tech sensors monitor power flows and equipment performance in real time to…

Smart cities rely on technologies that collect and analyze data in order to enhance almost every aspect of urban living, typically through sensor networks that facilitate seamless integration of smart city applications. New York, in the US, employs sensor networks to enhance traffic management, manage commuting times and promote more equitable access to technology by…

Energy storage helps balance renewables, making America’s power grid more efficient and reliable. It enables electricity to be consumed whenever needed rather than only during sunlight hours or winds gusts. ESSs can be designed for various durations, with fast-response (ramping) ESSs capable of supporting electric grid frequency second by second. Furthermore, these systems may improve…

Urban mobility refers to the movement of people, goods and services within an urban area. This encompasses personal movements for work, shopping and leisure as well as commuter routes into and out of city centers as well as tourist and distribution movements to meet consumption or manufacturing requirements. Urban mobility demands significant adjustments in policy…