Panasonic & Denver Launch Smart City Partnership
Originally published on Sustainnovate.
By Henry Lindon
Panasonic Corporation of North America and the city of Denver, Colorado (as well as some other local private entities) will be partnering in order to bring various “smart” city technologies and expertise to area residents and visitors, according to a recent press release from Panasonic.
The partnership is reportedly intended to make Denver a “more sustainable, smart city by enhancing access to and development of community engagement, energy efficiency, water conservation, public safety, healthcare, and other public services.”
Panasonic, a 2015 Zayed Future Energy Prize winner, has long been a leader in both sustainable technology solutions and smart city technologies.
“This exciting, new partnership between Panasonic, the city and other Denver entities will connect people to the city services they need through real-time information and technology,” stated Denver Mayor Michael B Hancock. “That real-time information will work to enhance Denver services while creating more equity, freedom and access to choices that will allow our community as a whole to live better, easier lives.”
A recent press release provides more:
The application of smart technologies to the city’s infrastructure, including in and around Denver International Airport, is expected to put more real-time information on city services in the hands of the community. Smart technologies embedded in the city’s infrastructure will enable people to have effortless access to information about services, including utilities and mass transit. In addition, this responsive infrastructure will transform smart urban infrastructure like street lighting and energy systems to dynamically sense and respond to the presence of people and deliver services as needed. The net result will be to have people in the community better connected with the local government and the services they need, when they need them, while increasing their level of engagement and awareness of the need to save energy.
Towards this goal, Xcel Energy has presented a project to build a microgrid with contributions from Panasonic and Denver International Airport that will demonstrate the use of Solar Photovoltaic and Lithium-Ion storage batteries working together. The Microgrid, made up of a 1.3 MW AC Solar Carport System and a 1 MW/2 MWh Battery Storage System, if approved, will be “the most comprehensive project of this type in Colorado history and the first with actual customer participation in a real-world environment,” according to Alice K Jackson, regional vice president for rates and regulatory affairs at Xcel Energy.
Other work includes an LED street-lighting development project, and work to improve resident access to “health and wellness activities” — which apparently includes everything from healthcare access to fitness facilities.
Image by Thomas Hawk (some rights reserved)
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