City-Integrated Renewable Energy for Meeting Global Sustainability Needs

To prepare for an urban influx of 2.5 billion people by 2050, it is critical that cities are sustainable:  low-carbon, resilient, and livable. Dr. Deborah Sunter will discuss options for sustainable urban energy systems by reducing energy consumption and providing robust, decentralized, and renewable energy. Through technical advancements in power density, city-integrated renewable energy will be better suited to satisfy the high energy demands of growing urban areas. As an example, Sunter will demonstrate the feasibility of city-integrated photovoltaics to satisfy the urban transportation sector in 87 global cities. Since cities currently are responsible for 70% of the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and dramatic urban influx is expected, a solution to mitigate climate change must address the sustainability of cities.

Speaker: Deborah Sunter, UC Berkeley