Cities are a focal point for some of today’s most profound economic, environmental, social, and technological issues – including the ongoing energy transition.

In an article for Energy Focus, Eric Woods, research director at Guidehouse Insights, says by working together, cities and the energy sector can advance the energy transition while also building back better in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The energy sector has a responsibility and an opportunity to work even more closely with local governments to ensure that more resilient, more sustainable, and more equitable cities emerge from the current crisis,” Woods says.

For energy players and their partners looking to develop or expand their city activities, Woods recommends:

• Engaging with local smart city stakeholder groups and leadership teams, and actively participating in the development of low carbon city strategies.
• Delivering benefits for all communities for furthering community goals around social equity and helping improve and redefine customer relationships.
• Creating platforms for the delivery of new energy services that can also be a launchpad for innovative urban service offerings.
• Building partnerships between energy providers and technology companies to combine sector and service knowledge with technology leadership and innovation.
• Establishing themselves as key orchestrators of new urban energy platforms and the ecosystems they support. Playing a central role in these new networks is key to the development of new services and business lines in the city of the future.