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Energy Efficiency of Smart Cities: An Analysis of the Literature

Preprint · April 2017

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.36442.80324

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 Energy Efficiency of Smart Cities: An
Analysis of the Literature

Larry Derek Sarkodie GYAMERA Isaac Victor Sukumar ATRIPATRI

UAS Technikum-Wien UAS Technikum-Wien

Wi15m073 Wi15m104

1. Abstract

The advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and urbanization has resulted
in the quest for intelligent and sustainable environments that offer a high quality life and improved
efficiency of services to meet needs of people. One of the major topic of smart cities development that has
raised much attention is energy efficiency and low-carbon policy. This paper presents a literature review
of existing research studies on Energy Efficiency of Smart Cities. Through a systematic literature search
and the guideline of Webster and Watson (2002), 1o scientific articles were analysed. The results show
that there has not been sufficient investigation on energy efficiency in smart cities in developing countries,
thus the need for further study

Keywords

Smart Cities; Energy Efficiency; Literature Review

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 2. Introduction

Majority of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and more people are expected to migrate to the cities in
the upcoming years. According to (Galvão, J.R., et al., 2015) 70% of population in EU lives in cities. Elsewhere in
China, it is estimated that more than 350 million people will migrate from rural areas to cities in the next 20
years, this means a higher figure than the current population of the United States of America (Bellido, J.M. and
Romero, P.B., 2015). These growths in population and urbanization will increase existing energy sustainability
and climate related challenges. As a result, there is the quest for intelligent and sustainable environments which
are more resource efficient and technology driven. Smart City is vision to provide solutions.

The term smart city is related to a coordinated set of interventions with the aim to improve the quality of life and
urban services. It is viewed as a collection of interconnected networks, such as a transportation network, a power
grid, a network of buildings, a lighting network, a network of social relations, a network of public lighting, water,
garbage and others (Battista, G. et al., 2014). The smart and consequently sustainable city must be capable of
limiting the impact of the environmental overload caused by undue expenditure of energy and by an energy mix
with a low share of renewable energy content (Ferrara, R., 2015).

The majority of the research efforts are almost exclusively about the performance and energy efficiency of
buildings, renewable energy plants and transport systems, rather than the urban system in its entirety and
complexity. Quantitative and holistic studies that deal with energy issue at urban scale by considering the
interactions among several urban components have not been attempted yet (Papa, R. et al., 2014). There is still a
requirement of an effective method that can be used in all climatic zones (Ertugrul, O.F., Kaya, Y., 2016).

The aim of this paper is to analyse the literature on energy efficiency of smart cities since 2014. The objective is
to highlight the various proposal made by researchers in sustaining energy in smart cities. This paper is
structured as follow: the next section covers the background of smart cities energy efficiency; research
methodology follows and then a detailed results of the literature review; finally, the research is summarised with
a discussion and then a brief conclusion.

3. Theoretical Background

In the last decade, a wide literature on the matter of Smart City has been produced to define contents, strategies
and objectives. Simultaneously, numerous contributions have been dedicated to “measuring” the level of
smartness of the different cities, to define their strategies (Battarra, R. et al., 2015).

The proper frame of reference for smart cities is provided by a number of fundamental EU documents that
regard the intelligent and efficient use of energy as the necessary medium-long term objective for the attainment
of sustainability (Ferrara, R., 2015).

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While originally focused on ICT, the smart city concept has grown beyond this limited scope to include a better
use of resources and a lower amount of emissions, which means more efficient urban transport networks, better
waste disposal facilities, and energy-saving ways to light and heat buildings. Launched by the European Union in
March 2007, and in the less binding form of soft law the EU strategy “20-20-20” aims that by the year 2020,
there should be 20% reduction in both greenhouse gases and energy consumption; and 20% increased share of
renewable energy. Each single component of this scenario has been the object of an extensive European
legislation, whose subsequent implementations in each Member State has given rise to a reasonable legal
harmonization. However, no such strategy has been attempted for the definition of smart cities as a whole
(Ferrara, R., 2015).

4. Methodology

The literature review is based on the methodological guidelines of Webster and Watson (2002). Once the
research area of energy efficiency in smart cities was defined, we performed an automatic search using Google
scholar (https://scholar.google.com/) and IEEE with keywords: ‘energy efficiency’, ‘smart city energy’, ‘energy
efficiency in smart cities’. The scope was limited to scientific literature from 2014 to 2017 as at March 2017. We
then screened and restricted the search to only full text access written in English only. Finally, we excluded
articles that are irrelevant to our topic of interest and arrived at 1o scientific articles.

5. Results

Data gathered has been presented in Table-1 according to the domain and methodology. Majority of articles
published, fall under the energy domain, and 5 out of 10 also adopted qualitative research approach. Moreover,
with the vital role of Information System plays for Smart Cites, it is not surprised to see almost all of the
literature published in Information System outlet. Below are the various domain categories:

 ENERGY  MOBILITY
o Production from renewables o Transport infrastructures
o Smart grid o Vehicles
o Energy efficiency in the industry o Smart System

 BUILDING  RESORCES
o Building infrastructures o Water management
o Smart domestic appliance o Waste management

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 FINDINGS
AUTHOR/LITERATURE
Domain Methodology Summary

Energy The authors address and review the topic of energy efficiency in cities in
Building two perspectives; active and passive approaches. Then they demonstrate
Akcin, M. et al., (2016) Qualitative
Mobility how those approaches contribute the improvement of energy efficiency of
Resource cities and may allow a sustainable city life.

Extreme learning method (ELM) which is used in calculating cooling and

heating loads of buildings. The results were compared with those in the
Ertugrul, O.F., Kaya, Y.,
Building Quantitative literature and the results obtained by some popular machine learning
(2016)
methods such as artificial neural network, linear regression, etc. The
conclusion found the results by ELM acceptable.

This paper discusses the value of a Smart City Solutions platform its
capabilities.
Issa Batarseh, R.A.A.,
Energy Qualitative It describes a Smart City solution which improves energy efficiency,
Rhoades, S., (2016)
increases distributed renewable energy production, and adds surveillance
data and communication networks

With the aim of drafting a survey, tested through field analysis, of an

experimentation of Italian metropolitan areas on the Smart City topic, an
in-depth analysis of two case studies, Genoa and Naples, was used to
Battarra, R. et al., Quantitative
Energy compare the actual state of the two cities. The study is to verify whether -
(2015) Qualitative
and how - the adoption of the Smart City paradigm can support the radical
process of administrative transformation that Italian cities; and it focused
on the best practices in the field of energy saving/efficiency

4
 FINDINGS
AUTHOR/LITERATURE
Domain Methodology Summary

The document analyses the development of Energy Service Companies

(ESCO) in Spain, as a type of organization preliminary focused on
promoting and managing
Bellido, J.M., Romero,
Energy Qualitative projects related to the efficient use of energy, in relation to Smart Cities
P.B., (2015)
development.
From the analysis, it can be inferred that ESCO projects are an advisable
tool to achieve energy efficiency goals in line with Smart Cities focus.

Two new energy models are presented in this article:

• retrofit of the present energy system in a public library building
• improving energy efficiency in public lighting using new technological
Galvão, J.R. et al., Energy solution LED, new methods of control and management while leveraging
Quantitative
(2015) Building the use of renewable energy as power supply.
The aim is to improve energy efficiency behaviours reducing energy waste,
making use of the latest techniques and equipment, which promote more
efficient management.

The paper presents a methodology to evaluate and define city transport

Ramos, M.F.M. et al., Quantitative
Mobility project to assist city authorities in defining strategies for increasing energy
(2015) Qualitative
efficiency .

The article outlines the links between regulations, directives and soft law
tools related to energy and environment with the vision of a smart city.
Ferrara, R., (2015) Energy Qualitative
The author then laid out the necessity of a formal framework for the
European smart cities, to transform the current pledges into binding rules.

5

AUTHOR/LITERATURE
Domain
Battista, G. et al.,
(2014)
Papa, R. et al., (2014)
Table 1: Distribution of Research Domain and Methodology
FINDINGS
Methodology Summary
This study shows a parametrical analysis use to evaluate and assess the
effect of some interventions and their efficiency on building energy
demand.
Building Quantitative
The goal is to accurately assess the relationship between “climate building
interventions” and to identify the most effective intervention to choose,
depending on the available economic budget.
This paper describes some of the results of the methodological phase of
"Project Smart Energy Master for the energy management of territory"
aimed at supporting local authorities in the development of strategies for
the reduction of energy consumption through actions designed to change
Energy
behavior (in terms of use and energy consumption) and to improve the
Building Qualitative
energy efficiency of equipment and infrastructure.
Mobility
It then propose a set of variables to be used in the building up a new
comprehension/interpretive model of city as a contribution to the
development of a knowledge framework of the energy saving issue at the
urban scale.
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 5.1. Analysis of Energy Efficiency in Smart Cities

Energy

From the very beginning, smart cities have been related to sustainability and its appears to be a direct
consequence of the EU strategy “20-20-20”, heralding a comprehensive legislation on energy efficiency and
production of energy from renewable sources. It’s time for the scientific community to analyse the development
of a suitable legal framework for the European smart cities of the future and for the policy makers at European
and national level to adopt the necessary decisions (Ferrara, R., 2015). According to (Akcin, M. et al., 2016),
domestic and local renewable energy utilization should be increased in cities. Solar farms or wind turbines can
be constructed around cities in order to meet electricity demand of lighting and signalization systems or support
electrical tramways and metros. Smart grid facilitates integration of renewable sources and smart loads, and
therefore contributes to energy efficiency of building and cities. It implements distributed generation,
distributed storage and demand side load management applications that make all stages of power systems
(generation, transmission, distribution and consumption) more reliable and efficient (Akcin, M. et al., 2016)

Building

Physical characteristics of an urban area, with particular attention to the buildings, influence the solar gains and
the availability of sunlight. The barrier effect to solar radiation determined by the proximity of buildings affects,
for example, the passive solar conditioning, the possibility of using photovoltaic technologies and so renewable
energy sources, and on phenomena such as the urban heat island: the temperatures are higher in urban areas
than in neighbouring ones (Papa, R. et al., 2014). Buildings should be planned in a way that it requires less
energy to cool or heat the building. While passive cooling, heating and light control techniques should be
employed in buildings, natural ventilation and heat distribution should be also considered in design and
planning of cities to improve energy efficiency of residences and the cities (Akcin, M. et al., 2016). After building,
consumption can also be decreased by proper insulation of the building, planting trees around the building or by
employing special energy management strategies (Ertugrul, O.F., and Kaya, Y., 2016).

Proposed smart building and smart sites too has their own energy management systems and they can generate
their energy by solar and wind system. Photovoltaic shingle (Photovoltaic panel roof) systems provide collection
of considerable amount of solar energy from building roof and garage roofs (Galvão, J.R. et al., 2015). Lighting
solution using LED technology contributing to a significant energy saving and keeping or even increasing
luminance compared to the traditional lighting system has been proposed by (Galvão, J.R. et al., 2015) as well.

Mobility

Energy consumption of the transport sector takes a significant part in the total consumption, and therefore,
improvement of public transportation can reduce energy demand, heating and pollution of cities. Smart
transport systems (electrification of transportation via smart grid), improved road sign and smart rooting of
vehicles will provide advantages on energy efficiency and environmental issues in term of reducing carbon
emission (Akcin, M. et al., 2016).

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Resource

Taken into consideration two main settlement models; compact city and urban sprawl, the former promotes
relatively low energy consumption, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Thus , a remarkable consensus for
more compact cities (Papa, R. et al., 2014). Energy from waste systems should be integrated waste disposal
systems (Akcin, M. et al., 2016). (Galvão, J.R. et al., 2015) proposed a model comprising the electrical energy
production through PV panels and the substitution of natural gas fired boilers with biomass combustible boilers,
combined with some actions to reduce energy consumptions. More and more policies focus on reducing
greenhouse gas emissions in cities and as a consequence, a growing body of literature investigates the
dependence of energy needs on the form, density and design of urban settlements (Papa, R. et al., 2014).

5.2. Discussion and Recommendations for Future Research

This paper has presented a review of literature of energy efficiency in smart cities in the period from 2014 to
March 2017. We have analysed four areas (energy, building, mobility and resource) in the energy sector of smart
cities and there is a clear indication that future research is the needed. Firstly, majority of the research efforts
are almost exclusively about the renewable energy and performance, and greenhouse gas emissions, rather than
the urban system entirely. There has not been sufficient investigation on the other domains.

Secondly, according to “Urbanization in Africa - African Development Bank”, more than 90% of future
population growth will be accounted for by the large cities in the developing countries. Already, Africa has
experienced the highest urban growth during the last two decades at 3.5% per year and this rate of growth is
expected to hold into 2050. Meanwhile, the attention of researchers has been mostly on the developed nations
and EU in particular.

Last but not the least, future research with mixed of qualitative and quantitative methods, might be a more
effective approach to develop a clear understanding on the energy efficiency in smart cities.

6. Conclusion
This research analyses the energy efficiency in smart cities. Through a systematic literature search, 10 scientific
articles published between 2014 and March 2017 were analysed. The selection was not confined to one research
methodology or one set of journals. The main finding is that there are inadequate studies on energy efficiency in
smart cities in developing nations and other domains such as building, mobility and resource. Most research
conducted cover developed countries and are about the renewable energy and performance. Results from this
literature review should be able to assist future researchers in the area of the energy efficiency in smart cities.

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 7. References

Ramos, M.F.M., Nieto, L.A., Lastra, J.L.M., Kotakorpi, E., (2015). ‘Methodology for Energy Efficiency
Assessment in the Transport Sector for Smart Cities.’ 2015 International Conference on Smart Cities and
Green ICT Systems (SMARTGREENS), Lisbon, Portugal, 2015, pp. 1-6

Issa Batarseh, R.A.A., Rhoades, S., (2016). ‘Efficient Energy Solutions Enabling Smart City Deployment.’ FTC
2016 - Future Technologies Conference 2016, San Francisco, United States

Battista, G., Evangelisti, L., Guattari, C., Basilicata, C., Vollaro, R.L., (2014). ‘Buildings Energy Efficiency:
Interventions Analysis under a Smart Cities Approach.’ Sustainability, ISSN 2071-1050,
www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability

Bellido, J.M., Romero, P.B., (2015). ‘Esco Formation as Enabling Factor for Smart Cities Development in
European Union (UE): Spain Case Analysis.’ Independent Journal of Management & Production (IJM&P),
http://www.ijmp.jor.br, ISSN: 2236-269X, DOI: 10.14807/ijmp.v6i4.325

Battarra, R., Lombardi, C., Raimondo, M., (2015). ‘Smart City and Metropolitan Area, The Energy Component in
The Case Studies of Genoa and Naples.’ TeMA Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, print ISSN
1970-9889, e- ISSN 1970-9870, DOI: 10.6092/1970-9870/3008, pp. 145-158

Akcin, M., Kaygusuz, A., Karabiber, A., Alagoz, S., (2016). ‘Opportunities for Energy Efficiency in Smart Cities.’
4th International Istanbul Smart Grid Congress and Fair (ICSG), Istanbul, doi: 10.1109/SGCF.2016.7492425,
pp. 1-5.

Ertugrul, O.F., Kaya, Y., (2016). ‘Smart City Planning by Estimating Energy Efficiency of Buildings by Extreme
Learning Machine.’ 4th International Istanbul Smart Grid Congress and Fair (ICSG), Istanbul, doi:
10.1109/SGCF.2016.7492420, pp. 1-5.

Galvão, J.R., Moreira, L.M., Ascenso, R.M.T., Leitão, S.A., (2015). ‘Energy Systems Models for Efficiency
Towards Smart Cities,’ IEEE EUROCON 2015 - International Conference on Computer as a Tool (EUROCON),
Salamanca, doi: 10.1109/EUROCON.2015.7313682, pp. 1-6.

Rosario Ferrara, R., (2015). ‘The Smart City and the Green Economy in Europe: A Critical Approach.’ Energies,
ISSN 1996-1073, www.mdpi.com/journal/energies

Papa, R., Gargiulo, C., Zucaro, F., (2014). ‘Urban Systems and Energy Consumptions, a Critical Approach.’
TeMA Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Eighth International Conference INPUT, Naples. Print
ISSN 1970-9889, e- ISSN 1970-9870

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