Cities, which can have a lower environmental footprint per resident than rural areas, are becoming the focus for new approaches to energy efficiency, building design, transportation, waste management, and energy use.Today Pike Research announced the launch of its new Smart Cities Advisory Service, a subscription-based information tool that provides market intelligence and strategy insights for city officials, service providers, and vendors seeking to more effectively harness smart energy and information technology to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, create more livable urban environments, and foster economic development. Cities, which can have a lower environmental footprint per resident than rural areas, are becoming the focus for new approaches to energy efficiency, building design, transportation, waste management, and energy use.
“For the first time in human history, more people now live in cities than in rural areas,” says research director Eric Woods. “The social, economic, environmental, and engineering challenges of this transformation will largely define the 21st century. What’s more, cities are responsible for between 60% and 80% of the world’s energy use and about the same percentage of greenhouse gas emissions. Smart information and communication technologies that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of urban systems and services will not only help mitigate the environmental effects of mass urbanization, but also improve the lives of the people who inhabit the world’s burgeoning cities.”
As part of the Smart Cities service, Pike Research’s industry analysts offer timely and actionable market insights, covering specific technology and business sectors as well as overall market conditions and trends. Research reports include an in-depth examination of business models, technology issues, policy and regulatory factors, the competitive landscape, and market sizing, segmentation and forecasting.
Key Forecasts and Findings
• Investment in smart city technology infrastructure will total $108 billion during the years from 2010 to 2020.
• By the end of that period, the cleantech market intelligence firm anticipates that annual spending will reach nearly $16 billion.
• While no single technology defines the smart city, a number of iconic technologies can be highlighted as key components of the smart city vision. Among them are ubiquitous broadband, smart meters for electricity and water use, intelligent transport systems, and extensively deployed monitoring and sensor technologies.
• The availability of charging facilities for electric vehicles is becoming a differentiator for cities wishing to attract an affluent and dynamic demographic as well as innovative companies. Many cities in North America and Europe are promoting the use of PEVs and installing electric vehicle charging equipment as a means of reducing urban emissions.
• Clean public transit, including hybrid electric and natural gas (NG) transit buses, will be a significant growth sector over the next several years. NG transit buses will growing at an 8.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2010 and 2016, while hybrid transit buses will grow by 19.8% during that same period. The number of alternative fuel bus deliveries worldwide is expected to reach 15,937 (NG) and 16,328 (hybrid electric) in 2016.
• Global investment in smart transportation systems will total $13.2 billion through 2017. The annual spending on key smart transportation components will increase from just under $770 million in 2011 to almost $3 billion in 2017.
• By the end of the current decade, many of the infrastructure technologies that go into developing a smart city, including smart meters, intelligent traffic systems, and building energy management systems, will be deployed across North America and Europe and increasingly in large parts of Asia.
www.pikeresearch.com/research/smart-industry/smart-cities
