internet of things
Nest Labs was launched with a vision of a “conscious home” made possible in part through a thermostat that “learns” how to save energy and money. That vision is now backed by a $3.2 billion cash purchase by Google. Founded by Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, the Palo Alto-based
climate adaptation
Europe is widely regarded as being more committed to climate action than, say, the US or Australia. It not only has specific regional goals (for example, a 20 percent cut in greenhouse gases by 2020), but also has binding legislation that requires each individual country to meet specific targets. Some
Smart Grid
When it comes to renewable energy, too much of a good thing has in the past been a problem. Germany, for example, has brought online a massive capacity for wind and solar power. On especially windy or sunny days, though, it’s discovered that its new wealth of renewable supplies
I was at an Internet of Things conference in London this week, hosted by analyst firm RedMonk. A tip of the hat to James Governer (@monkchips) for organizing such an interesting and thought-provoking day. The conference was about the possibilities and potential in the Internet of Things (IoT). It’s
As part of a global initiative called ‘City 2.0′, Greenbang is pleased to announce our media partnership with TEDx London. With the projection that by 2050, 75% of us will reside in urban areas, cities are important to our future. They provide incredible opportunities for living, working and playing.
big data
Is there anything you can’t Google these days? Actually, yes, there’s still quite a bit of information that’s not easily accessible digitally. And that fact is making our jobs, businesses and cities far less efficient than they could be. That’s what Bill Clee discovered while helping
sustainable cities
It makes sense that Europe would try to take a lead in developing smarter, more sustainable cities for the 21st century. While it’s far from the most populous continent, it is one of the most urbanized, with more than two-thirds of its people living in cities. That kind of
carbon pricing
Failing to create a global framework for carbon pricing will hurt investments for clean energy and low-carbon projects, according to a report from the World Energy Council (WEC). The report — “World Energy Trilemma: Time to get real – the agent for change” — offers a 10-point action plan for addressing sustainability, energy
smart city
Three cities — Amsterdam, Barcelona and San Francisco — are collaborating with a Silicon Valley-based software company to launch a smart-city software platform for collecting, analyzing and visualizing data. Cityzenith’s 5D SMART City software, developed by one of the creators of Google Earth, brings together diverse sources of city data into
waste heat
London expects to begin heating some homes with waste heat captured from the London Underground and an electrical substation. The project – the first of its kind in Europe – is a partnership between Islington Council, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, UK Power Networks and Transport for London. Islington already heats
energy security
Triple-digit prices for crude oil have opened up large new unconventional sources like Canada’s oil sands. But “this does not mean the world is on the verge of an era of oil abundance,” according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). At the same time, the global demand for energy
smart city
What is a smart city? Lots of different people and organizations offer answers to that question, but no one definition has fully “stuck” yet. Typically, the term conjures up futuristic images of cities that don’t yet exist: cities with no traffic jams, crime or waste. Cities where everything from