An Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) 2019 Deep Dive Workshop

Cities must play a central role in addressing climate challenges, not only because of their great potential to mitigate emissions of all kinds, but also because of the vulnerability of urban infrastructure to extreme weather caused increasingly by the changing climatic patterns. The power system in cities is no exception. Against this backdrop, urban microgrids consisting of decentralized power generation, highly responsive loads, energy storage, and smart energy management systems, may offer a reliable and sustainable solution. With the increasing integration of local renewables in urban environments, this option becomes more relevant and promising than ever for addressing the emerging energy challenges in cities.

However, how could the microgrids be powered largely by variable renewable energy sources be best deployed and integrated into the urban power systems? What roles the advanced energy management systems enabled by digitalized energy infrastructure, other innovative technologies for smart cities can play in facilitating the configuration and operation of a smart urban microgrid? What kinds of legal and regulatory frameworks should be put in place to enable the scale-up of such microgrids in cities?

These important questions deserve in-depth discussions that can help the national and local policymakers, urban energy planners and experts, and other stakeholders navigate the complexities of expanding the applications of urban microgrids in various contexts.