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whole system, where there is an energy generating part (the external and diffuse part of
the city), and an energy consuming centre. [Scognamiglio, Musall, Røstvik 2012]
But in reality the topic of how to design a Net Zero Energy Buildings city is more complex,
being city morphologies very various, as well as building morphologies and typologies,
and, last but not least, since this variety depends on variables such as the local climate,
material and technologies availability, local culture, people taste.
Here we would like to emphasise that a comparison between pros and cons of diffuse
versus dense cities arises from our discussion as a main point of the future cities
development and design.
Smart grids
Meeting the EU’s climate change and energy policy objectives for 2020 and beyond will
require a major transformation of our electricity infrastructure in order to allow the uptake
of renewable energy.
Strengthening and upgrading existing networks is of paramount importance to integrating
an increasing amount of renewable energy generation, enhancing grid security,
developing the internal energy market and realising energy saving and efficiency. To
achieve these goals it is not only necessary to build new lines and substations, but it is
essential to make the overall electricity system smarter through the integration of
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).[JRC 2011]
The term Smart Grids refers to the progressive evolution of the electricity network
towards “a network that can intelligently integrate the actions of all users connected to it -
generators, consumers and those that do both - in order to efficiently deliver sustainable,
economic and secure electricity supply”. [EU 2006]
Smart Grids can be described as an upgraded electricity network enabling two-way
information and power exchange between suppliers and consumers, thanks to the
pervasive incorporation of intelligent communication monitoring and management
systems. Adopting Smart Grids will allow the European energy system to integrate
renewable energy sources, adopt active demand response measures, reduce grid losses,
increase energy efficiency, improve system performance, and the utilisation of ageing
assets.
At the European level, a research and development joint programme on Smart Grids has
been launched in 2010 [EERA Smart grids]. The European Energy Research Alliance
(EERA) [EERA] Joint Programme on Smart Grids by means of an extended cross-
disciplinary co-operation involving many Research and Development participants with
different and complementary expertise and facilities, aims at addressing in a medium - to
long-term research perspective, one of the most critical areas directly relating to the
effective acceleration of smart grid development and deployment.
The EERA JP on Smart Grids, is structured in the following five sub-programmes: 1.
Network Operation; 2. Energy Management; 3. Control System Interoperability; 4.
Electrical Storage Technologies; 5. Transmission Networks.
Smart Cities
Since the earliest definitions of Smart City [Giffinger 2007, Hollands 2008], many other
definitions have been given. Due to the multidisciplinary approach that this topic implies,
each definition uses different disciplinary languages, which differ from each other, and
each definition approaches the topic by sketching different aims. As a consequence still
today the smart city definition is not univocally given. In the following will summarise a
current basic common knowledge.
