Australia’s first Smart Future Cities Conference has kicked off in Newcastle.
The conference is being held at Newcastle City Hall today and Friday; to be followed by the Clean Energy Expo and Electric Vehicle Show on Saturday that will showcase innovations in clean energy and future transport.
On Friday evening, a free public forum will be held in the Main Concert Hall. The public forum theme is “Newcastle: Smart City, Our Future”.
“Community members have many questions about the process of becoming a smart future city. What is a smart city? Can technology make our city more liveable? How will smart city technology affect our lives on a daily basis? How can we use technology and innovation to harness the potential of our region for economic growth, jobs and a higher quality of life?” said Councillor Nuatali Nelme, Lord Mayor of Newcastle City Council.
“It is exciting that some of the best minds across this topic will be addressing these questions and looking at practical applications for Newcastle and other cities across Australia.”
Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) CEO Oliver Yates is keynote speaker at today’s proceedings and will be discussing how the organisation is working to unlock key investment opportunities.
Mr Yates states Australian cities can reap the benefits of clean energy technologies, including solar panels and battery storage, smarter energy management, waste-to-energy plants and cleaner cars.
“The CEFC’s investment in these areas is helping generate cleaner power, accelerate the take up of energy efficient technologies and cut energy costs for businesses, local governments and households,” says Mr. Yates.
“We’re providing finance for better buildings, cleaner energy, more efficient vehicles and energy productivity for businesses across the country.”
The CEFC has committed a total over $1.4 billion in finance to investments in various clean energy projects throughout Australia valued at over $3.5 billion since it began operating. These investments are expected to achieve abatement of 4.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually, with a positive net benefit to the Australian taxpayer.
According to Mr. Yates, research indicates investments in public and low emission transport, building efficiency and waste management in cities could generate savings of more than $AUD24 trillion by 2050 globally.
The Smart Future Cities Conference is an initiative of the Tom Farrell Institute for the Environment in partnership with the Regional Clean Energy Program of NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and The City of Newcastle.
The conference is a great achievement for the Institute and is the culmination of a journey that started around five years ago with a vision of putting regional solutions for a sustainable future into practice.
Further details of the Smart Future Cities Conference can be viewed here.
