Perth, UK

The city of Perth is located in the geographic centre of Scotland, is at a central location in the communication and transport network and has a population of approximately 50,000 inhabitants. To foster the city’s transition towards a low carbon economy, Perth has joined the Scottish Cities Alliance, bringing together seven cities engaged in the development of smart strategies for sustainable urban development.

Much of the electricity consumed in Perth is already produced from renewable energy technologies with an installed capacity of 1,628 MW from hydroelectric dams but the city and hinterland also an installed capacity of 295 MW of large-scale wind and has great potential for the development of other renewable energy sources such as biomass with the use of forest residues and ground and water source heat pumps and solar PV. The council also has an ambitious strategy to develop District heating and the municipality Council is encouraging the development of further renewable energy projects in the region.

Perth & Kinross has great potential in the renewable energy sector, with its substantial forestry and wood processing providing an excellent opportunity to use by-products to generate heat and electricity. Additionally, the high wind speeds in Perth & Kinross and the abundance of waterways suggest good opportunities in wind and hydropower. In addition, the quality of agricultural land would lend itself to the growing of energy crops and Perth & Kinross has 3.15% of the nations installed microgeneration capacity. A study that is currently being carried out will provide a clearer picture to how much renewable energy potential, and in which technology, actually exists in Perth & Kinross.

Additionally, the city has designed a Smart City Strategy with the aim of using data and digital technologies to enhance sustainability, increase citizens’ comfort and foster the city’s economic development. This strategy will help in managing traffic congestion and creating smart energy grids while promoting the use of low-carbon modes of transport.

As a Replication City of the EU-GUGLE and SINFONIA project, the city of Perth intends to learn from the experiences of other smart cities in the fields of integrated energy management and renewable energy generation.