Inverness, UK

Inverness is located in Scotland and has a population of approximately 60,000 inhabitants. With a 15% growth in population since 2001, Inverness is the fastest growing city in Scotland and has a dynamic economic development mainly based on the life science and energy sectors.

The main renewable energy sources exploited in Inverness are hydroelectricity and wind energy. Part of the energy consumed in the city is in fact already coming from wind farms and hydroelectric plants located in the neighbourhood of the city. In addition, Inverness has joined the Scottish Cities Alliance to engage, together with six other Scottish Cities, in the development of innovative smart city strategies. To help implementing this strategy, the city of Inverness will receive up to £3million from the UK Government that will be partly devoted to the development of a free internet access within the city. Furthermore, the city is incentivising investment in energy efficient refurbishment in the region in order to achieve greater energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.

As a Replication City, the city of Inverness intends to engage in knowledge sharing activities focused on the development of innovative smart cities strategies.