Smart Cities, Smart Grids, and Smart Grid Analytics

Abstract

The introduction of the 21st century has experienced a growing trend in the number of people who choose to live within a city. Rapid urbanisation however, comes a variety of issues which are technical, social, physical and organisational in nature because of the complex gathering of large population numbers in such a spatially limited area. This rapid growth in population presents new challenges for the already stretched city services and infrastructure as they are faced with the problems of finding smarter methods to deal with issues including: traffic congestion, waste management and increased energy usage. This chapter examines the phenomenon of smart cities, their many definitions, their ability to alleviate the discomforts cities suffer due to rapid urbanisation and ultimately offer an improved and more sustainable lives for the city's citizens. This chapter also highlights the benefits of smart grids, their bi-directional real-time communication ability, and their other qualities.