Duke Energy, ENN Group to work together on China's first smart city

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Quick Take: Smart cities will be the Next Big Thing after smart grid—but they may happen first in Asia and Europe, not in the U.S. In the States, the smart grid focus is on consumer engagement and empowerment. In Europe, the smart grid is often seen as the essential foundation for an entire smart city. And in Asia, smart cities are seen as the solution to their urban growth woes. – Jesse Berst

Duke Energy and China-based ENN Group, a global clean energy company, will work jointly to develop the technologies needed to build greener cities (aka smart cities) in China and the U.S.

For its part, ENN is building China's first smart energy "eco-city" in Langfang, near Beijing. Duke will work with ENN to develop the smart city and plans to use what it learns from the experience in its deployment of clean energy technologies. The shared vision for the innovative green city includes power produced by cleaner generation technologies, energy storage, energy efficiency, energy recovery (carbon absorption by microalgae, for example) and electric vehicle infrastructure.

"This collaboration is not only a stepping stone for cleaner energy in China and the U.S.," said ENN Chairman Wang Yusuo. "ENN Group and Duke Energy's cooperation will lead to the development of new, cleaner ways to produce, store, distribute and use energy."

Duke Energy Chairman, President and CEO Jim Rogers commented, "Today's agreement exemplifies what's possible when the U.S. and China collaborate on energy technologies for the 21st century. Together we seek to demonstrate how these next-generation technologies can transform the way we live."

The smart city partnership isn't the first time Duke and ENN have joined forces. The two companies agreed in September 2009 to work on accelerating the development of low-carbon and clean energy technologies, and are working together on developing commercial solar projects in the U.S.

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