New Whitepaper Offers Smart City Roadmap for Public Power Utilities

American Public Power Association and SmartEnergy IP Focus on the Importance of Smart Technology Planning and Investments to Improve Customer Experience and Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. — January 7, 2019 — American Public Power Association, the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide, and SmartEnergy IP™, a division of SmartMark Communications, announced today the release of “Creating a Smart City Roadmap for Public Power Utilities” whitepaper. The publication, prepared by SmartEnergy IP’s smart city subject matter expert, provides a roadmap for cities and utilities considering implementing a smart city program.

The paper offers guidelines and recommendations for public power utilities, while recognizing that each utility is as unique as the community it serves. It also lays out key questions to consider in the process of implementing a smart cities program, including which stakeholders to include in the planning, which materials to develop to support the project, and other key operational considerations.

Key takeaways include:

• The definition of “smart cities” is not universally agreed upon. The Association defines a smart city in the whitepaper as a city that betters the lives of residents and businesses through mindful investments and deployments of advanced technologies.
• Public power utilities need to engage in conversations early in the process to make sure there is proper coordination, as well as to ensure their interests are not superseded.
• There are risks associated with utilities not engaging with the public and private sector on smart city initiatives.
• In a smart city environment, the public and private sectors must align, and stakeholders, which at times have opposing interests, must communicate and coordinate with each other.
• Public power utilities must take a proactive role in shaping the smart city vision for their service territories.

“Public power utilities play a unique and important role in smart city efforts,” said Paul Zummo, the Association's director of policy research and analysis. “This roadmap serves as a first step in educating public power utilities about how they can be leaders in smart city efforts as part of their transformation to utilities of the future.”

“It is a pivotal time for today’s utilities as they undergo industry transformation,” SmartEnergy IP founder and CEO Juliet Shavit said. “We were pleased to help with this paper since public power companies play a critical role in the future development of their communities. From smart grid to smart cities, they must leverage the latest advancements in connected technologies to improve the well-being of their citizens.”

The paper includes a section that outlines an initial set of questions that can lead to a preliminary smart city blueprint. It looks to break down what public power utilities must do to engage and lead the smart city conversation, and includes a proposed “map” to begin laying information down into a shareable internal and external document to help communicate internally and to stakeholders the utility’s smart city plan.

To view the whitepaper click here.

About American Public Power Association

The American Public Power Association is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. The Association represents public power before the federal government to protect the interests of the more than 49 million people that public power utilities serve, and the 93,000 people they employ.

About SmartEnergy IP

SmartEnergy IP is a strategic communications and research organization within SmartMark Communications dedicated to helping articulate the benefits of energy technology investment and innovation for consumers. As utilities implement smart energy initiatives there are ways to ensure that customers are best prepared to make smart energy choices and positively support these programs.

Furthermore, as utilities develop their roadmaps for the future, SmartEnergy IP helps utilities and stakeholders define the technology and business requirements necessary to develop and implement customer-focused programs that benefit communities and meet policy goals.

Media Contact
American Public Power Association
202-467-2900
MediaRelations@PublicPower.org

Meredith Salefski
SmartMark Communications, LLC
215-504-4272
meredith@smartmarkusa.com