To become the European Union's first "intelligent city," Amsterdam is enlisting the help of Accenture to create a smart electricity grid for businesses to hook up to, add smart meters and energy displays to homes, and take other steps to reduce the city's overall energy use.
 
Amsterdam's Smart City program is focused on creating sustainable and economically viable projects that will reduce the city's carbon emissions and help it meet the E.U.'s emissions and energy reduction goals for 2020.

The Smart City program will include smart electric grid, smart meters, smart building technologies like feedback displays and electric vehicles to reduce energy use throughout commercial properties, residential areas, public buildings and transportation.

The first projects, starting this month, include hooking up commercial vessels and river cruisers to the electric grid while they're docked; creating a smart building at Accenture's Amsterdam office at the ITO Tower by using intelligent technology to collect, monitor and analyze utility data; implementing smart meters and energy feedback displays in homes to help residents manage energy use; and creating a "climate street" along Utrechtsestraat, a popular shopping and restaurant street, that will utilize sustainable waste collection, tram stops, and street and store lighting, with meters and feedback tools allowing store owners and municipal authorities the ability to better manage energy consumption.

Accenture will work with the Amsterdam Innovation Motor, a city-affiliated agency, throughout the program. The Amsterdam Innovation Motor establishes public and private sector cooperative projects.

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