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3/19/09

SpiegelOnline: Amsterdam as Smart City: Going Green Fast in Holland - by Mark Scott

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Amsterdam as Smart City: Going Green Fast in Holland - by Mark Scott

Among Amsterdam's 17th century town houses and meandering canals, big changes are afoot. On Utrechtsestraat, a major shopping avenue in the center of the Dutch capital, street trash soon will be collected by nonpolluting electric trucks, while the electronic displays in local bus stops will be powered by small solar panels. Elsewhere, 500 households will pilot an energy-saving system from IBM and Cisco aimed at cutting electricity costs. An additional 728 homes will have access to financing from Dutch banks ING and Rabobank to buy everything from energy-saving light bulbs to ultra-efficient roof insulation.

All told, the municipality, energy outfits, and private companies are expected to invest more than euro 680 million ( US$1 billion) over the next three years. That figure includes a euro 300 million investment by local electricity network operator Alliander in so-called "smart grid" technology that uses network sensors and improved domestic energy monitoring to trim electricity use.

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