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The Topic: Future cities Future cities THE Topic 16 | 6th - 12th February 2015 | utILIty WeeK internatiOnal insight Projects in Europe and the US to explore distributed generation on the grid. Around the globe, governments and industry are seeking to understand the energy systems of the future. What new roles will emerge as generation decentralises, populations shi – geographically and demo- graphically – and economic demands change? In Europe, one key pro- gramme, evolvDSO, is preparing for a revolution in the role of the distribution system operator (DSO), the continental equiva- lent of distribution network operators in the UK. Across eight nations, 16 partners are seeking to understand how increasingly distributed renewable energy sources in the generation mix along with "pro-active demand" will impact DSO business models and modes of operation. The programme is exploring a range of scenarios involving different levels of penetration from distributed renewable energy generation and smart technologies. Scenarios also take into account a range of consumer acceptance patterns for new technologies or service models. Programme goals include the development and evaluation of tools for operat- ing in each of the scenarios and there is a plan to produce accompanying DSO roadmaps for business transformation. Along similar lines, in the US, distribution networks are being urged to innovate and identify pathways to become "dynamic system platform providers" (DSPPs) under the state of New York's programme, Reforming the Energy Vision. This initiative would see distribution networks become change facilitators – agents of an electricity system architect – with responsibilities for regulat- ing the way smart energy data is transferred and traded between energy supply and demand aggregation players. An April 2014 report from the New York Department of Public Service explains: "The DSPP will modernise its distribution system to create a flexible platform for new energy products and services, to improve overall system efficiency and to better serve customer needs… The DSPP will create markets, tariffs, and operational systems to enable behind-the-meter resource providers to monetise products and services that will provide value to the utility system and thus to all customers." Find out more about evolvDSO at www.evolvdso.eu and about Reforming the Energy Vision at www.dps.ny.gov rOle mOdel Bristol is the European Com- mission's European Green Capital 2015. The city won the title against competition from Brussels, Glasgow and Ljubljana – which will take the crown in 2016. With a population of over 440,000, Bristol has committed to spending around £225 mil- lion on energy efficiency and renewables projects by 2020. Between 2005 and 2010, Bristol reduced domestic energy use by 16 per cent and is on a journey towards cutting carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2020 against a 2005 baseline. Opinion: meeting expectations "A combination of an expanding urban population, coupled with a higher frequency of extreme weather events, with everything from flooding to high water demand, leaves towns and cities facing increasing challenges. Shaping our cities as water-sensitive places, where there is a collaborative approach across city development, connecting with the water cycle and building communities, offers a way forward which changes the conventional paradigm. "The water-sensitive approach has the potential to enhance water security and conservation, reduce the risk of flooding, and build a closer connection between people and water, with customers thinking differently about how they use and dispose of water." Tony Conway, strategic programmes director, United Utilities