In 2005, the then-mayor of London, Ken Livingstone convened the 1st Mayors Summit. Eighteen megacity representatives came together around a single mission – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
This first meeting resulted in an agreement to cooperate to reduce climate emissions and advance the adoption of climate-friendly technology in the marketplace. By the following year, the number of megacity participants more than doubled to 40 and the organization of the collaborating cities was dubbed the “C40”, meeting every two years at the “C40 Mayors Summit.”
There are currently 90 cities participating in the C40.
The driving force behind this collaboration is to discuss the current climate situations and issues within the individual cities, and interactions among the various mayors vis-a-vis what their cities have done or are currently doing to enact climate change and “go green.” The C40 meetings are more than just conversation and ideas—taking action is pivotal to their success. The most recent 2016 summit focused on urban waterfront redevelopment and eliminating diesel vehicles.
The grassroots beginnings of what is now a globally recognized convention plays a large role in the structure of the C40 as a constituent that is leading the charge for address climate change issues and their impact. Change and forward momentum are possible due to the transparency of the participating cities—they share what works and what doesn’t, including data on city emission reductions and city government policies, which contributes to “the world’s most comprehensive database of city climate action” (C40.org).
The C40 is focused on issues such as diesel-free public transportation, energy efficient commercial construction, retrofitting existing buildings to be more green, sustainable landscaping technologies and collecting and disseminating data; data that will measure what works and what doesn’t work. As these larger issues are addressed at the city infrastructure level, WATT believes that focus will continue to segment, down to the neighborhood, and individual dwelling levels. Variants of city-wide practices applicable to this localized application will surely be developed and deployed, and be augmented with alternative power strategies at the residential level that save consumers money, increase power security (grid attacks, grid failures) and result in virtual and ad hoc power grids that are powered by wind and solar, and include the next generation fuel cell technology, displacing traditional diesel power generators and reducing our reliance on the traditional power grid.
WATT’s Imperium™ Fuel Cell is an ideal solution for these new home power alternatives. Reliability, extensibility and right-sized output all combine to provide a residential consumer with the fuel cell that integrates with these new last mile and on-premises power solutions.
If you’d like to learn more about how the WATT Imperium™ fuel cell can play an integral role in residential applications and power solutions, please contact us today.