News
As towns and cities develop across the world to accommodate growing economic activity and population, budget constrained city authorities are grappling with growing infrastructure needs, energy demand, and environmental challenges. These challenges are more acute in developing countries where 80 percent of urban dwellers are projected to live within the next two decades.
The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) is helping cities address these issues through its newly designed Tool for Rapid Assessment of City Energy (TRACE), formally known as the Rapid Assessment Framework (RAF).TRACE is helping cities improve their use of energy and cut costs, by offering city authorities a quick and easy way to assess their energy efficiency and identify measures they can take to improve. The tool prescribes cost effective and efficient ways of using energy in transportation, buildings, water and waste water, public lighting, solid waste management, and power and heating systems.
“TRACE is a user friendly tool that supports a rapid assessment of energy savings opportunities in a city. The tool allows the user to compare one city's performance to peer cities, identify underperforming sectors, and define actions a city can take to make improvements and reduce energy costs,” said Ranjan Bose a Senior Energy Specialist in ESMAP. TRACE is being deployed in several cities around the world, including Gazientep (Turkey), Da Nang (Vietnam), Quezon City and Cebu (Philippines), and Surabaya (Indonesia).