Abstract
Our paper focuses on eliciting the factors that constitute threats and dangers for urban energy networks, information networks, and energy grids in the cities. Moreover, we attempt to determine how these threats are perceived by the inhabitants of those cities. Urban energy networks tend to play an increasing role in achieving energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in large urban centers. Even though they do not necessarily correspond to reality, public opinions can substantially influence the adoption of relevant technologies in populous urban locations. We use the public opinion representative survey data from the Czech Republic (a sample of 1023 respondents) in order to show how people perceive the dangers and threats for urban energy networks from such events as: (i) Extensive and long-term power outage; (ii) service disruption of the Internet, mobile networks or telephone landlines; (iii) cyber-attacks, and (iv) the technological dependence of the state on multinational technological companies. Our results demonstrate that people who live in small rural settlements and medium-sized cities tend to be more afraid of the threats and dangers from urban energy networks such as electricity and Internet outages, compared to people residing in some smaller towns. As far as there would always be a fear of the new technologies and their vulnerabilities, the local governments, mass media, and Internet resources alike should pay more attention to providing the relevant and updated information on the threats to urban energy networks for the general public.
Highlights
Urban energy networks, information networks, and smart energy grids represent the key importance for the proper functioning of the modern cities and large urban centers ensuring their energy efficiency and environmental sustainability [1,2]
In order to achieve all of the above, an intense communication between the central and the local governments is necessary for determining the central and local needs and peculiarities that can be addressed by the smart greed technology and the other new technologies belonging to the family of smart city technologies
Public perceptions of new technologies represent an important aspect that may be crucial for the successful implementations of new technologies including urban energy networks
Summary
Information networks, and smart energy grids represent the key importance for the proper functioning of the modern cities and large urban centers ensuring their energy efficiency and environmental sustainability [1,2] These networks and grids are subjected to a plethora of dangers and threats both imaginary and real, perceived by their inhabitants. The perceptions of the public do not necessarily correspond to reality, this information appears to be crucial for the further promotion of the “smart city” concept and is likely to help the urban planners and policy makers in their endeavors This becomes very important since the creation of carbon-free sustainable and energy sufficient smart cities became the priority of many countries and governments in the face of the impending global warming and climate change.
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