Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther at the unveiling of $3.6 million in mobile solar technology on ODU’s campus on Sept. 6, 2017.
Smart Columbus Partners with ODU to Enhance Campus Sustainability and Safety By Bud Braughton, Project Manager, City of Columbus
“Smart is just the start” — it’s something we say frequently at Smart Columbus. Smart Columbus is the smart city initiative of the Columbus region. The program was initiated after Columbus beat out 77 other cities to win the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Smart City Challenge in 2016. As the winner, Columbus won the distinction as “America’s Smart City,” and $50 million in grant funding — $40 million from the USDOT to discover how new transportation technologies can improve quality of life and $10 million from Paul G. Allen Philanthropies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, primarily by electrifying the transportation sector. Through these opportunities, we’ll use data and technology to transform transportation in our city — but that’s just the start. We believe that by improving
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transportation, we can improve quality of life, attract economic growth, improve safety and foster sustainability in our region. Smart Columbus has partnered with more than 100 organizations across the region to solve real problems by using new mobility and sustainability technologies. Recently, we partnered with Ohio Dominican University to do just that. As the winner of the Smart City Challenge, Smart Columbus was connected with DC Solar Freedom, an organization that manufactures mobile solar stations capable of powering lighting towers and electric vehicle charging stations. DC Solar committed to a $1.5 million in-kind donation of their technology to Central Ohio universities and public agencies in support of Smart Columbus’ goal to decarbonize power generation in the region.
