Integrated transport and renewable energy systems

No single technology can solve the problem of ever increasing CO₂ emissions from transport. Here, a coherent effort to integrate transport into energy planning is proposed, using multiple means promoting sustainable transport. It is concluded that a 100 per cent renewable energy transport system is possible but is connected to significant challenges in the path towards it. Biomass is a limited resource and it is important to avoid effecting the production of food. The integration of the transport with the energy system is crucial as is a multi-pronged strategy. Short term solutions have to consider the long term goal. In a short term proposal for 2030 it is concluded that it is possible both to reduce CO₂ emissions substantially and, at the same time, gain economic benefits. Biofuels are not able to solve the problems within the transport sector but play an important role in combination with other technologies.     

Agile sustainable communities: On-site renewable energy generation

Smart and sustainable campuses demand three components. First, there is the need to have a Strategic Master Plan (SMP) for all infrastructures that include energy, transportation, water, waste and telecommunications along with the traditional dimensions of research, curricula, outreach and assessments. Secondarily, there is the array of issues pertaining to the sitting of buildings and overall facility master planning which must be addressed from the perspective of “green” energy, efficient orientation and be designed for multiple-use by the academic and local community.Thirdly, the development of sustainable buildings in one area that is compact and walkable campuses thus enable a range of transportation choices leads to reduced energy consumption. Historically, college campuses were often like towns and villages in that they are self-sustaining for family, business and recreational activities. Any sustainable smart campus is a vibrant, “experiential” applied educational model that should catalyze creative learning. More significantly, today, campuses and communities must be secure in terms of not only their own energy use and needs, but also for the resource demands of their power. Otherwise, the community(s) will never be secure economically or politically.Recognizing global warming and climate change, in the spring of 2001, the Board of Trustee (BOT) for the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) took the critical initial policy steps to turn these sustainable developments into goals. For example, the LACCD decided to have new “green” buildings to replace or renovate existing ones. The building program led to sustainable communities that included recycling, product reuse from waste as well as smart growth in terms of reduced energy use, efficiency and the use of telecommunication and wireless systems. The paper focuses primarily on the energy programs for the LACCD campuses.The paper considers the overall energy situation in California and the Southern California region, primarily Los Angeles. Then the paper looks at the state and regional energy contexts which lay the ground work and rationale why LACCD and other communities must act on their own to counteract climate change and global warming. Finally, the paper discusses how a community becomes sustainable, and hence “energy independent”. By doing so, any community can generate its own energy through the production or acquisition of its energy from renewable sources such as solar, wind or biomass among other local resources. Even more significant consequences come in terms of carbon control, lower impact on the environment and reduced global warming.     

The role of business models and transitional pressures in attaining sustainable urban water management

Many scholarly articles have argued that there is a need for a transition towards sustainable urban water management (SUWM). As businesses, water service providers (WSPs) must modify their business models to align with this goal. Explicit consideration of business models is, however, often missing from the literature relating to SUWM. More specifically, the economic level is often not given due consideration. To help address this gap, this paper reviews the potential role business models can play in attaining SUWM. Elements of a sustainability-based business model are presented, along with a case study of transitional pressures in Melbourne, Australia. The case study highlights factors that have a significant impact on the business models of WSPs, and it is concluded that customer willingness to pay and politicization of decisions must be addressed if transitions to sustainability-based business models are to be maintained over the long term.     

Battery energy storage systems: Assessment for small-scale renewable energy integration

Concerns arising due to the variability and intermittency of renewable energy sources while integrating with the power grid can be mitigated to an extent by incorporating a storage element within the renewable energy harnessing system. Thus, battery energy storage systems (BESS) are likely to have a significant impact in the small-scale integration of renewable energy sources into commercial building and residential dwelling. These storage technologies not only enable improvements in consumption levels from renewable energy sources but also provide a range of technical and monetary benefits. This paper provides a modelling framework to be able to quantify the associated benefits of renewable resource integration followed by an overview of various small-scale energy storage technologies. A simple, practical and comprehensive assessment of battery energy storage technologies for small-scale renewable applications based on their technical merit and economic feasibility is presented. Software such as Simulink and HOMER provides the platforms for technical and economic assessments of the battery technologies respectively.     

Localised knowledge,local policies and regional innovation activity for renewable energy technologies: Evidence from Italy

This paper investigates the mechanism of locally induced innovation activities in the field of renewable energy technologies (RET). A panel data analysis from 1998 to 2007 across 20 Italian regions identifies the primary drivers of renewable energy patenting activity. As expected, the localised stock of knowledge, local researchers and regional public research subsidies contribute significantly to the development of innovation activities. Additionally, regional characteristics, such as regional energy dependence and hydroelectric resources, are effective in determining the RET innovation patterns. Specifically, regional hydroelectric power acts as a substitute input and hence hampers the innovation activities in the field of RET. Finally, RET innovation activities depend to a limited extent on the political orientation of regional councils, thereby confirming prior research on the role of social acceptance of and political support for technology development. Highlighting the role of local resources and local policies for RET innovation activities, the present research has potential implications for economies that strive to become more self‐reliant and less import intensive in the knowledge sector.     

Selection of sustainable sanitation technologies for urban slums--a case of Bwaise III in Kampala, Uganda

Provision of sanitation solutions in the world's urban slums is extremely challenging due to lack of money, space, access and sense of ownership. This paper presents a technology selection method that was used for the selection of appropriate sanitation solutions for urban slums. The method used in this paper takes into account sustainability criteria, including social acceptance, technological and physical applicability, economical and institutional aspects, and the need to protect and promote human health and the environment. The study was carried out in Bwaise III; a slum area in Kampala (Uganda). This was through administering of questionnaires and focus group discussions to obtain baseline data, developing a database to compare different sanitation options using technology selection criteria and then performing a multi-criteria analysis of the technology options. It was found that 15% of the population uses a public pit latrine; 75% uses a shared toilet; and 10% has private, non-shared sanitation facilities. Using the selection method, technologies such as Urine Diversion Dry Toilet (UDDT) and biogas latrines were identified to be potentially feasible sanitation solutions for Bwaise III. Sanitation challenges for further research are also presented.     

Scoping the potential of monitoring and control technologies to reduce energy use in homes

This scoping study takes a broad look at how information technology-enabled monitoring and control systems could assist in mitigating energy use in residences by more efficiently allocating the delivery of services by time and location. A great deal of energy is wasted in delivering services inefficiently to residents such as heating or cooling unoccupied spaces, overheating/undercooling for whole-house comfort, leakage current, and inefficient appliances. We construct a framework to estimate different categories of inefficient energy services and the result of our initial estimate is that over 39% of residential primary energy is wasted. We next discuss how monitoring and control technologies could manage home energy use to reduce waste. Technologies considered here include programmable thermostats, smart meters and outlets, zone heating, automated sensors, and wireless communications infrastructures. The level of energy services delivered is assumed to remain unchanged, with all energy savings being realized through better management. A final discussion on barriers to adoption of these systems speculates that a lack of consumer awareness of the technologies, high costs due to lack of economies of scale, and difficult user interfaces are currently the major hurdles toward adoption.     

A hybrid decision support system for sustainable office building renovation and energy performance improvement

Energy consumption of buildings accounts for around 20-40% of all energy consumed in advanced countries. Over the last decade, more and more global organizations are investing significant resources to create sustainably built environments, emphasizing sustainable building renovation processes to reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. This study develops an integrated decision support system to assess existing office building conditions and to recommend an optimal set of sustainable renovation actions, considering trade-offs between renovation cost, improved building quality, and environmental impacts. A hybrid approach that combines A* graph search algorithm with genetic algorithms (GA) is used to analyze all possible renovation actions and their trade-offs to develop the optimal solution. A two-stage system validation is performed to demonstrate the practical application of the hybrid approach: zero-one goal programming (ZOGP) and genetic algorithms are adopted to validate the effectiveness of the algorithm. A real-world renovation project is introduced to validate differences in energy performance projected for the renovation solution suggested by the system. The results reveal that the proposed hybrid system is more computationally effective than either ZOGP or GA alone. The system's suggested renovation actions would provide substantial energy performance improvements to the real project if implemented.     

Smart structure technologies for civil infrastructures in Korea: recent research and applications

In this paper, recent research and application activities on smart structure technologies for civil infrastructures in Korea are briefly introduced. The development of structural health monitoring systems and effective retrofit/maintenance methodologies for infrastructures has become active in Korea since the mid-1990s, as the number of the deteriorated infrastructures, mostly built on the rapidly industrialised period of the 1970s, has increased very rapidly. Discussions are made on smart sensors and non-destructive technologies, monitoring and damage assessment methods for civil infrastructures, smart monitoring of geo-systems, structural control and centre-based research on smart structure technologies.     

住宅中太阳能与混合通风复合能量系统的设计思路

混合通风是综合自然通风与机械通风两种手段的通风技术,可使建筑在保持可接受的室内空气品质以及室内热舒适的前提下,能耗最小化。将太阳能与混合通风复合能量系统应用于住宅建筑,可以最大限度地利用风能、太阳能等自然能源,削减不可再生能源的耗费。通过介绍太阳能与混合通风复合能量系统的原理,并结合国内外一些工程实例,提出5种方案供设计人员参考。     

Application of solar energy for milk pasteurisation: a comprehensive review for sustainable development

ABSTRACT

Solar energy is available freely. Hence, nowadays people are working on solar energy when compared with conventional sources of energy. Dairy industries require heat, which can be generated by the use of boiler with the aid of wood. Hence, due to increment in global warming, it is necessary to use renewable energy. The primary aim of this review paper is to study various researchers’ work on solar milk pasteurisation system. Hence, it also covers important aspects required for solar pasteurisation like flat plate collector, heat exchanger and solar water heating system.     

The limited role for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies in a sustainable Australian energy future

There is considerable debate regarding the potential role of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies in reducing Australia's greenhouse emissions. The latest climate change science suggests that major (60% or more by 2050), rapid (peaking within 20 years) cuts in global emissions may be required to avoid dangerous climate change. There are a number of existing abatement options including energy efficiency, various renewable energy technologies, nuclear power and fuel switching to natural gas; as well as emerging options including CCS. We outline a simple technology assessment framework for policymakers to evaluate these different options given the climate change imperative. This framework includes technology status, delivered energy services, present and possible future costs, potential scale of abatement, potential speed of deployment and other possible social outcomes. Application of this framework to CCS suggests that it should be considered as a promising, but still somewhat unproven, option that potentially offers very significant abatement potential and good integration into the existing energy industry. There are, however, some outstanding questions regarding its effectiveness and safety, its abatement is likely to come at significant cost, and it is unlikely to be able to make a significant contribution for well over a decade. The Australian policy implications are that while government support for R&D and Demonstration of CCS is appropriate and should in our view be expanded, the major priority should be to support greater deployment of existing abatement options including energy efficiency, efficient gas-fired generation and cogeneration and renewable energy. Such policy support is noticeably lacking at present.     

城市绿色基础设施空间组织与构建研究

绿色基础设施是对自然生态系统全新的认识与尊重,被证明是一种解决城市生态环境问题的有效的系统化途径。该文简要阐述绿色基础设施定义与内涵,重点从绿色基础设施空间组织要素及结构模式、空间组织特性、空间管控模式与空间管理机制等方面系统探讨城市绿色基础设施空间组织与构建,以期为构建完善的绿色基础设施空间网络体系之实践提供相应依据。     

建筑与太阳能技术一体化设计

结合目前我国住宅建筑使用太阳能技术的现状,介绍了建筑与太阳能技术一体化设计的概念和优点,阐述了一体化设计的途径及存在的问题,针对性地提出了解决措施,并对其未来的发展进行了展望。     

Planning for sustainable accessibility: Developing tools to aid discussion and decision-making

Planning policy goals now emphasise the need to plan for accessibility and it is clear that increasing the mode share of public transport is a key requirement. One of the enduring issues has been how to embed these policy aspirations into mainstream planning practice. There is considerable diversity of approach to measuring accessibility with no single perfect accessibility measure. Applications of accessibility tools in planning practice have tended to be single issue focussed. There remains a gap in accessibility tool development capable of providing a multi-focus perspective both on land use and transport integration, which also consider accessibility as a city wide application where access from every centre to every other centre is considered. In addition to these shortcomings, there is also a strong need for accessibility tools that can enhance the understanding of land use transport integration, not only for professional practitioners but for a wider range of stakeholders. To achieve this, the inputs and outputs of accessibility tools need to be communicated in an ‘accessible’ way too.     

住宅建筑用新技术新材料的可持续发展

根据可持续发展理论，从生态，经济，社会三种角度，分析了多项新技术，新材料在住宅建筑中的应用，得出了建设安全高效，舒适的居住空间环境以实现住宅建筑可持续发展的结论。     

浅谈公共建筑门窗与幕墙节能改造技术

门窗与玻璃幕墙是建筑绝热的薄弱环节,随着门窗与玻璃幕墙面积的不断扩大,建筑耗能也在日趋增加.门窗与玻璃幕墙作为建筑外围护结构的重要部分,其重要性涉及到能源的消耗以及如何采用各种技术手段降低能耗的问题.因此,研究门窗与玻璃幕墙节能具有重大的意义.本文阐述了门窗与玻璃幕墙节能的重要性,提出了门窗节能与玻璃幕墙节能改造的一些...     

Eawag Forum Chriesbach—Simulation and measurement of energy performance and comfort in a sustainable office building

The Eawag's new headquarters “Forum Chriesbach” is an exemplary illustration of a ‘sustainable’ construction design for office buildings. With a unique combination of architectural and technical elements the building reaches a very low 88 kWh/m² overall primary energy consumption, which is significantly lower than the Swiss Passive House standard, Minergie-P. A monitoring and evaluation project shows that the building is heated mainly by using the sun and internal heat gains from lighting, electrical appliances and occupants, resulting in an extremely low space heating demand. Cooling is provided by natural night time ventilation and the earth-coupled air intake, which pre-cools supply air and provides free cooling for computer servers. However, values for embodied energy and electricity consumption remain significant, even with partial on-site electricity production using photovoltaics. TRNSYS computer simulations show the contributions of individual building services to the overall energy balance and indicate that the building is resilient towards changes in parameters such as climate or occupancy density. Measurements confirm comfortable room temperatures below 26 °C, even during an extremely hot summer period, and 20-23 °C in the winter season. An economic analysis reveals additional costs of only 5% compared to a conventionally constructed building and a payback-time of 13 years.     

太阳能热水系统与高层住宅建筑一体化设计实例解析——以“景城御琴湾”小区为例

该文从当前太阳能热水系统与高层住宅一体化设计的现状出发,分析一体化设计的可行性途径以及太阳能热水系统的设计选型;结合"景城御琴湾"小区的实例,探讨如何巧妙地利用建筑部位实现太阳能热水系统与高层住宅建筑一体化设计,并提出相关的建议。