Download or read book Building Better Less Different Clean Energy Transition and Digital Transformation written by Felix Heisel and published by Birkhäuser. This book was released on 2023-11-06 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainability Sustainability is to become the guiding principle of social action and economic activity. At the same time, its ways and means are far from clear. As a holistic praxis, sustainability must combine technical and material as well as social, economic, ecological and also ethical strategies, which have multiple complex interactions and all too often also conflicting goals and priorities. In no other field can these be better observed, addressed and influenced than in architecture and building. "Building Better – Less – Different" Each volume of "Building Better – Less – Different" details two fundamental areas of sustainability and explores their specific dynamics and interactions. After introductory overviews, innovative methods and current developments are described and analysed in in-depth essays, international case studies and pointed commentaries. The sustainability criteria of efficiency ("better"), sufficiency ("less") and consistency ("different") form the framework for each book. What the press say about the first volume "Circular Construction and Circular Economy" "The articles, case studies and commentaries in this book make a major contribution to advancing the current discourse on implementing circular-based economic models in the building sector." Hessian Chamber of Architects, book reviews "To think of tomorrow when building today is the core message that Dirk E. Hebel and Felix Heisel want to convey to their readers. ... And they also show us how: with the help of relevant examples, grouped under the headings ‘better’, ‘less’ and ‘different’, they demonstrate concrete applications and argue that circular construction can also benefit the construction industry..." architektur aktuell Clean energy transition It has long been common knowledge that energy and sustainability are closely interlinked. And yet we are witnessing a profound shift in the sector. While the earlier focus was on improving energy efficiency and increasing the proportion of renewable energy in buildings, current energy conservation policies are supporting a broader, more holistic view. This encompasses integral approaches in which building design and construction measures form part of the energy concept from the outset, as well as accounting for grey energy in building materials and a holistic evaluation of buildings over their entire life cycle. For the energy-intensive and emission-producing building sector, climate change presents an even greater challenge than conserving resources. How can we contribute to a shift in heating strategies and employ new technologies to achieve climate-neutral heating? How can we respond to rising temperatures and the risk of increased energy consumption for cooling? Can low-tech concepts help to reduce the environmental impact of buildings over their life cycle? Shouldn’t we take greater account of the users of buildings, and do we need completely different energy supply strategies? Digital Transformation At a time of natural ubiquity of digital tools, widely adopted to streamline project delivery in architecture, the foundations have been laid for a profound transformation of the construction industry to address the climate crisis. Digital architectural design and construction methods can be used as enabling technologies for a fundamental change towards a circular construction approach with significantly reduced ecological and climate impact. This approach comprises a digital reinterpretation of natural building materials through digital construction technologies. Digital deconstruction and reuse strategies can transform the existing building stock into resources for the future. Mass customization of tailor-made building components minimizes resource consumption. Architects, in their emerging role as interdisciplinary interface and digital master builders, reunite design and making through digital craft. Finally, the book provides a glimpse into the potential future of construction, which might be characterized by fundamentally different concepts of design and materialization of our built environment, challenging current paradigms within our discipline.

Download or read book Basics Climate Smart Design and Construction written by Bert Bielefeld and published by Birkhäuser. This book was released on 2024-06-04 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The construction sector currently accounts for a high proportion of CO2 emissions and gray energy use. This will have to change fundamentally if we are to prevent catastrophic climate change and make urban planning and construction fit for the future. In addition to a paradigm shift in how architects work, we need to rethink how they are trained in higher education. Based on a lifecycle approach and an awareness of resource consumption, this volume in the Basics series explains a wide range of climate-friendly concepts in an easy-to-understand way, inspiring readers to take a closer look at solutions and new approaches in their daily practice. The key factors involved in the various planning stages of buildings are presented and placed in the context of the overall planning. Explains a range of current sustainability concepts Foundational knowledge for all students of architecture Interdisciplinary and networked consideration of challenges and solutions in the area of climate protection

Download or read book Communities and the Clean Energy Revolution written by Melanie J. La Rosa and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2022-01-14 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Communities and the Clean Energy Revolution: Public Health, Economics, Design, and Transformation is an engaging and interdisciplinary investigation into clean energy systems such as solar and wind power and the need to transform our energy system. Looking at the intersection of clean energy with community engagement, diversity, and economic development, it is a remarkably accessible account from the front lines of the clean energy revolution. Organized as a series of case studies set in eight locations, the author profiles people leading varied renewable energy projects from using solar to survive hurricanes to passing a Green New Deal bill for America’s largest city, the beginnings of the offshore wind industry, modular solar power systems, and changing the culture of an entire utility. Each case study is set into context of broader research, addressing how cities and states meet clean energy goals, howsolar or wind power address blackouts, and how individuals can accelerate clean energy for their home, business, or community. This book goes beyond merely explaining clean energy transition by providing unique insight into the calls for a complete transformation of America’s energy system.

Download or read book Urban Energy Transition written by Peter Droege and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2011-09-06 with total page 673 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This compendium of 29 chapters from 18 countries contains both fundamental and advanced insight into the inevitable shift from cities dominated by the fossil-fuel systems of the industrial age to a renewable-energy based urban development framework. The cross-disciplinary handbook covers a range of diverse yet relevant topics, including: carbon emissions policy and practice; the role of embodied energy; urban thermal performance planning; building efficiency services; energy poverty alleviation efforts; renewable community support networks; aspects of household level bio-fuel markets; urban renewable energy legislation, programs and incentives; innovations in individual transport systems; global urban mobility trends; implications of intelligent energy networks and distributed energy supply and storage; and the case for new regional monetary systems and lifestyles. Presented are practical and principled aspects of technology, economics, design, culture and society, presenting perspectives that are both local and international in scope and relevance.

Download or read book Software Versus Hardware how China s Institutional Setting Helps and Hinders the Clean Energy Transition written by Anders Hove and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The global low-carbon energy transition will require major changes to institutional practices and energy industry paradigms with implications for society writ large. A country's existing institutional pattern inevitably shapes the transition, and helps or hinders its progress. This is perhaps especially so in state-dominated systems such as China, which have historically considered energy as a strategic field for reasons of both security and economic development. China has already taken steps to embrace clean energy, even as it remains the world's largest consumer of fossil fuels: Indeed, it is the world's leading producer and consumer of renewable energy in absolute terms today, and the country's leaders speak of encouraging a revolution in energy consumption and production, in line with new targets announced in 2020 to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. But how successful will China be in introducing the sweeping changes required? At the technological level, such changes could include replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources, but they also require institutional shifts, which could entail major market reforms and changes to the structure of the Chinese energy sector, dominated now by SOEs and administrative planning. This paper examines how China's institutional setting both contributes to and hinders the energy transition, with a particular emphasis on the energy sector. It also aims to dispel the binary view of China's governance and the energy transition, in which central government commitment is portrayed as the sole determinant of success. Finally, it sets out a preliminary framework for analysing the areas where technological and institutional factors make change more likely to be lasting and transformative, versus areas in which resistance will likely remain strong. Historically, China has been better at building out energy supplies and adding the 'hardware' of energy infrastructure, while having greater difficulty adjusting the 'software' of institutional and societal change or practices related to energy demand and energy efficiency. We would argue that China is likely to continue to expand the hardware, given its strong institutions devoted to investing in supply. But China will struggle with the software as this relies on a demand pull, market incentives, and greater coordination among stakeholders and between sectors. When considering innovation for the energy transition, the paper makes a similar argument: China's technology innovation system has enabled innovation in first generation technologies. But will China's strong incumbent industries impede the transformational change required for the more modular technologies that are less capital intensive and require greater societal involvement and coordination? China has come to dominate global supplies in manufacturing-intensive technologies - solar photovoltaics and batteries - which have also seen the most rapid cost declines due to scale. For design-intensive technology - such as wind, concentrating solar power plants, or advanced coal plants - cost declines have not been as pronounced. For those technologies that are less modular and more design-intensive, state-owned enterprises may play a larger role and the potential for transformative technological change could be slower to emerge.

Download or read book Clean Energy for Sustainable Development written by Kalam Abul Azad and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-11-12 with total page 632 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Clean Energy for Sustainable Development: Comparisons and Contrasts of New Approaches presents information on the fundamental challenge that the energy sector faces with regard to meeting the ever growing demand for sustainable, efficient, and cleaner energy. The book compares recent developments in the field of energy technology, clean and low emission energy, and energy efficiency and environmental sustainability for industry and academia. Rasul, Azad and Sharma, along with their team of expert contributors, provide high-end research findings on relevant industry themes, including clean and sustainable energy sources and technologies, renewable energy technologies and their applications, biomass and biofuels for sustainable environment, energy system and efficiency improvement, solar thermal applications, and the environmental impacts of sustainable energy systems. This book uses global institutes and case studies to explore and analyze technological advancements alongside practical applications. This approach helps readers to develop and affirm a better understanding of the relevant concepts and solutions necessary to achieve clean energy and sustainable development in both medium and large-scale industries. - Compares in-depth research on a wide range of clean technologies, from global institutes in Australia, Europe, and India - Evaluates the recent developments in clean technologies against the efficiency of tried and tested applications - Considers case studies on the advancements of sustainable energy into industry from around the world

Download or read book The Great Transition Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy written by Lester R. Brown and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2015-04-20 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The great energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is under way. As oil insecurity deepens, the extraction risks of fossil fuels rise, and concerns about climate instability cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new world energy economy is emerging. The old economy, fueled by oil, natural gas, and coal is being replaced with one powered by wind, solar, and geothermal energy. The Great Transition details the accelerating pace of this global energy revolution. As many countries become less enamored with coal and nuclear power, they are embracing an array of clean, renewable energies. Whereas solar energy projects were once small-scale, largely designed for residential use, energy investors are now building utility-scale solar projects. Strides are being made: some of the huge wind farm complexes under construction in China will each produce as much electricity as several nuclear power plants, and an electrified transport system supplemented by the use of bicycles could reshape the way we think about mobility.

Download or read book Empowering the Great Energy Transition written by Scott Valentine and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2019-12-17 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At a time when climate-change deniers hold the reins of power in the United States and international greenhouse gas negotiations continue at a slow crawl, what options are available to cities, companies, and consumers around the world who seek a cleaner future? Scott Victor Valentine, Marilyn A. Brown, and Benjamin K. Sovacool explore developments and strategies that will help fast-track the transition to renewable energy. They provide an expert analysis of the achievable steps that citizens, organizational leaders, and policy makers can take to put their commitments to sustainability into practice. Empowering the Great Energy Transition examines trends that suggest a transition away from carbon-intensive energy sources is inevitable—there are too many forces for change at work to stop a shift to clean energy. Yet under the status quo, change will be too slow to avert the worst consequences of climate change. Humanity is on a path to incur avoidable social, environmental, and economic costs. Valentine, Brown, and Sovacool argue that new policies and business models are needed to surmount the hurdles separating the current consumption model from a sustainable energy future. Empowering the Great Energy Transition shows that with well-placed efforts, we can set humanity on a course that supports entrepreneurs and communities in mitigating the environmental harm caused by technologies whose time has come and gone.

Download or read book Zero Hour written by Reed Hundt and published by Odyssey Editions. This book was released on 2013-11-15 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Modern life rests on two electromagnetic wave platforms: knowledge and power. The power platform is where the knowledge platform was in 1993. Emanating from the United States, digital mobile and Internet networks wrapped around the world, changing societies and economies in just a few years. The hundreds of millions of dollars invested in the American move to the new knowledge platform meant for the Clinton Administration that everything supposed to go up (labor force participation, income, productivity), went up. Everything supposed to go down (unemployment, cost of capital), went down. Now the power platform begs to be rebuilt quickly, producing cheap, clean, abundant energy instead of expensive, polluting, and inefficiently consumed power. As was the case for the knowledge platform in the 1990s, if America moves to the new power platform, all can revel in full employment and take satisfaction in reduced inequality in wealth and income. The mass purchasing power of consumers will cast the deciding vote for the new power platform, if and when consumers can buy energy solutions that are both cleaner and cheaper than what is otherwise available. Each American should be able to order and get (1) a cheaper bill for household or business consumption of cleaner energy, (2) no up-front payments for any of the steps necessary to get cheaper, cleaner energy solutions, and (3) convenient access to charging stations for electric cars. These three rights – buy cheaper and cleaner energy solutions, finance up-front costs, and rely on others to provide charging station networks – will make consumers leaders of the move to the new power platform. To give Americans these rights, state governments should charter green banks. These non-profit banks can borrow the money to build the new platform, give the money to the utilities and investor-owned businesses that would do the work, and then get paid back over the years as customers pay for the cleaner, cheaper electricity. As everyone who has bought a house knows, the lower the interest rate on a loan, the less the consumer has to pay on the loan and the more house the consumer can buy. Similarly, the lower the cost of capital for clean energy, the lower the price of the clean energy that the consumer has to pay, and the more clean energy projects people will pay for. After November 2010, when the Republican take-over of Congress killed the already dim prospects for a federal green bank, the governors of Connecticut and later New York decided to create their own state green banks. If Connecticut, New York and others move forward in persuading utilities to lower the energy bills paid by consumers even while selling them clean electricity, other states will follow. In summary: 1. Knowledge is Power. The shift to the new knowledge platform, manifested in digital mobile and the Internet, foreshadows the move to the new power platform. 2. Power of Price. People should pay less for cleaner energy solutions than they would otherwise pay for electricity. 3. Lemonade Tastes Better than Lemons. Political leaders should adopt tax breaks and low cost financing through green banks to produce cheaper, cleaner solutions to the common problems of heating, lighting, air-conditioning, industrial processes and transportation. Customers should be better off moving to the new platform. 4. Borrow Long, Spend Now, Get Paid Back Over Time. Governments should capitalize green banks by borrowing at low rates, with long terms; green banks should provide long term, low interest financing support to clean energy and efficiency suppliers; customers should pay over long time periods either on electricity bill or on mortgage. No consumer should have to pay up front for solar on roof or insulation under roof or any other clean energy solution. Everyone should get a deal they just cannot turn down. 5. Money Talks, Nobody Walks Away from a Deal. Consumers are voters. If everyone can order cleaner energy, either through clean generation like solar panels on a roof or energy efficiency measures that reduce consumption and displace carbon-emitting generation purchased by utilities, then consumers/voters will drive the move to the new power platform. Praise from Al Gore, Former Vice President and Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize “We are on the verge of a clean energy revolution -- one that will move us away from our reliance on dirty fossil fuels and towards a more sustainable future. As FCC chairman during the 1990s, Reed Hundt played a critical role in a similar transformational period for information technology. Drawing from this experience, Reed has outlined and detailed in his new book, Zero Hour: Time to Build the Clean Power Platform, an eloquent guide for the future of our energy infrastructure. A must read.”

Download or read book The Political Economy of Clean Energy Transitions written by Douglas Arent and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 631 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A volume on the political economy of clean energy transition in developed and developing regions, with a focus on the issues that different countries face as they transition from fossil fuels to lower carbon technologies.

Download or read book Shaping an Inclusive Energy Transition written by Margot P. C. Weijnen and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-06-24 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book makes a case for a socially inclusive energy transition and illustrates how engineering and public policy professionals can contribute to shaping an inclusive energy transition, building on a socio-technical systems engineering approach. Accomplishing a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy in 2050 is a daunting challenge. This book explores the challenges of the energy transition from the perspectives of technological innovation, public policy, social values and ethics. It elaborates on two particular gaps in the design of public policy interventions focused on decarbonization of the energy system and discusses how both could be remedied. First, the siloed organization of public administration fails to account for the many interdependencies between the energy sector, the mobility system, digital infrastructure and the built environment. Cross-sector coordination of policies and policy instruments is needed to avoid potentially adverse effects upon society and the economy, which may hamper the energy transition rather than accelerate it. Second, energy and climate policies pay insufficient attention to the social values at stake in the energy transition. In addressing these gaps, this book intends to inspire decision makers engaged in the energy transition to embrace the transition as an opportunity to bring a more inclusive society into being.

Download or read book Cases on Green Energy and Sustainable Development written by Yang, Peter and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2019-07-26 with total page 612 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite the urgent need for action, there is a widespread lack of understanding of the benefits of using green energy sources for not only reducing carbon emissions and climate change, but also for growing a sustainable economy and society. Future citizens of the world face increasing sustainability issues and need to be better prepared for energy transformation and sustainable future economic development. Cases on Green Energy and Sustainable Development is a critical research book that focuses on the important role renewable energy and energy efficiency play in energy transition and sustainable development and covers economic and promotion policies of major renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies. Highlighting a wide range of topics such as economics, energy storage, and transportation technologies, this book is ideal for environmentalists, academicians, researchers, engineers, policymakers, and students.

Download or read book Global Energy Transformation written by M. Larsson and published by Springer. This book was released on 2009-06-10 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the next few years political and financial power will move in the direction of individuals, companies and nations that are able to use energy in a more efficient way. This book describes this challenge and presents a way forward by which we may achieve the goal of increased energy efficiency in the different areas that need to change.

Download or read book Green Energy Economies written by John Byrne and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Green Energy Economies offers insight into the major drivers that are shaping a new future powered by clean energy sources. Assembling cutting-edge researchers as contributors, the book provides a comprehensive account of the shift underway, examining in detail the complexities and intricacies involved with such a transition. The book first details the promises and problems of a green energy transition. Next, it explores the economic benefits that a comprehensive strategy toward a green energy economy might create. Then it investigates how communities will be affected and explores the social, cultural, and other changes that are likely to result. Finally, it explores the shift toward new technologies in-depth. Green Energy Economies concludes with policy options that support a transition to a better energy, environmental, and economic future. The contributors argue that a green energy economy offers great promise, but its realization will require making hard choices, and soon. They argue for investments in renewable energy and economic systems that can deliver a sustainable and equitable future. This book makes a forceful case for a green future."--Provided by publisher.

Download or read book Urban Energy Transition written by Peter Droege and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2018-08-12 with total page 708 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urban Energy Transition, second edition, is the definitive science and practice-based compendium of energy transformations in the global urban system. This volume is a timely and rich resource for all, as citizens, companies and their communities, from remote villages to megacities and metropolitan regions, rapidly move away from fossil fuel and nuclear power, to renewable energy as civic infrastructure investment, source of revenue and prosperity, and existential resilience strategy. - Covers technical, financial, systems, urban planning and design, landscape, mapping and modelling, and sociological issues related to urban renewable energy transformations - Presents city-wide renewable energy strategies and urban thermal performance planning, sector coupling, and smart distributed renewable energy and storage systems - Examines individual and mass transport systems in the contexts of urban mobility trends and energy innovations - Explains successful innovations in solar bond finance, blockchain technology enabled peer-to-peer renewable energy trading systems, and the case for renewable energy based regional monetary systems - Features foci on societal, community and user enabling aspects such as energy justice, prosperity and democracy, and urban renewable energy legislation, programs and incentives - Includes analytic case insights into successful practices from around the globe that provide local, regional and country-specific governance and organizational perspectives

Download or read book Fossil Free written by No Author and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2020-10-30 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: REIMAGINING A CLEANER, GREENER, CARBON-FREE WORLD! The current global energy use, with its overwhelming dependence on fossil fuels, has taken global warming to dangerous levels. Climate change is already hitting us hard, through adverse effects on global food availability, biodiversity, rising sea levels and extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and floods. In the last decade, a major transformation-the transition to clean, affordable and sustainable energy from the sun and the wind-is beginning to address these challenges. Fossil Free provides a concise introduction to the challenges, realities and complexities of the global and local energy industry, as well as the trends and forces driving the energy transition. It explains how improved electricity infrastructure, decentralized smart grids, electric vehicles, energy storage and market design are already providing clear pathways for the transition towards green, efficient, affordable and secure renewable energy across the energy-use chain: extraction, conversion, transmission, distribution and end use. For over a decade, Sumant Sinha has had a ringside view of the energy scenario. Having founded and helmed India's leading clean energy company, his understanding of the global energy landscape and climate change brings a unique, holistic perspective on energy. With Fossil Free, Sinha shares his vision for energy which is not only clean, but also practical and affordable.

Download or read book The Great Transition written by Lester R Brown and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2015-01-27 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The great energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is under way. As oil insecurity deepens, the extraction risks of fossil fuels rise, and concerns about climate instability cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new world energy economy is emerging. The old economy, fueled by oil, natural gas, and coal is being replaced with one powered by wind, solar, and geothermal energy. The Great Transition details the accelerating pace of this global energy revolution. As many countries become less enamored with coal and nuclear power, they are embracing an array of clean, renewable energies. Whereas solar energy projects were once small-scale, largely designed for residential use, energy investors are now building utility-scale solar projects. Strides are being made: some of the huge wind farm complexes under construction in China will each produce as much electricity as several nuclear power plants, and an electrified transport system supplemented by the use of bicycles could reshape the way we think about mobility.