Towards Nearly Zero Energy

Urban Settings in the Mediterranean Climate

Annarita Ferrante

• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780081007358
• eBook ISBN: 9780081007402
• Topic: Commerce
• Subtopic: Industrie de l'énergie

Towards Nearly Zero Energy: Urban Settings in the Mediterranean Climate discusses tactics that can be used to effectively reduce energy consumption towards zero energy. With energy usage in buildings accounting for over 40% of primary energy use and 24% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, this remains an unavoidable objective. The book looks at the life of the systems of energy production from renewable sources amidst the exceptionally challenging global economic crisis that the Mediterranean areas and other societies are currently experiencing. By using an innovative and interdisciplinary approach of socio-oriented technological design, the book indicates tools and measures that can be developed at the public, legislative, and market levels to counterbalance the large pay-back times of energy efficiency measures. In particular, the book displays guidelines and best practices to activate new forms of economic incentives in order to attract potential investors that demonstrate that a large set of possible solutions is technically feasible to achieve nearly zero energy, even in high energy consuming circumstances and urban settings. Furthermore, by discussing and comparing the economic and energy impact of different technology options, this work offers guidelines and best practices to activate new cost-effective forms and social incentives in order to attract both potential investors and motivate the urban stakeholders toward nearly zero energy. - Strategies and zero energy solutions for practitioners - Policy s and economic resolutions to combat legislative barriers - Examples and case studies of nearly zero energy urban environments

Chapter 1

The Framework of Urban Built Environments

Abstract

This chapter is concerned with the framework of urban built environments and related energy issues; it discusses some progress in nearly zero energy research and practice, with particular reference to the Mediterranean context and the Athens metropolitan area. This chapter gives a review of the main energy-related issues in an urban environment, with a particular reference to a background description of the Mediterranean climate and its cooling demand related to the heat island phenomenon; a brief review of the current policy background related to nearly zero energy buildings (nZEBs) with some notes on the definition of nZEBs with regard to recent European directives; and a concise review on past and recent case studies and demonstration projects in the Mediterranean region. Starting from these studies in literature and from achievements in pilot projects aimed at reducing the cooling and heating demand in these buildings, a brief discussion to consolidate current technical knowledge in nZEB and its deeper penetration in common building practices is presented. The final section of the chapter also presents the next steps that must be undertaken to widen the nZEB technical knowledge in the existing built environments of Mediterranean cities and to shift the application of today’s technical achievements from being used not only in newly conceived buildings, but also toward the rehabilitation of existing building stock.

Keywords

nearly zero energy buildings and urban settings

heat island effect

passive houses

passive cooling techniques

mediterranean climate

sustainable building design

1.1. Introduction

In some ways, nowadays the concept of green buildings belongs to the “history of architecture,” as the first prototype solar houses and the first attempts to achieve zero heating date back to the 1950s (Hernandez and Kenny, 2010). Over the past several decades, energy-oriented innovations in building technology have emerged in many areas of the building construction sector (Brown and Vergragt, 2008).The latest projects are aimed at setting to zero the energy demand and the carbon emissions of new housing developments and even of a whole city. Working toward this goal is the well-known urban village BedZED, the Beddington Zero Emission Development, winner of the prestigious Energy Awards in Linz, Housing and Building category, Austria, 2002 (Dunster et al., 2009). Another well-known example is the first zero waste/zero carbon emission city designed by Norman Foster, in Abu Dhabi, Masdar City, where the urban development is designed as a huge, positive energy building complex, resulting in a self-sustaining, car-free, urban environment. Finally, a pilot city plan to set to zero the carbon emissions of the entire city of Copenhagen (The Climate Plan, City of Copenhagen, 2009) shows how to make this city the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025, by means of using biomass in power stations, erecting windmill parks, increasing reliance on geothermal power, and renovating the district heating network.

We may assume that at present, energy-saving technologies have been successfully developed, that energy-efficient building designs have been experienced and extensively publicized, and that we own a large set of best available technologies (BATs). In other words, we now possess the technical knowledge to design and construct zero-energy buildings and city as well. “Moreover, extensive monitoring of local, national, and international building stocks means we know more than ever before about the precise potential for improved energy performance” (Guy, 2006).

Today, the concept of nearly zero energy building (nZEB) has gained great international attention. It represents the principal target of the next generation of buildings; in fact, building design construction and practices need to respond quickly to the mandatory nearly zero energy requirements for new construction within a few years (EU Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings, 2011; EU Communication, 2011a, 2011b).¹ The increasing interest in nZEBs, the recent European and national directives on energy performance of b (EPB), and more easily accessible BATs and renewable energy sources (RES) all seem to point to further exploitation of BATs and better penetration of RES into new building construction. However, current construction practices in the new housing sector show limited signs of change (Ferrante and Semprini, 2011). Furthermore, despite growing investments in RES technology (Bürer and Wüstenhagen, 2009), feed-in tariffs and, in general, policy incentives (Bulkeley, 2010), additional investments are needed to reduce carbon emissions and fossil fuel consumption.² “Needless to say, this is particularly challenging in a context of global economic slowdown such as the one the world is currently experiencing” (Masini and Menichetti, 2010).

This concern is particularly true within the Mediterranean areas, where mild win...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Foreword
• Chapter 1: The Framework of Urban Built Environments
• Chapter 2: Nearly Zero Energy Urban Settings (ZEUS)
• Chapter 3: Understanding Economic Constraints to Achieve Nearly ZEUS
• Appendix
• Glossary
• Subject Index