Conference article

Space-Time of Solar Radiation as Guiding Principle for Energy and Materials Choices: Embodied Land Instead of Primary Energy as Universal Performance indicator

Ronald Rovers
RiBuilT, Research Institute Built environment of Tomorrow, RiBuilt/Zuyd university, Heerlen The Netherlands

Wendy Broers
RiBuilT/Zuyd University, Heerlen The Netherlands

Katleen de Flander
RiBuilT/Zuyd University, Heerlen The Netherlands

Vera Rovers
RiBuilT/Zuyd University, Heerlen The Netherlands

Download articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.3384/ecp110573285

Published in: World Renewable Energy Congress - Sweden; 8-13 May; 2011; Linköping; Sweden

Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings 57:37, p. 3285-3292

Show more +

Published: 2011-11-03

ISBN: 978-91-7393-070-3

ISSN: 1650-3686 (print), 1650-3740 (online)

Abstract

Renewable energy is based on using a direct route from solar radiation to consumption; as an efficiency improvement from a long term route via fossils. However; both routes put a claim on space/land and the time of use of that land/space to intercept and convert it to useful forms. However; the same solar radiation is needed; to produce materials in a similar change from fossil materials to renewable materials; and materials are needed as well to produce the conversion devices for renewable energy. Similar processes take place in the realizing sustainable buildings; especially 0-energy buildings: : there is space time involved to generate the renewable energy; but also to generate for instance the renewable material based insulation materials; or the wooden construction.

These insights lead to the notion that looking to production of renewable energy only is sub- optimization of systems; and could in fact be counterproductive. This has defined our research to explore new ways of evaluation of activities; and in our case buildings. We have developed a indicator called Embodied Land; to evaluate the time and space occupied by generating both renewable energy and renewable materials. This has been tested in two cases; and runs out to be a interesting approach; showing clearly how the optimization of land and space use over a certain time period relates to choices in materials and energy together; and makes it possible to optimise from both resources together; using an minimum of land occupation.

Keywords

Exergy ; Exergetic space; Embodied land; Primary energy; Maxergy; Space time evaulation; Building assessment

References

No references available

Citations in Crossref