sustainable energy

Masdar: 1001 nights sustainable venture

Astrid Svane — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:08:57 +0000

The first step in the construction of Masdar is a 40-60 MW solar array located just outside the city walls – in the Arabian desert. The array will initially provide the construction operation with sustainable energy and later the town itself. The town's water resources will come from the water table and will be desalinated using solar-generated electricity. Thermal heating will also be used and all waste will be composted or recycled. Some food will be grown in local greenhouses and vertical gardens.

Hammarby Sjöstad: Integrated sustainability as a main focus

Astrid Svane — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:45:29 +0000

Close to lakes, canals and the Baltic Sea lies Hammarby Sjöstad, a 250 hectare area located on a former industrial site. The project came into being partly because of a shortage of housing, and partly in connection with Stockholm's desire to post the 2004 Olympics. Stockholm did not secure the Olympics, but construction was already well under way and continued as planned. Some 8,500 flats have already been built and the plan is that when Hammarby Sjöstad is ready in 2017, approximately 26,000 people will live there in 11,000 flats.

Vestenskov: The world’s first hydrogen community

Astrid Svane — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:11:10 +0000

Today, Lolland produces 50% more wind energy than it consumes. Since pure wind energy cannot be stored it means that when there is no wind households have to burn fossil fuels. By using wind energy to make hydrogen which can later be used in micro combined heat and power (micro CHP) installations, it will be possible to use almost 100% of sustainable energy sources for the production of heat and electricity.

Vienna: Biomass power plant

Astrid Svane — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:01:56 +0000

In 2001, the City of Vienna and the major energy supplier Wien Energie began to analyze the technical and economic feasibility of a biomass power plant based on a political agreement between the Green Party and the Social Democratic Party, which has an absolute majority in the city council. At the beginning there was a lot of scepticism to the idea that wood biomass can be a source of energy in a large city. But research and an excursion to different projects in Scandinavia provided inspiration and detailed knowledge on conditions and logistics.

Boulder: Smart Grid City

Astrid Svane — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:25:59 +0000

Xcel energy, the United States' largest public electricity supplier, together with partners, has invested USD 100 million in the Bolder Smart Grid. The system is currently under construction. When the first phase has been installed in September 2010, some 10,000 homes in Boulder will have an intelligent electricity meter, a so-called Smart Meter.

Dongtan: The world’s first large-scale eco-city?

Maria Nørlyng Leal — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:52:25 +0000

In 2005, the Shanghai Industrial Investment Corporation (SIIC) hired the consultancy Arup to design a city which would exclusively use sustainable energy, be self-sufficient and reduce energy consumption by 66% in relation to its neighbour Shanghai. The plan is for Dongtan to house 500,000 people from rural areas.