POTENTIAL AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE PLANNED WORLD

Abstract

he technologies and strategies for achieving goals associated with carbonreduction and transitioning to a renewable energy future exist, and although they will continue to
improve with time, the precedents are sufficiently advanced at the present to allow for major
penetrations of renewable energy into mainstream design and societal infrastructures (Aitken
2006). Hence, a focused interdisciplinary collaboration that explores precedents for sustainable
building practices and solar energy in architecture and urban design projects in Europe and applies
them to the building context of North America is of great value. The goal of this paper is to
increase public awareness of the importance of efficient, sustainable energy at the building and
community scales. The authors, representing different disciplines including architecture, material
science and engineering, and economics, discuss the potential (focusing on energy supply and
demand) and implementation (specifically policy and financial strategies) necessary in moving the
planned world towards a renewable energy future. The strategies outlined in this paper will assist
in furthering understanding of the advantages of a shift in thinking from individual building-scale
sustainable design practices to realizing the social and environmental benefits of thinking about
renewable energy within our communities.