Solar-thermal and hybrid photovoltaic-thermal systems for renewable heating

Grantham Briefing Papers analyse climate change and environmental research linked to work at Imperial College London, setting it in the context of national and international policy and the future research agenda. This paper and other Grantham publications are available from: www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/publicationsThis paper looks at the barriers and opportunities for the mass deployment of solar-thermal technologies and offers a vision for the future of solar-thermal systems. HEADLINES: -Heat constitutes about half of total global energy demand. Solar heat offers key advantages over other renewable sources for meeting this demand through distributed, integrated systems. -Solar heat is a mature sustainable energy technology capable of mass deployment. There is significant scope for increasing the installed solar heat capacity in Europe. -Only a few European countries are close to reaching the EU target of 1 m2 of solar-thermal installations per person. -One key challenge for the further development of the solar-thermal market arises from issues related to the intermittency of the solar resource, and the requirement for storage and/or backup systems. The former increases investment costs and limits adaptability. -An analysis of EU countries with good market development, suggests that obligation schemes are the best policy option for maximising installations. These do not present a direct cost to the public budget, and determine the growth of the local industry in the long term. -Solar-thermal collectors can be combined with photovoltaic (PV) modules to produce hybrid PV-thermal (PV-T) collectors. These can deliver both heat and electricity simultaneously from the same installed area and at a higher overall efficiency compared to individual solar-thermal and PV panels installed separately. --Hybrid PV-T technology provides a particularly promising solution when roof space is limited or when heat and electricity are required at the same time.Preprin

Sustaining historical city centres through urban regeneration

Historical city centres usually symbolise the origins of the city. While these areas are usually endowed with a multitude of historic buildings, they are also the areas that are most prone to the undesirable and consequential effects of growth and urbanisation, including overcrowding, air emissions and poor environmental quality. Urban regeneration of historic city centres serves as a fundamental catalyst for change, improving environmental quality of the natural and built environments, and upgrading conditions in inner historic areas. This paper analyses strategies that have been used in the Core City of Barcelona, Spain, and A focuses on the strategies that have been used to upgrade the environmental quality of this historical centre as a case from which many lessons can be learnt, thus attempting at diminishing undesirable effects and improving the urban and environmental quality of its urban spaces for the well-being of citizens

Sustainability Assessment Methods for the Gulf Region

This paper describes the development of a sustainability assessment framework designed to be used in the Gulf Region, which is an area which has experienced large scale building development and also a region in which sustainability assessment is not yet widely used. The complexity and time resources needed to apply existing methods act as a deterrent to active use. Three well-known methods available at the time of the study were investigated in some detail. These were: BREEAM Gulf; Green Building Council LEED; and Estidama Pearl. Cross comparisons of the factors involved in each method were carried out on several levels including: theoretical comparison; practical development and usability; compliance with regulations and standards; and ability to achieve synchronization. A considerable degree of compatibility was found to exist between the methods, particularly if focused on key criteria. As a result a new and specific framework was developed which grouped 24 indicators under five principal headings: site/location, biodiversity and accessibility; energy; water; occupant well-being; and resources and wastes. This new framework was then evaluated by testing with practitioners resulting in confirmation of 20 out of the 24 indicators, and identification of suitable benchmarks

Mitigation Country Study – China

human development, climate change