• Energy Research
• Restricted close
• 11. Sustainability close
• 12. Responsible consumption close
• Aalborg University close

Abstract In this article, we investigate the intergenerational transmission of sustainable consumption practices. Whereas previous studies have used self-reported attitudes and behaviour, this study uses data on actual energy consumption for space-heating and hot water combined with extensive panel data from Danish administrative registers. The paper shows significant intergenerational correlations between the energy consumption patterns of adults and their mothers, also when controlling for the energy consumption of the mother-in-law, where possible. Furthermore, it shows that the intergenerational correlation is slightly stronger for adults with lower income levels. These results suggest that energy consumption practices are shared and reproduced within the family. Following theories of practice, the intergenerational similarities in energy consumption practices refer to bodily learned practices that are indirectly transmitted and negotiated through family relations. In this way, these findings also contribute to a better understanding of how practical understanding regarding how to perform practices is transmitted within more ordinary aspects of consumption that play a less obvious role in distinction. To ensure more sustainable consumption practices in the future, this paper points to the importance of the role of family relations and the transmission of embodied practices.

Climaps.eu is an online atlas providing data, visualizations and commentaries about climate adaptation debate. It contains 33 issue-maps and 5 issue-stories. Each of the maps focuses on one issue in the adaptation debate and provides.The atlas is addressed to climate experts (negotiators, NGOs and companies concerned by global warming, journalists…) and to citizens willing to engage with the issues of climate adaptation.It employs advanced digital methods to deploy the complexity of the issues related to climate adaptation and information design to make this complexity legible.

Renewable energy has been prioritized in Danish energy policy since the early 1980s. This has led to the current situation where Denmark is one of the leading countries in the world in the field of wind energy utilization. The background for this success is a story about how a society can manage the development and diffusion of sustainable technologies so that they are simultaneously socially acceptable and environmentally benign. Consequently, this article describes the relationship between the organization of wind power and the protection of nature. The aim is to analyse which kinds of public planning and policy can promote wind power and nature protection in a situation where a conflict exists between these two issues. The discussion acknowledges that it has been a serious problem to balance these contrasting considerations. However, it also suggests that the problems seem solvable if technology development, the social organization relating to the use of the technology and proper planning are brought together to work in a spirit of local involvement. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment

Abstract An augmented measurement uncertainty approach for CO 2 emissions from coal-fired power plants with a focus on the often forgotten contributions from sampling errors occurring over the entire fuel-to-emission pathway is presented. Current methods for CO 2 emission determination are evaluated in detail, from which a general matrix scheme is developed that includes all factors and stages needed for total CO 2 determination, which is applied to the monitoring plan of a representative medium-sized coal-fired power plant. In particular sampling involved significant potential errors, as identified and assessed by the Theory of Sampling (TOS), which also shows how these can be eliminated and/or minimised. Since coal-related CO 2 emission calculations not only require analytical results of the carbon content of coal itself but also of the by-products fly ash and bottom ash, sampling procedures of these three materials were also given full attention. A systematic error (bias) is present in the current sampling approach, which increases the present uncertainty estimate unnecessarily. For both primary sampling and analytical sample extraction steps, random variations, which hitherto only have been considered to a minor extent, have now also been fully quantified and included in the overall uncertainty. Elimination of all identified sampling errors lead to modified CO 2 determination procedures, which indicate that the actual CO 2 emission is approximately 20,000 t higher than the present estimate. Based on extensive empirical sampling experiments, a fully comprehensive uncertainty estimate procedure has been devised. Even though uncertainties increased (indeed one particular factor is substantially higher, the so-called “emission factor”), the revised CO 2 emission budget for the case plant complies with the official pre-determined uncertainty levels maxima in the EU guidelines.

Abstract The concept of Zero Energy Building (ZEB) has gained wide international attention during last few years and is now seen as the future target for the design of buildings. However, before being fully implemented in the national building codes and international standards, the ZEB concept requires clear and consistent definition and a commonly agreed energy calculation methodology. The most important issues that should be given special attention before developing a new ZEB definition are: (1) the metric of the balance, (2) the balancing period, (3) the type of energy use included in the balance, (4) the type of energy balance, (5) the accepted renewable energy supply options, (6) the connection to the energy infrastructure and (7) the requirements for the energy efficiency, the indoor climate and in case of gird connected ZEB for the building–grid interaction. This paper focuses on the review of the most of the existing ZEB definitions and the various approaches towards possible ZEB calculation methodologies. It presents and discusses possible answers to the abovementioned issues in order to facilitate the development of a consistent ZEB definition and a robust energy calculation methodology.

Abstract The Danish city Frederikshavn is aiming at becoming a 100% renewable energy city. The city has a number of energy resources including a potential for off-shore wind power, waste and low-temperature geothermal energy usable as heat source for heat pumps producing district heating. In this article, a technical scenario is described and developed for the transition of Frederikshavn’s energy supply from being predominantly fossil fuelled to being fuelled by locally available renewable energy sources. The scenario includes all aspects of energy demand in Frederikshavn i.e. electricity demand, heat demand, industrial demand as well as the energy demand for transportation. The locally available energy resources are deliberated and an energy system is designed and analysed with an energy systems analysis model on an aggregate annual level as well as on an hourly basis. Particular attention is given to the use of geothermal energy in the area. It is shown, that the use of geothermal energy in combination with an absorption heat pump shows promise in a situation where natural gas supply to conventional cogeneration of heat and power (CHP) plants decreases radically.

Abstract This article presents a model of natural ventilation of buildings at the stage of design and a consequence of the behaviour of the occupants. An evaluation is made by coupling multizone air modelling and thermal building simulation using a deterministic set of input factors comprising among others climate, local environment, building characteristics, building systems, behaviour of occupants and heat loads. Selected deterministic input factors are varied to generate additional information applied in an optimization loop. With that, it is found that the optimal solution depends to a great extent on the possibility of optimization of the behaviour of occupants, and to a lesser extent on the design of the building.

Abstract There is a variety of solar-based energy system designs for buildings. Although these systems are economically profitable, reducing the energy cost of the buildings over time, their penetration has not been that impressive yet due to their high initial cost. In this study, an energy system comprising a few PVT panels (without any batteries) and a heat storage tank is proposed and investigated for smart buildings with two-way interactions with both heat and electricity grids. Removing the battery from the system would result in a sharp reduction of the cost of the system and, thereby, will make incentives for the end-users to adopt the solution. This novel system will not only supply the buildings’ real-time electricity and domestic hot water needs but also will compensate for a significant portion of the buildings’ energy expenses by selling the surplus generations to the electricity and heat networks. The dynamic model of the proposed system is comprehensively analyzed from thermodynamic and economic points of view using TRNSYS software. Additionally, defining the overall annual exergy efficiency, and the total product cost as the objective functions, optimization of the design and size of the system employing the TRNOPT tool has been done. It is shown that the optimized system results in 16.7 €/MWh and 7.7 €/MWh lower energy costs for electricity and heat of the buildings compared to when the buildings’ demand is only supplied by heat and electricity grids.

Greenhouse gas mitigation strategies are generally considered costly with world leaders often engaging in debate concerning the costs of mitigation and the distribution of these costs between different countries. In this paper, the analyses and results of the design of a 100% renewable energy system by the year 2050 are presented for a complete energy system including transport. Two short-term transition target years in the process towards this goal are analysed for 2015 and 2030. The energy systems are analysed and designed with hour-by-hour energy system analyses. The analyses reveal that implementing energy savings, renewable energy and more efficient conversion technologies can have positive socio-economic effects, create employment and potentially lead to large earnings on exports. If externalities such as health effects are included, even more benefits can be expected. 100% Renewable energy systems will be technically possible in the future, and may even be economically beneficial compared to the business-as-usual energy system. Hence, the current debate between leaders should reflect a combination of these two main challenges.