Sustainable urban planning increasingly demands the conservation of energy and pursuit of renewable and alternative energy options for buildings and infrastructure. This course identifies state of practice standards for various energy uses, and sources, as well as strategies to reduce energy consumption and costs. Conventional and renewable energy sources are discussed. Strategies for energy conservation, fuel switching and changing to passive systems are examined. Behavioural changes as a conservation strategy are introduced. The rationale for sustainable energy management within existing buildings is explored. Alternative energy systems that minimize the use of natural resources will be explained together with underlying social, economic and environmental considerations. The course provides relevance to the importance of energy conservation and of utilizing innovative energy generation opportunities for buildings, infrastructure design and operations. The importance of declining fossil fuel energy sources and its impact on approaches to environmental engineering technology projects will be covered.
2.5