Esta dissertação tem por objetivo determinar a contribuição de uma unidade habitacional unifamiliar, que utiliza o sol como fonte principal de energia, e adota premissas e estratégias de uma Casa Solar, para a conservação e geração de energia, e redução de emissões de GEE. O Sistema Interligado Nacional (SIN) de eletricidade é analisado considerando as fontes de geração, emissões de GEE associadas e as previsões de expansão. São estudados o potencial e as limitações para a inserção da fonte solar fotovoltaica na matriz de energia elétrica brasileira. O consumo de eletricidade do setor residencial é caracterizado, considerando as previsões de aumento da demanda por eletricidade. São elencadas e estudadas as premissas e estratégias de uma Casa Solar, com foco no aproveitamento do sol na arquitetura e no uso de sistema de aquecimento solar (SAS) e sistema fotovoltaico (SFV). Estas premissas e estratégias são demonstradas de forma aplicada por meio do protótipo Ekó House, um modelo de residência de energia zero (REZ) que incorpora as premissas e estratégias de uma Casa Solar. As estratégias bioclimáticas e os sistemas solares são analisados considerando sua aplicação na cidade de São Paulo. A análise qualitativa de estratégias passivas e de baixo consumo para o condicionamento térmico demonstram um potencial de se aumentar em até 70% as horas de conforto no ano. Dentro dos parâmetros definidos e considerando um valor médio de consumo residencial, a adoção de tecnologias mais eficientes para iluminação demonstra um potencial de reduzir o consumo de eletricidade em até 12,5%, e o uso de SAS apresenta um potencial para conservar até 16,3% da eletricidade consumida. A geração de energia elétrica por SFV, associada à adoção medidas de eficiência energética, demonstra potencial para atingir um balanço energético próximo a zero ou positivo. Com isso, estima-se um potencial de se evitar até 1,66 t CO2 de emissões ao ano por unidade habitacional. / This dissertation aims to determine the contribution of a single-family dwelling unit that harnesses the sun as a main energy source, and adopts guidelines and strategies of a Solar House, aiming energy conservation and generation, and GHG emissions reduction. The Brazilian interconnected electricity system is analyzed regarding energy sources, associated GHG emissions and expansion projection. The electricity consumption in residential sector is characterized, considering the projections of increase in electricity demand. The guidelines and strategies for a Solar House are studied, focusing on the harnessing of sun in architecture and solar systems for domestic hot water (DHW) and electricity generation by photovoltaic (PV) systems. The practical application of these guidelines and strategies is exemplified by the Ekó House prototype, a zero energy dwelling housing model that incorporates Solar House guidelines and strategies in its design. Bioclimatic strategies and solar systems are analyzed considering their application in São Paulo city. The qualitative analysis of passive and low consumption strategies points out a potential of increasing 70% of comfort hours in a year. Within the parameters defined and considering the Brazilian average consumption for dwellings, it is shown that the adoption of efficient technologies for lighting can save up to 12.5%, and solar systems for DHW can save up to 16.3% of electricity consumption. The PV electricity generation associated to energy efficiency measures can reach a near zero energy balance or even a positive energy balance. Thus, it is estimated a potential of avoiding up to 1.66 t CO2/year for each dwelling.

Esta pesquisa resultou na proposição de um conjunto de diretrizes que viabilizem a implementação e a redação de um projeto de regulamentação energética para edifícios de escritórios, no que se refere à luz natural. Para tanto, foi efetuado um levantamento das leis, normas e certificações em vigência nos países: Brasil, Estados Unidos, Canadá, Portugal, Reino Unido, França e Alemanha, que se referem à iluminação natural e sua interface com a iluminação artificial, em edifícios de escritórios. Foram incluídos neste conjunto de regulamentos, normas da ISO e CIE, por se tratarem de referências internacionais. A partir deste levantamento foram destacados e agrupados por assunto, os itens que continham indicadores para a avaliação da admissão de luz natural em prédios de escritórios. No Capítulo 5, Estudos de Caso, foram analisados cinco projetos de escritórios, de prédios construídos na cidade de São Paulo, quanto aos aspectos da insolação e admissão da luz natural. Os projetos foram simulados em computador e, pelos resultados obtidos com a aplicação do software Radiance, verificou-se a conformidade destes projetos com os indicadores coletados. Estas avaliações permitiram conclusões sobre os projetos e, também, sobre os indicadores utilizados. A partir destas conclusões foram apresentadas diretrizes para o caso brasileiro, apontando itens para regulamentos que quando aplicados otimizem o uso da luz natural nos ambientes de escritórios. / This research has resulted in the proposition of a group of directives which may enable the implementation and outlining of an energetic regulation project for office buildings as related to daylighting. To that end, current codes, norms and certification systems, in use in Brazil, United States, Canada, Portugal, United Kingdom, France, and Germany, all regarding daylighting and its interaction with artificial lighting in office buildings, were raised. We have added to this group of regulations the ISO and CIE norms, due to their being international references. Starting out from these regulations, the items that contain indicators for the evaluation of daylight admission in office buildings have been grouped and outlined by category. In chapter 5, Case Studies, five office buildings in Sao Paulo city have been analyzed regarding their insolation and daylight performance. The projects were computer-simulated and, through the results obtained by applying the Radiance software, the conformity of these projects with the collected indicators were verified. These evaluations led to conclusions about the projects, as well as about the used indicators. From these conclusions, directives have been presented for use in the Brazilian case, identifying items for regulations that, when applied, will optimize the use of daylight in offices.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements of a Master of Science in Building. / Introduction: Literature shows that an organization that participates in learning broadens its competitive advantage, capabilities and efficiency ensuring overall improved performance. This study reviews organizational learning in small and medium Energy Service Companies (ESCos) undertaking energy efficiency projects in the South African building industry. In addition, the study examines what impact the organizational learning has on the performance of ESCos. Furthermore factors and practices that influence organizational learning in small and medium sized ESCos are identified and reviewed. Aim: The study develops a framework for the effective learning practices which lead to better performance in implementing energy effiency projects. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses a combination of interviews, document and literature review. Interviews and literature were used to gather information on organizational learning and learning practices in small and medium ESCos undertaking energy efficiency building projects. Company documents, government policies and Eskom’s operational documents were documents used for analysis. All the findings were triangulated to ensure validity and reliability. Outcome: ESCOs are instrumental in promoting energy efficiency. This study identified current learning practices and the factors that promote learning within ESCos. This enables ESCos to strategize on the possible improvement on their performances. Keywords: Buildings, Energy Efficiency, Energy Service Companies (ESCos), Organizational Learning, Performance, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and South Africa 1 Eskom is a utility company in South Africa that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to various sectors within the country and other SADC region.

A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / Based on a complementary framework guided by the Delphi method for the business-as-usual (BAU) forecast and the backcasting method for envisioning the desired future state, the study finds that by 2050, South Africa will have reached its goal of 80% reduction of CO₂ emissions from the middle-income home sub-sector, through a middle-loading (ML) transition pathway. This pathway was selected from among four alternative pathways because of its ability to mindfully facilitate the required transformational changes in behaviour and lifestyle, especially through support by means of responsive nudging incentives and mandatory policies, responsive technology innovations and market transformations. The study also applied multiple-level actors (MLA) principles towards the identified four primary pathway-options in CO₂ emissions reduction in the sub-sector, which are front-loading (FL), back-loading (BL), even-loading (EL) and middle-loading (ML). The study further provided substantial motivation for ML as the preferred pathway for South Africa’s transitioning to low-carbon homes by 2050. This reinterpreted transition model of orchestrating transformative change depicted how iterative responses to conflicting accelerator- and inhibitor-factors enabled low-carbon mitigation interventions in the sub-sector, thus facilitating an equitable country-level contribution towards the global goal of stabilising global warming below the scientifically-guided threshold of 2°C by 2050. A co-evolutionary approach will be required on multiple-levels with significant pressures that will overcome systemsinertia in order to achieve the transition to low-carbon middle-income homes in South Africa. The main findings of this study can contribute towards policy tools to guide deeper structural transformations of both society and economy in pursuit of improved/equitable well-being and prosperity while ensuring survival within finite planetary resources. In particular, the process of visioning and pathway-frameworks under backcasting has been adequately substantiated to allow for adaptation to alternative applications in similar studies for South Africa and internationally as well. / XL2018

Thesis. 1975. M.C.P.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. / Bibliography: leaves 135-136. / M.C.P.

Energy efficiency stands out with its potential to address a number of challenges that today's electric utilities face, including increasing and changing electricity demand, shrinking operating capacity, and decreasing system reliability and flexibility. Being the least cost and least risky alternative, the share of energy efficiency programs in utilities' energy portfolios has been on the rise since the 1980s, and their increasing importance is expected to continue in the future. Despite holding great promise, the ability to determine and invest in only the most promising program alternatives plays a key role in the successful use of energy efficiency as a utility-wide resource. This issue becomes even more significant considering the availability of a vast number of potential energy efficiency programs, the rapidly changing business environment, and the existence of multiple stakeholders. This dissertation introduces hierarchical decision modeling as the framework for energy efficiency program planning in electric utilities. The model focuses on the assessment of emerging energy efficiency programs and proposes to bridge the gap between technology screening and cost/benefit evaluation practices. This approach is expected to identify emerging technology alternatives which have the highest potential to pass cost/benefit ratio testing procedures and contribute to the effectiveness of decision practices in energy efficiency program planning. The model also incorporates rank order analysis and sensitivity analysis for testing the robustness of results from different stakeholder perspectives and future uncertainties in an attempt to enable more informed decision-making practices. The model was applied to the case of 13 high priority emerging energy efficiency program alternatives identified in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A. The results of this study reveal that energy savings potential is the most important program management consideration in selecting emerging energy efficiency programs. Market dissemination potential and program development and implementation potential are the second and third most important, whereas ancillary benefits potential is the least important program management consideration. The results imply that program value considerations, comprised of energy savings potential and ancillary benefits potential; and program feasibility considerations, comprised of program development and implementation potential and market dissemination potential, have almost equal impacts on assessment of emerging energy efficiency programs. Considering the overwhelming number of value-focused studies and the few feasibility-focused studies in the literature, this finding clearly shows that feasibility-focused studies are greatly understudied. The hierarchical decision model developed in this dissertation is generalizable. Thus, other utilities or power systems can adopt the research steps employed in this study as guidelines and conduct similar assessment studies on emerging energy efficiency programs of their interest.

Present-day datacenter networks (DCNs) are designed to achieve full bisection bandwidth in order to provide high network throughput and server agility. However, the average utilization of typical DCN infrastructure is below 10% for significant time intervals. As a result, energy is wasted during these periods. In this thesis we analyze traffic behavior of datacenter networks using traces as well as simulated models. Based on the insight developed, we present techniques to reduce energy waste by making energy use scale linearly with load. The solutions developed are analyzed via simulations, formal analysis, and prototyping. The impact of our work is significant because the energy savings we obtain for networking infrastructure of DCNs are near optimal. A key finding of our traffic analysis is that network switch ports within the DCN are grossly under-utilized. Therefore, the first solution we study is to modify the routing within the network to force most traffic to the smallest of switches. This increases the hop count for the traffic but enables the powering off of many switch ports. The exact extent of energy savings is derived and validated using simulations. An alternative strategy we explore in this context is to replace about half the switches with fewer switches that have higher port density. This has the effect of enabling even greater traffic consolidation, thus enabling even more ports to sleep. Finally, we explore a third approach in which we begin with end-to-end traffic models and incrementally build a DCN topology that is optimized for that model. In other words, the network topology is optimized for the potential use of the datacenter. This approach makes sense because, as other researchers have observed, the traffic in a datacenter is heavily dependent on the primary use of the datacenter. A second line of research we undertake is to merge traffic in the analog domain prior to feeding it to switches. This is accomplished by use of a passive device we call a merge network. Using a merge network enables us to attain linear scaling of energy use with load regardless of datacenter traffic models. The challenge in using such a device is that layer 2 and layer 3 protocols require a one-to-one mapping of hardware addresses to IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. We overcome this problem by building a software shim layer that hides the fact that traffic is being merged. In order to validate the idea of a merge network, we build a simple mere network for gigabit optical interfaces and demonstrate correct operation at line speeds of layer 2 and layer 3 protocols. We also conducted measurements to study how traffic gets mixed in the merge network prior to being fed to the switch. We also show that the merge network uses only a fraction of a watt of power, which makes this a very attractive solution for energy efficiency. In this research we have developed solutions that enable linear scaling of energy with load in datacenter networks. The different techniques developed have been analyzed via modeling and simulations as well as prototyping. We believe that these solutions can be easily incorporated into future DCNs with little effort.

One of the greatest challenges that will face humanity in the 21st century is the issue of climate change brought about by emissions of greenhouse gases. Energy use is one of the primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions. However, it is also one of the most important contributors to improved human welfare over the past two centuries and will continue to be so for years to come. This quandary has led a number of researchers to suggest that geoengineering may be required in order to allow for continued use of fossil fuels while at the same time mitigating the effects of the associated greenhouse gas emissions on the global climate. The goal of this research was to develop a model that would allow decision-makers and policy analysts to assess the optimal mix of energy and geoengineering resources needed to meet global or regional energy demand at the lowest cost while accounting for appropriate emissions, greenhouse gas concentration, or temperature rise constraints. The resulting software model is called the Combined Energy and Geoengineering Optimization Model (CEAGOM). CEAGOM was then used to analyze the recently announced U.S.-China emissions agreement and to assess what the optimal global energy resource mix might be over the course of the 21st century, including the associated potential need for geoengineering. These analyses yielded optimal mixes of energy and geoengineering resources that could be used to inform regional and global energy and climate management strategies.

Most scientists agree that the earth's temperature continues to rise. The heat gain is more pronounced in urban areas due to a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. The urban heat island effect is a seemingly inevitable result of urban development, which has far reaching consequences. With energy costs skyrocketing and the destruction of the environment at risk, urban structures and buildings must do more to make our urban settings more environmentally friendly. So far, there are two well known ways to combat these effects. First, the heat island can be slightly be negated by adding well-watered vegetation to a site. Second, is to use building materials and systems that reflect the light, thus increasing the overall albedo of an urban area. Albedo is the ratio of the light energy is reflected compared that of which is absorbed. The combinations of these two practices are some of the components in green architecture. To Date, the United States has been slow to adopt policies that reduce the urban heat gain. Likewise, developers have been hesitant to construct these buildings due to implied cost and lack of knowledge. The intent of this project is to show that there are many strategies and design features that can be implemented to combat the urban heat island effect, even in the most challenging locations. The project will also employ green architecture methods in a commercial sector that has yet to fully grasp the potential to reduce heat gain and lower the urban heat island effects. To aid in the research, this project will detail buildings that are already addressing the urban heat island. The document will identify the most effective and inexpensive ways to solve this problem. It will also describe what can be done to reduce heat waste generated by lighting and cooling. In doing so, the information garnered should lead to design strategies that new buildings can utilize to reduce the urban heat island effect.

Bibliography: p. 119-122. Aims to show how the GB Tool (Green BuildingTool) can be used to access the environmental performance of residential building developments, with a focus on South Australia. Describes the history of, and rationale for, the GB Tool; and its practical implementation. Identifies some theoretical short comings of the GB Tool, as well as some practical difficulties with using it.