Energy efficiency within the housing sector is progressing. In Vallastaden which is a newly developed city district in Linköping, Sweden, constructors together with the municipality have made attempts to create a sustainable built environment. One of the goals was to establish energy efficient residential buildings in Vallastaden. The overall aim of the study was to investigate the development of two energy plus buildings in Vallastaden and explore the potentials for the energy concept in these buildings to reduce the energy use. The perceptions of the occupants were included in the study since their views and practices play an important part for the buildings’ energy performance. Qualitative interviews were conducted with informants from two housing companies and three households. The findings show that the motives for the housing companies were try out new things and progress within the housing sector. The housing companies were however uncertain if their buildings would become energy efficient in practice since it depended on how the occupants would interact with the technology and the energy concept. There is a risk that the energy concept and the technology may not reach its full potential in reducing energy since the occupants either had no reflection about their role in the energy concept or were uncertain about the technology. The communication between the housing companies and the occupants needs to be strengthened for occupants to realize their influence on the energy use in these buildings.

Denna uppsats har undersökt likheter och skillnader i lärarnas olika bedömning utgående från fyra olika nyckelidéer om energi. Data samlades in via kvalitativa intervjuer med fem behöriga NO-lärare som var verksamma på olika skolor i tre olika kommuner. För att genomföra materialanalysen användes Duits nyckelidéer om energibegreppet som en hjälp för tematisering. Data pekar på att det finns olika syn på vilka kunskaper om energi som ligger på en godtagbar respektive en mer än godtagbar nivå. På en mer än godtagbar nivå beskrev de flesta lärare att elevens resonemangsförmåga är i fokus. Det gick även att urskilja att alla lärare berör nyckelidéerna energiomvandling och energiöverföring i de kunskaper som ansågs vara godtagbara. Däremot utelämnades resonemang om energikvalitets-degradering helt och hållet. / This thesis has studied similarities and differences in the teachers’ assessment and which key ideas can be distinguished in what teachers consider to be acceptable knowledge. Data were collected via qualitative interviews with five qualified science teachers who were active in different schools in three different municipalities in Sweden. The analysis of the material was carried out with the help of an analysis tool that consisted of four key ideas about the concept of energy. The analysis of data indicates that there is a widespread regarding what knowledge about energy is sufficient to pass, or pass with distinction, the knowledge requirements. At a more than acceptable level, most teachers described that the students’ ability to reasoning is in focus. It was also possible to distinguish that all teachers are using the key ideas of energy conservation and energy transfer in the knowledge that was considered acceptable. However, reasoning about energy degradation was omitted altogether.

This thesis examines the concept of environmental security in regards to its historical development and current classification in the security studies discourse. It analyzes its relationship to the concept of energy security and explains some other relevant concepts used in this study. It then carefully chooses four determinants of environmental security which are most relevant for assessing the energy mix of the Czech Republic. The evaluation of the current energy mix is then compared to the state and composition of the country's energy mix in 2040 as outlined in the New State Energy Concept (NSEC) of 2013. Reflecting on the changes of the energy mix presented in NSEC reveals the actual impact of the future version of the energy mix on the environmental security in the Czech Republic. The thesis further identifies other important factors to consider when making strategic decisions about the composition of the energy mix and energy policy in general. To conclude, a reflection on the implications of this study both on the concept of environmental security and the Czech energy decision-making is offered.

Master thesis deals with photovoltaic components and their principles. Evaluate the types of photovoltaic systems and their impact on the transmission system. The thesis deals with financial support to small and micro-photovoltaic systems, which can be used in terms of legislation of the Czech Republic. There are also described the changes in the amendment to the energy act and effect on the price of electricity in households. Compared with the domestic photovoltaic rest of the world and the view of the German energy concept. Part of the theoretical design of a hybrid photovoltaic plant, including the use of heat pump. Thesis deals with using hybrid photovoltaic plant and economic viability of the proposed system. The last part deals with the implementation of the proposed system and assesses the true value from those anticipated in the design.

New agricultural constructions in Czech Republic happen, in better case, privilege of civil engineer, in the worse case only privilege of the investor, in the past. While architects or enlightenment project architects with inventive and feeling for architecture, rarely interfered to their projection. In the practice, the preferred and implemented misconception, that it is a purely purpose-built buildings with economical advantageous solution type, when external design of the building and his effect in landscape plays just a minor role, meant a huge mistake, which disfeature face of a lot of villages. With the gradual development of organic and sustainable agriculture is obvious, that to the design of these buildings gets back the idea of invention and emotion of construction into the landscape. Essence of a dissertation is how to proceed with the draft of a new or completion of original organic farm in conditions of the Czech Republic and on which specific points to focus in the design. Objective of thesis is generalization of rules design new modern organic farm or new buildings on the existing organic farm, using the principles of organic architecture and architecture undemanding of energy, renewable source of energy and non-waste management and verification on the specific examples in the Czech Republic and neighboring Europa countries. Where else should apply the principles of organic architecture more than in the construction of organic farms. Moreover, organic farm offers a great number of functions and with related different operations with requirements for specific areas. This is an added bonus, diversity of construction and the possibility of building creativity in architectural solutions. It is then mainly limited functionality of the building, legislative, public health, fire and traffic regulations, with which any proposal must cope. Organic farms are a phenomenon, but also the future of sustainable agriculture in the Czech Republic, as well. Not only production side of organic farms, but also neglected building stock deserves the attention of experts. Only organic farm with the right comprehensive created building and energy concept on an ecological principle is becoming a well-functioning self-contained unit connected with the cycle of nature, the surrounding landscape and regional tradition.

This thesis presents work on a holistic approach for improving the overall design of solar cooling systems driven by solar thermal collectors. Newly developed methods for thermodynamic optimization of hydraulics and control were used to redesign an existing pilot plant. Measurements taken from the newly developed system show an 81% increase of the Solar Cooling Efficiency (SCEth) factor compared to the original pilot system. In addition to the improvements in system design, new efficiency factors for benchmarking solar cooling systems are presented. The Solar Supply Efficiency (SSEth) factor provides a means of quantifying the quality of solar thermal charging systems relative to the usable heat to drive the sorption process. The product of the SSEth with the already established COPth of the chiller, leads to the SCEth factor which, for the first time, provides a clear and concise benchmarking method for the overall design of solar cooling systems. Furthermore, the definition of a coefficient of performance, including irreversibilities from energy conversion (COPcon), enables a direct comparison of compression and sorption chiller technology. This new performance metric is applicable to all low-temperature heat-supply machines for direct comparison of different types or technologies. The achieved findings of this work led to an optimized generic design for solar cooling systems, which was successfully transferred to the market.