Sustainable Energy in the Built Environment & Climate Change - CJ Walsh: Architectural, Design & Technical Control Practice

Sustainable Energy
in the Built Environment &
Climate Change

December 2007
Ministry of the Environment - Japan

Discussion Document in English

Building a Low Carbon Society
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(PDF File, 3.74Mb)

EU Council Spring Summit - 8th & 9th March 2007

Presidency Conclusions
Important New EU Energy Targets

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(PDF File, 228kb)

European Commission Communication
COM(2007) 1 - 2007-01-10

Limiting Global Climate Change
to 2 Degrees Celsius

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(PDF File, 63kb)

European Commission Communication
COM(2007) 2 - 2007-01-10

An Energy Policy for Europe

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(PDF File, 118kb)

WBCSD
World Business Council for Sustainable Development

October 2007 - Summary Report

Energy Efficiency in Buildings
Business Realities & Opportunities

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(PDF File, 2.92Mb)

Dublin 2007 & 2008
Institute of International & European Affairs (IIEA) - Climate Change Project
Sectors Working Group

Meeting the Challenge of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol is difficult.
But, after the 2007 June G8 Summit in Germany (see Chair's Summary),
and the wide consensus at Bali in December 2007 (see Bali Action Plan),
a Kyoto II Instrument (2013-2020) will be developed
within the UNFCCC Framework.

The Implications for Ireland will be Harsh !

29th September 2008

The Climate Change Challenge
A Strategic Overview of Irish Climate Change Policy

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(PDF File, 584kb)

C J Walsh
Construction Sector (Ireland) Report

Part 1 - Restoring the Sector's Infrastructure
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(PDF File, 80kb)

Part 2 - 2020 Building Energy Performance Targets
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(PDF File, 30kb)

Ireland - Statutory Instrument No. 666 of 2006
European Communities (Energy Performance
of Buildings) Regulations 2006

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(PDF File, 648kb)

The Irish national legislation which implements/transposes
European Directive 2002/91/EC (see below) is deeply flawed and designed
to be ineffective. But, it is a clever moneymaking exercise !

European Energy Atlas
This WebSite provides a comprehensive review of technologies
relevant to the whole non-nuclear energy field, with the exception of oil and gas,
to a time horizon of 2010.

The Energy Cycle
The entire energy chain, including activities related to prospecting for, exploration, production, conversion, storage, transport, distribution and consumption of the various forms of energy, and the treatment and disposal of wastes, as well as the decommissioning, cessation or closure of these activities, minimizing harmful environmental impacts.

1994 European Energy Charter Treaty

Environmental Impact
Any effect caused by a given activity on the environment, including human health and safety (and welfare), flora, fauna, soil, air, water, (and especially representative samples of natural ecosystems), climate, landscape and historical monuments or other physical structures or the interactions among these factors ; it also includes effects on accessibility, cultural heritage or socio-economic conditions resulting from alterations to those factors.

1994 Energy Charter Treaty (EU)
and 1972 Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment (UN)

EEA Report 8/2006
European Environment Agency

Tracking Progress Towards Integration
of
Energy & Environment in the European Union

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(PDF File, 1.86Mb)

RETScreen International

The RETScreen International Clean Energy Project Analysis Software is a unique decision support tool developed with the contribution of numerous international experts from government, industry, and academia. The software, provided free-of-charge, can be used worldwide to evaluate the energy production and savings, life-cycle costs, emission reductions, financial viability and risk for various types of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies (RETs).

The software also includes Product, Cost and Climate Databases, and a detailed online User Manual. Other tools include: a case study based college/university-level training course; an engineering electronic textbook; and the RETScreen Support WebSite.

All of these tools are available free-of-charge in English and French, with many of the tools available in other languages.

RETScreen International is managed under the leadership and ongoing financial support of Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) CANMET Energy Technology Centre - Varennes (CETC-Varennes). RETScreen is developed in collaboration with a number of other government and multilateral organisations, and with technical support from a large network of international experts from industry, government and academia.

Just a few of RETScreen International's Partners:

RETScreen International Clean Energy Project Analysis Software
Choose your language & Download

English	Español	French
العربية (Arabic)	中文 (Chinese)	िहन्दी (Hindi)
Deutsch	Italiano	Polski
日本語 (Japanese)	한국어 (Korean)	ఆంగ్లము (Telugu)
Português	Dansk	Svenska

Special EuroBarometer
Fieldwork: October-November 2005
Published: 24^th January 2006

Attitudes Towards Energy
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(PDF File, 561kb)

PowerPoint Presentation
'Real' Energy Performance in Buildings

C J Walsh

Technical Guidance Note 95 /101 (a)
Energy Survey Reports

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(PDF File, 60kb)

European Environment Agency Report No. 3/2006
Transport & Environment: Facing a Dilemma
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(PDF File, 3.73Mb)

European Commission DG TREN
COM(2006) 105 final - 8^th March 2006
Green Paper
A European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive & Secure Energy
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(PDF File, 200kb)

A stark picture of the Energy Situation in Europe is painted ....

There is an urgent need for investment to replace ageing infrastructure. An investment of around One Trillion Euros will be required over the next 20 years ;
Import dependency is rising. In the next 20-30 years, approx. 70% of the European Union’s energy requirements will be met by imported products, compared with 50% today ;
Reserves are concentrated in a few countries. Roughly half of the EU’s gas consumption comes from only three countries ( Russia, Norway, Algeria) today. On current trends, gas imports will increase to 80% over the next 25 years ;
Global demand for energy is increasing. By 2030, world energy demand and CO 2 emissions are expected to rise by approx. 60%. Global oil consumption has already increased by 20% since 1994, and global oil demand is projected to grow by 1.6% per annum ;
Oil and gas prices continue to rise - they have nearly doubled in the EU over the past two years, with electricity prices following ;
Europe 's climate is getting warmer ;
An internal energy market, which is both well regulated and competitive, has not yet been established in Europe. So much for 1992 !

However .... the Institutional Response to this picture proposed in the Green Paper is weak, incoherent and not properly co-ordinated with the policies and programmes of other Directorates-General in the European Commission.

Already .... the EU Directive 2002/91/EC on Energy Performance in Buildings, developed by DG TREN, must be seen as a bad joke in the context of the Construction Products Directive Framework (EU Directive 89/106/EEC), being operated by DG Enterprise !

And .... if Commissioner Piebalgs (DG TREN), who recently visited the Institute for European Affairs in Dublin (2006-03-21), is so concerned about Energy-Efficiency and Renewable Energies, why is the first mention of these issues only to be found half-way through the Green Paper ?

Adapted from Chapter 7 (by C. J. Walsh)
of
Sustainable Energy and the Environmental Imperative
A Report of the SEED Research Group, Institute of European Affairs, Dublin
Published 1999, by the IEA, Dublin. ISBN 1-874109-50-8

At the time of writing, it is only possible to describe and discuss the concept of 'sustainable development' in a tentative way. It is important, however, that five aspects of the concept receive adequate attention, i.e. social, economic, environmental, institutional, and political. It is also worth re-stating, here, that essential components of 'social wellbeing' include direct and meaningful consultation with people, partnership between all sectors of society, consensus, transparency, and openness at institutional levels.

Outlined below are three options for the short term future, up to the year 2010, concerning the implementation of a sustainable energy strategy in the European Union ........

- Option 1 : ' Business as Usual '

In the absence of a clearly expressed wish on the part of European society (including its institutions) to accept the financial costs and lifestyle changes necessary to achieve 'sustainability', and as long as other important members of the international community avoid or delay compliance with the 1997 Kyoto Protocol (COP 3), there will be a strong temptation to continue with a 'business as usual' scenario in Europe. This option will be characterised by :

- Option 2 : ' Cosmetic Tinkering at the Edges '

This scenario retains the main character of Option 1 but, with the excuse of 'maintaining E.U. industrial competitiveness', only small-scale, peripheral and cosmetic actions will be proposed. This option may decrease the rate of environmental damage. Maybe, it won't. The 'natural environment' will still erode and diminish in extent. European Union commitments with regard to the Kyoto Protocol will not be met.

- Option 3 : ' Sustainable Energy '

Realistic implementation of a sustainable energy strategy will be a complex, phased, cyclical and iterative process. It will not be easy, and it will involve a significant cost. This option will be characterised by :