Chapter 1 - Solar City: Reconnecting Energy Generation and Use to the Technical and Social Logic of Solar Energy

Abstract

The determining factor of an energy system is the energy sources it makes available. All subsequent steps follow on from this choice: the energy conversion technologies and infrastructure required for its optimal use, and the energy habits, social opportunities, and types of business, as well as the settlement and transport structures which result from it. With the evolution of very densely populated urban economic areas and, at the same time, the progressive depletion of domestic sources of primary energy and a growing demand for energy, the conventional energy system has inevitably become ever more concentrated. To highlight a lack of storage possibilities as one of the principal drawbacks of renewable energies, however, is to take a superficial viewpoint. No modern energy supply system can exist without storage, because there is no simultaneity between primary energy generation or harvesting, and final energy use. The use of renewable energies in buildings and in urban planning, and the adaptation of buildings and orientation to the existing natural environment are critical elements in transforming energy supply at municipal level. At the same time urban planning in terms of distances between residential areas, work, recreation, and shopping areas is a key factor in determining transport behavior and hence energy consumption. The decentralized structures through to the Solar City are becoming increasingly attractive, offering diversity and flexibility. While conventional energy supply is a permanent and expensive; solar energy is becoming an autonomous value added factor for the city and its inhabitants.