Renewables

While the concept of microgrids and their attributes continue to generate hype, there are few guidelines on microgrid best planning and implementation practices. Microgrids must be able to function on their own (in islanded mode), integrate intermittent generation (such as solar or wind) with baseload generation, and balance overall generation with internal loads. Additionally, interconnection practices with the local utility grid are evolving for behind-the-meter installations.

Over 150 villages in Germany produce all of the electricity and most of the heat they consume.  In these so-called "bioenergy villages," renewable energy systems are driving economic growth.   This session will provide an overview of the growing movement in Germany toward communally-developed and owned energy systems, focusing particularly on two villages in northern Germany.  The development process for these villages will be explored, as will the factors contributing to their success.

Session two will dig deeper into two solutions – both fresher paths forward than the expensive model of centralized-systems solutions. First is a look into cities such as Atlanta, where the cost of water and wastewater have soared but the system and the treatment technologies are working. Second is the promising practice of source-separating urine for fertilizer production—a pilot in Falmouth, MA is demonstrating cost-effective alternative to building a new treatment plant.

This session is in two parts.Water is scarcer. Systems for both fresh and waste water are vulnerable. Water standards are increasingly stringent to protect ecosystems and public health. Since water and energy are so inextricably intertwined, the term, “water grid" provides a unique frame for exploring how to operate a more closed-loop system of water production and use. As architects, engineers, builders and municipal planners, what will we have to rethink and re-do about processing fresh and waste water in developing the next generation of the built environment?

Most of us take the electrical grid for granted. But it is perhaps the most complex technological achievement in human history. After more than a century of relative stability, the grid is changing fast. Our conference plenary will explore the technology and policy solutions evolving to enable a more reliable, resilient, environmentally responsible and affordable electricity grid.

As architects, engineers, and municipal planners, how can we rethink the built environment to install more urban food production and distribution in the city? An urban permaculture will frame the session, discussing practices such as: green roofs, pink houses, vertical growing walls, a farm-in-a-box and vertical farms. We will mix short presentations with facilitated conversation about how we, as urban practitioners, can shape the built environment to include urban food.

With net metering and clean energy policy being challenged across the country, the solar community needs to develop more sustainable solutions that reflect the real cost and benefit impacts that distributed energy resources have on the grid and society. This session will address efforts to create a better economic model for distributed generation throughout the Northeast. Among the issues discussed will be efforts to create value based rate structures to encourage solar, storage, security, smarts, and savings on the electrical grid.

Intrigued by the plenary speakers and their visions for the future? The plenary speakers will dig deeper into the conversation in this session and focus on answering your questions about our emerging energy future.

As low energy, super insulated enclosures become more prevalent, some industry leaders question the continued relevance of passive solar design. Should we use the sun to help meet our heating needs, or have newer design tools, construction techniques and materials rendered passive solar strategies obsolete? This session's speaker believes that solar optimized design remains important and will show how an integrated approach to solar design can and should support optimal performance and occupant comfort.

With the drop in envelope loads and the rise in efficient heat pumps (even in cold climates), quite a few homes are moving away from fossil fuels towards electric HVAC. One recurring question is: what to do about water heating? This session covers various options - simple electric tanks, tankless electric heaters, solar thermal, heat pump water heaters, etc. - and presents real cost and energy data from several research & evaluation projects.