Smart cooling systems for the urban environment. Using renewable technologies to face the urban climate change

Abstract

Urban heat island and global warming increase the urban ambient temperature. Increased temperatures have a tremendous effect on the energy demand for cooling, with a great impact on peak and total electricity demand.Renewable technologies in the urban environment have been widely regarded as an increasingly important solution to deal with the climate change challenges and energy security. Significant effort is performed in the integration of photovoltaic panels (PV) and micro turbines in the urban context showing a substantial reduction in CO 2 emissions. At the same time attention is drawn to an often-overlooked aspect regarding renewable energy technologies, in that despite having low operating costs their overall benefits are often not well understood and consequently are often evaluated as being less profitable than fossil fuel alternatives, even though they are future proof about energy cost.The aim of the present paper is to describe the role of renewable energy technologies and zero carbon technologies in covering the future increased energy demand for cooling.The integration of photovoltaics in the urban environment through PV facades, pavements, and shading devices are discussed.The role of Information and Computer Technology and smart grids in the efficient management of renewables in urban scale is discussed. The role of smart metering, users 'integration and demand response capabilities for future zero energy urban neighborhoods is revealed.

A global horizon scan of the future impacts of robotics and autonomous systems on urban ecosystems

“…This is likely to be particularly important in arid cities as irrigation can be informed by weather data and measures of evapotranspiration 46 . Resilience to climate change could also be improved by smart buildings that are better able to regulate energy usage and reduce heat loss 47 , through the use of technology such as light-sensing blinds and reflectors 48 . This could help reduce urban heat island effects and moderate harsh microclimates 49 .…”

“…46 Department of Computer Science and Industrial Engineering, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain. 47 Urban Greening and Biosystems Engineering Research Group, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain. 48 Architecture and Design Department, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.…”

Closing the Loop Between Energy Production and Waste Management: A Conceptual Approach Towards Sustainable Development

“…Energy consumption and the corresponding pressures to the environment and climate is accompanied by many unsustainable practices that humanity adopted during the past, which are still present in the energy system e.g., [5,6]. Global urbanization has contributed to social transformation and economic transition strongly associated with increased consumption of resources, heat island effect, and environmental deterioration in urban areas e.g., [7]. A main environmental concern is waste, an ineluctable output of our society [8].…”

Cooling and Energy-Saving Performance of Different Green Wall Design: A Simulation Study of a Block

“…The area of the building envelope, particularly the facades, is much larger than that of the urban land surface, especially in high-density cities [10,11], which has a large impact on the thermal environment of cities and energy consumption of buildings [12]. Therefore, facade greening is a potential alternative measure for cooling the city and saving building energy consumption [13]. Apart from alleviating the UHI, facade greening also has the advantages of improving visual comfort and purifying the air [14].…”