Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Electricity consumption trends in different regions of the world
15,000
13,500
World
North America
Europe
Latin America
Middle East & North Africa
South Asia
Sub−saharan Africa
East Asia & Pacific
12,000
10,500
9,000
7,500
6,000
4,500
3,000
1,500
1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009
Year
Figure 1.2
Electric power consumption less transmission, distribution and
transformation losses based on IEA data [8]
in using resources and having robust systems. The latest example of these concerns
has been the prolonged blackouts suffered in India during the summer of 2012 [5].
Aside from managing energy resources effectively, another pressing issue consists
in implementing sustainable energy systems in cities to tackle climate change. The
International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates cities account for more than 70% of
global CO
2
emissions [6]. Addressing climate change while still keeping the 'lights
on' is a complex topic that should not be approached carelessly by stakeholders such
as governments, regulators, companies and societies [7]. To overcome the issue it
is imperative to rethink the way how today's energy systems are designed and man-
aged in all its stages, ranging from enhancing current practices (
e.g.
CCS) to fully
deploying renewable resources.
Since societies have finite resources and are constrained by externalities, both
academia and industry have wondered: 'What benefits could be achieved if whole
cities organised themselves to integrate their energy use and reduce their carbon
footprint?'
At Imperial College London, the British Petroleum (
bp
) sponsored Urban Energy
Systems Project has used an interdisciplinary approach to research how costs, energy
and environmental impacts could be modified if cities are modelled considering the
interactions that occur among people, infrastructures and their surroundings [9].
This premise has motivated research to explore
synergies
between energy networks
in order to identify the opportunities in improving the efficiency of energy delivery and
enhancing sustainability. In this manner, efforts must be made in discerning patterns
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