Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
R2000 insulation standards for all houses, with solar collectors on each south-facing
roof of the line of connected garages which send power to the district heating sys-
tem. This not only heats water, which is circulated back to the houses through insu-
lated underground pipes at 40-50 C depending on the outside temperature, but also
pumps the hot water underground for storage, releasing it in the winter for use in the
system when the solar input is lower. Despite its real energy savings the scheme has
not been copied by other developers in the area.
This pioneering example shows the feasibility of such projects, and the major
reduction in heating costs, but far more houses in the town of Okotoks are still being
built to conventional standards in large part because they are still cheaper per unit
of space and are usually far larger than these solar powered units. It may also be a
function of the reluctance in North America for developers to create, and owners to
buy, houses based on some communal heating scheme, whereas, as the review of
district heating schemes showed, this is not the case in many parts of Europe. This
means that solar power, even if used, is still largely restricted to panels added to
individual houses in most countries. But the problem of storing power at night, re-
quiring large batteries to store energy, or getting enough power on dark winter days,
still causes problems for the application of solar power to houses in many countries.
Even though smart grid solutions are becoming available, when some renewable
power is generated locally it really supplements regular gas or electricity supplies,
unless there is some district heating scheme, or where wind power has become a
major part of a region or country's energy supplies. By contrast geothermal com-
munities, such as those in Iceland, have fewer of these problems, for the required
heat for the houses is available in its unique subterranean sources. Other geothermal
projects exist in several countries and the EU has three pilot projects operating in
eastern European countries, part of the wider Strategic Energy Technology Informa-
tion System (SETIS) that is investigating the effectiveness of alternative low carbon
technologies.
6.5.4
Urban Revitalization Schemes
Another example of the trend to create more sustainable and also liveable commu-
nities can be seen in the renewal or revitalization of existing urban areas, especially
in central or inner city areas. Many of the urban renewal schemes of the 1960s and
70s obtained a bad reputation for destroying both the older heritage buildings in
an area and the mixed land uses in and around central city areas. Many focused on
high value projects, large office towers with underground car parks. The resultant
sterile, modernist concrete and steel buildings, often with windy, empty plazas at
their foot, had little local distinctiveness and were empty at night. In addition, the at-
tempt to accommodate the increasing use of cars in downtowns ruined these spaces
for many people because of the pollution from their exhausts, their speed—which
caused danger to pedestrians, and the requirement for large areas of surface park-
ing, or new parking structures. In addition there were negative effects from the way
that municipal authorities tried to help traffic flows by widening streets, reducing
