Self-Sustaining Offices for International Aid Agencies in Remote Geographical Areas

Carrasco, Francisco Javier Cárcel; López, Elisa Peñalvo; Murga, Gonzalo De

doi:10.6036/8507

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…In the case of large rural areas in dispersed countries, renewable sources become and can be utilized in a distributed generation approach to generate electricity [11]. Distributed Generation (DG) refers to the concept of generating electricity near the customer, thus DG technology is considered as a promising alternative for electrifying geographically disadvantaged rural and remote areas [12][13][14]. In fact, the rapid deployment of renewable energy technologies over the past years and the wider projection for the near future, raise challenges and opportunities for their integration that should be taken into consideration in the strategies for energy planning and optimization methods of the electricity supply of isolated areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comprehensive Methodology for Sustainable Power Supply in Emerging Countries

et al. 2019

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Electricity has become one of the main driving forces for development, especially in remote areas where the lack of energy is linked to poverty. Traditionally, in these areas power is supplied by grid extension projects, which are expensive, or stand-alone systems based on fossil fuels. An actual alternative to these solutions is community micro-grid projects based on distributed renewable energy sources. However, these solutions need to introduce a holistic approach in order to be successfully implemented in real cases. The main purpose of this research work is the definition and development of a comprehensive methodology to encourage the use of decentralized renewable power systems to provide power supply to non-electrified areas. The methodology follows a top-down approach. Its main novelty is that it interlinks a macro and micro analysis dimension, considering not only the energy context of the country where the area under study is located and its development towards a sustainable scenario; but also the potential of renewable power generation, the demand side management opportunities and the socio-economic aspects involved in the final decision on what renewable energy solution would be the most appropriate for the considered location. The implementation of this methodology provides isolated areas a tool for sustainable energy development based on an environmentally friendly and socially participatory approach. Results of implementing the methodology in a case study showed the importance of introducing a holistic approach in supplying power energy to isolated areas, stating the need for involving all the different stakeholders in the decision-making process. Despite final raking on sustainable power supply solutions may vary from one area to another, the implementation of the methodology follows the same procedure, which makes it an inestimable tool for governments, private investors and local communities.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comprehensive Methodology for Sustainable Power Supply in Emerging Countries

et al. 2019

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“…A higher unemployment rate was noted in Spain, where 91 participants were actively searching for a job. Other countries with a significant percentage of unemployed professionals participating in the courses were Cyprus (70), United Kingdom (70), and Belgium (60), mainly because participants were graduate students finalizing their post-graduate programs.In contrast, courses organized in Germany (7), Denmark (10), Ireland (10), and Romania (18) included experienced professionals actively involved in the market.…”

Section: Unemployed and Femalementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The European Commission identified and promoted the need to concentrateon improving energy performance of the EU's building stock in 2000, as a means of reaching 2020 and 2030 energy efficiency targets.Following this, in 2010, a Recast of the Energy Performance Building Directive was published introducing the concept of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs) into the EU legislation, which obliges all new buildings to be NZEBs from 2020 and public buildings from 2018.Responding to this challenge, the construction industry required the ability to provide renovations with novel and contemporary NZEB technologies and designs [4,5]. In light of this, educators must effectively administer high quality training and education to architects, engineers, and building professionals to improve competencies in these areas [6,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Analysis about Learning to IncreaseWomen’s Participation and Employment in Europe’s Energy Transition: Evidence from the European Project MEnS

Peñalvo-López

Carrasco

2019

Sustainability

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The Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD) introduced the requirement for all Member States to include the concept of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs) in their national plans. However, this challenge requires upgrading professional skills in NZEB concepts and strategies, thus guaranteeing the maximum impact on NZEB deployment around Europe. This is the objective of MEnS ("Meeting Energy Professional Skills"), an H2020 project focused on providing high quality upskilling and education to architects, engineers, and building professionals. The role of women in the NZEB industry indicates that female participation in the building industry is still low. The need to rebalance this gender gap is highlighted in this work through the identification of female programs and schemes. In addition, the results of women's participation in the MEnS project is analyzed. The MEns project created and implemented a new education program, training 1200 building managers (engineers and architects) in the designand construction of NZEBs, out of which 46% were women. Focusing on the Spanish case, 18 interviews were randomly conducted with women participants in order to assess the courses and their expectations of employment in the NZEB framework. The method used for the analysis was a semi-structured interview and analysis by the grounded theory. This article describes the participation of women in this educational program and analyses initial conclusions and lessons learnt from this initiative in 10 European countries, including Spain.

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The Implementation of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) in Spain

Peñalvo-López

Carrasco

Valcuende-Paya

et al. 2019

Advances in Human and Social Aspects of Technology

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The construction segment is an important economic sector in Europe, representing 9% of European gross domestic product (GDP) and providing approximately 18 million direct jobs. Construction activities that include renovation work and energy retrofits add almost twice as much value as the construction of new buildings, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute more than 70% of the value added in the EU building sector. Furthermore, European legislation obliges member states to establish minimum energy efficiency requirements for buildings to achieve optimum levels of costs versus energy demand reduction. These requirements are reviewed every five years and represent categories of buildings based on their energy levels (demand and generation). This chapter analyzes the legislation associated to nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) in Spain in order to identify the factors that will leverage their massive implementation.

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Self-Sustaining Offices for International Aid Agencies in Remote Geographical Areas

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Comprehensive Methodology for Sustainable Power Supply in Emerging Countries

Comprehensive Methodology for Sustainable Power Supply in Emerging Countries

An Analysis about Learning to IncreaseWomen’s Participation and Employment in Europe’s Energy Transition: Evidence from the European Project MEnS

The Implementation of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) in Spain

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