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Inspiring architects to make buildings green and good looking
Technology that integrates solar panels in roof tiles, windows and other building materials is becoming mainstream as costs drop and products become aesthetically attractive
Ready for expansion: Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), or solar skins, are ready to take a much larger part of the solar market as economics, technology and aesthetics fall into line
Cost estimates: If a traditional passive building façade costs around €250 a square metre (m2), a BIPV façade would cost around €350/m2
Key quote: “The future is where your imagination takes you.”
Buildings have lots of surfaces. This may sound obvious, but until now solar photovoltaic systems have been largely installed on roofs and then as add-ons rather than as intrinsic parts of a building. The solar industry and architects believe the time has at long last come for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), or solar skins, to become a mainstream solution to curbing carbon emissions and increasing renewable energy sources for buildings. ...
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New York City has been testing a pilot version of a tool developed to estimate emissions from its buildings, potential refits, costs and benefits
The deep retrofit of the Empire State Building showcases efficient use of energy, but more will be needed
Energy Cities, a European association of local authorities, estimates a city will need between €1 billion and €3 billion to reach net zero emissions by 2050
A goal to become the first carbon neutral capital city as early as 2025 is at least partly dependent on Denmark’s new national government throwing its weight behind Copenhagen’s aspirations
A recent World Bank study reveals global carbon revenues are rising sharply, but only around 42% are used for environmental projects. It shows European and American citizens prefer their governments to spend carbon revenues on low-carbon initiatives, so why is political will lagging behind asks Susanne Dyrbøl from Rockwool Group
In an interview with FORESIGHT Climate & Energy, Frank Jensen, mayor of Copenhagen, explains why mayors and local authorities are uniquely positioned to lead the energy transition and implement measures to proof their cities against extreme weather
Cooperation and social justice are at the heart of plans by the historic university city of Leuven, Belgium to become carbon neutral, as is the radical idea of giving owners no choice but to energy-renovate their homes
City achieves global first with aggressive retroactive climate rules for building stock
Sixty-two per cent of people living in Copenhagen cycle to work or school, pedalling 1.44 million kilometres every day. The city has invested more than €40 per head in bike infrastructure
Even if many cities are finding it a challenge to meet decarbonisation targets, they have made progress over the last decade and are becoming increasingly ambitious
The economic argument for switching from diesel to electric is gaining strength
Despite the massive amount of solar power output in Europe this summer and the technology’s falling prices, building owners are still reluctant to put panels on their roofs. Tübingen, Germany is introducing legislation to force change
