Bristol city-wide sustainable energy study. Establishing the evidence base for planning a low carbon future What proportion of its energy could Bristol generate from its own renewable resources? This was one of the questions addressed by a report written for Bristol City Council by CSE and Adrian Smith, an independent planning consultant. Building a heat map for London. Pinpointing areas of the capital suitable for community heating systems The aim of this project was to ‘prospect’ for areas and/or sites of London where community heating systems would be viable (for an overview of this kind of decentralised heating network, see below).
The client for this project, the Greater London Authority, recognises that community heating can help achieve the carbon reductions in the capital that it is committed to*. However because this kind of decentralised energy network represents a significant infrastructural challenge (not to mention a long-term investment with a payback period measured in decades) the siting of any community heating network is critical. CSE’s solution was the development of the London Heat Map, which is available on line at www.londonheatmap.org.uk. Decarbonization Plan for Chicago's Central Loop. Renowned architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill (AS+GG) recently completed the investigation phase of a massive plan to “decarbonize” Chicago’s Loop.
The firm’s goal was to assess variables such as the age, use, condition, and energy consumption of the 500 buildings in this central core area of the city. Carried out in cooperation with the Chicago Climate Action Plan, the monumental project calls for a retrofit of half the city’s commercial and residential buildings to result in a 30% reduction in energy use by 2020.