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Archive for the ‘sustainability’ Category

anarchy roundup: CHP and grid emissions

Posted in chp, climate change, energy, engineering, london, micro chp, renewable energy, sustainability, utilities on September 4, 2007| 8 Comments »

What’s going on?

There’s been a fierce debate among energy bods this summer over the environmental effectiveness of combined heat and power (CHP) and CHP with cooling (CCHP) – a debate closely tied to assumptions about the carbon emissions associated with grid electricity in the UK.

What happened?

As noted in this blog in May, Arup associate director James Thonger opened up with a broadside aimed at the GLA policy of requiring CHP and CCHP on new developments. In particular he refuted LCCA claims that gas CHP saves 54% of carbon relative to grid electricity. The LCCA is headed up by Allan Jones, former green god of Woking and now darling of the London Mayor, who didn’t take the criticism lightly.

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no such thing as a green office?

Posted in architecture, climate change, energy, engineering, london, renewable energy, sustainability on August 24, 2007| 6 Comments »

Gibbs BuildingFollowing our recent blog conversation about the energy consumption of Portcullis House, Phil at the Sustainability Blog has pointed out the recently published consumption figures for another Hopkins scheme – this time the Gibbs Building owned by the Wellcome Trust. Like Portcullis House, it’s an office building kitted out with plenty of green gear. And like its cousin, the Gibbs Building is consuming more energy than predicted at design stage. So is the green office building just a myth?

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nitpick your way to lower carbon

Posted in agriculture, climate change, consumerism, energy, engineering, renewable energy, sustainability on August 7, 2007| 6 Comments »

An article in the Times over the weekend claims that walking to the shops emits more CO2 than driving. It’s a sensationalist claim (even if they can back it up with calcs) that doesn’t help anyone except Daily Mail readers desperate to shore up their view that anyone who thinks about energy or the environment is a commie pinko control freak determined to spoil everyone’s fun. Chris Goodall, the man behind the claim, should have known better and is clearly more interested in headlines than making a genuine difference.

Every little helps. But all things being equal, the fight to alleviate the effects of global warming isn’t going to be won between your house and the shops. It’s much more useful to keep your eye on the crucial issues rather than handing ammunition to the folks who like nothing better than a bit of obfuscation.

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quick to judge architecture

Posted in architecture, climate change, energy, engineering, london, sustainability on July 30, 2007| 3 Comments »

Via zerochampion, the Guardian’s architecture commentator suggests that buildings

…should only really be offered prizes 20 years after their completion. While we can comment on the merit of the design, look and feel of a particular building when new, and celebrate the intentions of its designers, there is no guarantee that it might not prove to be a failure.

I know we ought to be happy that architecture is being discussed on TV at all. Having said that, if I were in charge of the Stirling Prize I’d consider actual measured energy use and give occupants a vote on whether they think the building is a success.

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made in the Congo

Posted in consumerism, sustainability on July 10, 2007| 1 Comment »

nokiaVia No Impact Man, I came across an article by Johann Hari, originally published in the Independent in 2006. In it, Johann traces the roots of the ongoing conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo to the scramble for natural resources; in particular coltan, a metal used in electronics like mobile phones and Playstations. 80% of the world’s supply of coltan is found in the DRC, where 4 million people have died in five years.

The choices we make, especially in the goods and energy we consume, have a direct influence on the lives of others. It’s difficult to mentally connect my cell phone and a mine in DRC, but the connection is there whether I choose to see it or not. My standard of living doesn’t exist in a vacuum and you could question how much of it I have a legitimate right to.

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my energy slaves

Posted in climate change, consumerism, energy, sustainability on February 3, 2007| Leave a Comment »

Up to a point, higher energy consumption brings higher quality of life: lower infant mortality, longer life expectancy, higher literacy, etc. In communities where the main sources of energy for work are people and livestock, there isn’t much energy available, and what there is must be used in survival activities that produce a bit more energy than they consume, like subsistence farming. Quality of life in these communities is correspondingly low.

In the UK, energy is cheap and readily available, particularly in the forms of mains natural gas and grid electricity, and quality of life is generally high. We spend so little on the large amounts of energy we consume that we take cheap plentiful energy for granted. In fact, the electrical energy equivalent to a person working all day can be bought for less than 10 pence. Here’s how: (more…)

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