The SREX (Spatial planning and exergy) research project was initially meant to develop exergy based criteria to be able to plan and choose the most optimal locations for new housing, based on renewable energy potentials. One of the spin-offs of the project was a website “heat mapping’, showing the potential of subsoil heat for heating and cooling buildings with heat-exchangers and heat pumps, for all of the Netherlands.
(heat=warmte in dutch)
However going further down in the matter and explore the role of renewable materials as well, the main question came out to be turned upside down. In fact, any location has a maximum exergy potential, which should be decisive for the total activities to be developed or established in the system. In other words, the renewable to gain potential in any region (with known conversion technologies) is guiding for a sustainable exploration.
This was one of the presentations during the Conference on the issue: Spatial planning and exergy.
Location: Delft, the Netherlands
Date: 22 September 2011
Ronald Rovers, RiBuilT
Research Institute Built environment of Tomorrow www.ribuilt.eu