• SDEWES11-0145 Potential of Concentrating Solar Power Plants for the Combined Production of Water and Electricity in MENA Countries (Massimo Moser*, Franz Trieb, Tobias Fichter)
• SDEWES11-0188 The Role of the Private Sector in Climate Change - A paper by the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership (formerly e8) - Presented by Mr. Ralf Blomberg (Ralf Blomberg*)
• SDEWES11-0228 Geopolitics of climate change: a review (Branko Bosnjakovic*)
• SDEWES11-0424 Mapping public regulation measures for photovoltaic technologies (Karl Sperling*, Brian Vad Mathiesen, Frede Hvelplund)
• SDEWES11-0630 Long-Term Prospects of Biofuels in EU-27 (Amela Ajanovic*, Gerfried Jungmeier, Martin Beermann, Reinhard Haas)
• SDEWES11-0693 Fossil Fuels: Climate Change and Security of Supply (Jan Kjärstad*, Filip Johnsson)
• SDEWES11-0706 The importance of CO2 Capture and Storage–a geopolitical discussion (Filip Johnsson*, Jan Kjärstad, Mikael Odenberger)
• SDEWES11-0869 Towards Sustainable Industrial Areas: building a Mediterranean model (Rovena Preka*, Mario Tarantini, Maria Litido, Arianna Dominici Loprieno)
• SDEWES11-0886 Optimization of photovoltaic energy production through an efficient switching matrix for reconfiguration (Marzia Cardinale, Eleonora Riva Sanseverino, Roberto Candela, Giorgio Graditi, Domenico Musso, Pietro Romano*)
• SDEWES11-0678 Explaining Differences in Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Developed Countries: Causes and Policy Implications (Thomas Gunton*, Ken Calbick)
• SDEWES11-0907 Economical and Geopolitical Aspects of Gas Supply from Russia to Korea (Ekaterina Zelenovskaya*)

Session resume:

In a globalised world, climate change, population trends, food security, energy supply, use of water, of land and of ecosystems are interconnected. As the world experiences a shift of global power to emerging economies, in particular China, the geopolitical implications of climate change are of prime interest. They find their expression in the positions of the major players, and the related issues and processes. The failure of the Copenhagen climate summit 2009 revealed clearly the divergent positions of major players – the US, EU, Russia, China, other emerging economies, oil producing countries, and least developed countries - with regard to limiting anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). A thorough root-cause analysis of this divergence is still missing, as it would need to address, next to economics and power politics, other aspects including historical. As it seems now most unlikely that global warming can be limited to 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, adaptation to elevated temperatures and to their regional consequences, becomes an urgent matter.

Geopolitics examines the political, economic and strategic significance of geographic space. With respect to climate change, a relevant factor is that planetary warming does not, and will not have a uniform effect over the entire globe. But the regional variation of the physical factors is only a part of the story. Geographic distribution of a Global Climate Vulnerability Index, when applied to water, has been calculated on the basis of several impact factors, including geospatial, resource quantification, accessibility and property rights, capacity of people and institutions, utilization, and ecological integrity and maintenance (see “Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change”, UNECE, Geneva 2010). Similar analyses could address other resources, such as land-use, food, and shipping. There are numerous regional examples of geopolitical linkage between energy, climate and water issues. Climate change in the Arctic is occurring at an unprecedented rate, thus leading to the viability of large-scale shipping, and of hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation. Extended continental shelf claims have been submitted by riparian countries. Thawing of permafrost may release significant amounts of the greenhouse gas methane. In the river basins of Central and South East Asia fed from the Himalaya watershed, 75-80% of river runoff is derived from glaciers and permafrost. Retreating glaciers and changing precipitation patterns increase water supply volatility (“droughts and floods”) that affects the lives of millions, and the geopolitics.

A geopolitical topic of increasing importance is the interaction between competition for land-use and climate change. Ongoing deforestation due to timber exploitation and conversion to agriculture, is responsible for up to 20% of global GHG emissions.  Massive demand for biofuel feedstock leads to shifts in crop production and corresponding price increases for foodstuffs: maize, sugarcane, cassava. Land-use requirements due to massive introduction of renewables –wind and solar – may become a limiting factor in regions with high population density. Harvesting solar/wind electricity in desert areas of North Africa/Middle East and transmitting it to Europe, may become an antithesis to exporting virtual water in form of foodstuffs from water-rich to water-deficient areas.

The contributors to the session are invited to address and analyse the geopolitical aspects of climate change in terms of key players and major processes, with special emphasis on institutional aspects. Climate change implications extend far outside the environment sphere, linking several processes of globalisation. This situation may require the strengthening of existing instruments like the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the creation of new ones, such as arrangements concerning the financing of adaptation measures and transfer of low-carbon technologies. Contributions to this session will cover geopolitical aspects linking climate with energy, land-use, water and food, ranging from regional case studies to thematic approaches addressing e.g. water, environment and carbon footprints, vulnerability analysis, technology responses, conflict prevention and resolution, institution building and international law.

It is planned to publish the contributed papers in the book series “Pangaea II: Global/Local Studies”, SUNY (State University of New York) Press, and/or in the “Globality Studies Journal”.

• SDEWES11-0716 Cycles in History and Sustainable Development (Aleksander Zidanšek, Ivo Šlaus*)
• SDEWES11-0085 Reconciling long-term Sustainable Development and R&D planning with the short-term preferences that drive governments, businesses, institutions, and individuals (Noam Lior*)
• SDEWES11-0958 Real Values and their role in promoting the New Economics of Growth and Employment (Ian Johnson*)
• SDEWES11-0152 SCIENCE AND ECONOMICS: THE CASE OF UNCERTAINTY AND DESEQUILIBRIUM (Orio Giarini*)
• SDEWES11-0883 The Role of Technology in Sustainable Development (Thomas Schauer*)
• SDEWES11-0968 Organization of Global Governance for Sustainable Development (Garry Jacobs*)
• SDEWES11-0549 Environmental assessment rules for simple trigeneration systems under variable operation conditions (Monica Carvalho, Luis M. Serra*, Miguel A. Lozano)
• SDEWES11-0773 The Sustainable Development in Greece and the Financial Crisis (Fanny Milia*)
• SDEWES11-0172 Enabling environment for better utilization of solar and wind energy in Macedonian agricultural sector (Natasa Markovska*, Aleksandra Krkoleva, Verica Taseska, Vesna Borozan, Jordan Pop-Jordanov)
• SDEWES11-0258 The impact of more efficient new passenger cars on energy consumption in EU-15 countries (Amela Ajanovic*, Lee Schipper)
• SDEWES11-0086 Knowledge Structuring for Water Sustainable Development of Aviation (Hiroko Nakamura*, Hidenori Chida, Shingo Ii, Yuya Kajikawa, Ichiro Sakata, Shinji Suzuki)
• SDEWES11-0108 Happiness in Nations and Governance (Aleksander Zidanšek*, Ivo Šlaus)

Session resume:

Intertwinning research and governance is necessary for achieving sustainable development. The session will be devoted to the analysis, measurement and assessment of activities increasing human, social and natural capital assuring sustainable development. In this session we primarily aim to address the opportunities for a synergy between research and governance for sustainable solutions to contemporary problems. This session invites innovative ideas in energy, climate, demography, economy and governance, which would assure economic development, social cohesion and environmental sustainability in the emerging global sustainable knowledge-based society. This session, organized in cooperation with The Club of Rome - European Support Centre and National Associations and the World Academy of Art and Science – South East European Division will study the aspects of opportunities in research and governance for sustainable solutions.

The session is planned as follows:

• Theoretical approaches to sustainability with a focus on intertwinning scientific research and governance;
• Innovative ideas in energy, climate, demography, economy and governance, both on Earth and in space;
• Opportunities for long term change toward sustainable knowledge society in research and governance.

• SDEWES11-0076 Effects of electric vehicles on power system investments and operation (Karsten Hedegaard*, Hans Ravn, Nina Juul, Peter Meibom)
• SDEWES11-0345 Modeling the Wind Grid Code Requirements for Wind Farms Connection in Kosovo Transmission Network (Gazmend Kabashi, Ali Gashi, Skender Kabashi*, Sadik Bekteshi, Kushtrim Podrimqaku)
• SDEWES11-0405 Model analyses for Sustainable Energy Development of Kosova (Sadik Bekteshi, Skender Kabashi, Ivo Slaus, Aleksander Zidanšek, Kushtrim Podrimqaku*)
• SDEWES11-0354 Modeling Air Quality near Some Stationary Sources in Kosovo (Skender Kabashi, Sadik Bekteshi, Gazmend Kabashi, Ivo Šlaus, Aleksander Zidanšek, Albert Jonuzaj*)
• SDEWES11-0423 Modeling and Analysis of Post-2012 Scenarios for Medium and Longer Term Pollution Emissions Reductions (Sadik Bekteshi*, Skender Kabashi, Ivo Slaus, Aleksander Zidanšek, Kushtrim Podrimqaku)
• SDEWES11-0340 Modeling the Impact of the Integration the Renewable Energy on Kosovo Energy System: an Ecological and Socio-Economical Analysis (Skender Kabashi*, Gazmend Kabashi, Sadik Bekteshi, Ivo Šlaus, Aleksander Zidanšek)
• SDEWES11-0813 Environmental management and the sustainable development. (Joanna Kielin-Maziarz*)

Session resume:

World\'s energy system is unsustainable for current global trends in energy supply and consumption. Climate change also represents a fundamental challenge for global sustainable development. Our knowledge of energy systems and climate change mitigation, combined with a computing technology, allows modeling of these systems. This session welcomes papers dedicated to three main thematic areas:

• Modelling of energy systems related to climate change: Modeling of energy systems, including conventional and renewable energy sources; modeling near- and medium-term energy supplies, demands, and prices; modeling of energy demand side, e.g. electricity, heating and transport; integration of variable renewables like wind power, biomass, hydrogen into the energy system; integration of demand side in energy system models – saving, improvement of energy efficiency and flexible demand; energy system optimization models, etc.
• Climate change modeling: Modeling climate system to simulate global climate and regional climate; modeling long-term climate change for given various greenhouse gas emission reduction rates; modeling seasonal and longer term climate variations; modeling rapid climate changes, etc
• Integrated modeling: Integrated modeling of energy systems, air pollution, environmental and economic impacts and climate change; the impacts of energy production and use on climate and the impacts of a changing climate on our future energy; projections for emissions of greenhouse gases and impacts on development in the energy sector, etc

• SDEWES11-0147 Structured Multimedia Education in Energy and Water Use Optimisation (Jiri Klemes*, Zdravko Kravanja, Petar Varbanov, Hon Loong Lam)
• SDEWES11-0895 Advanced Optimisation and Control of Energy Systems (Michael Georgiadis*, Efstratios Pistikopoulos)
• SDEWES11-0148 The Dynamic Total Site Heat Cascade for Integration and Management of Renewables with Variable Supply and Demand (Petar Varbanov*, Andreja Nemet, Jiri Klemes)
• SDEWES11-0006 The Question of the Use of Non-traditional Energy Sources in Light of the New Energy Strategy for EUROPE 2011-2020 (Karoly Nagy*, Krisztina Körmendi)
• SDEWES11-0908 Integration of Industrial Waste Oil, Biomass and Municipal Wastes into Malaysian Urban Area Energy Supply Chain (Hon Loong Lam*, Mustafar Kamal, Dominic C. Y Foo, Denny K.s Ng, Mimi Hassim)
• SDEWES11-0031 Sustaining High Energy Efficiency in Existing Processes with Advanced Process Integration Technology (Nan Zhang*, Jiri Klemes)
• SDEWES11-0010 IDENTIFICATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF FOULING ON THE HEAT RECOVERY IN A HEAT EXCHANGER NETWORK (Krzysztof Urbaniec*, Mariusz Markowski, Marian Trafczynski)
• SDEWES11-0041 LCA-Based Mathematical Programming Approach to Sustainable System Synthesis (Zdravko Kravanja*, Lidija Čuček)
• SDEWES11-0039 KINETIC ANALYSIS AND SAFETY IMPLICATIONS IN BIODIESEL TRANSESTERIFICATION PRODUCTION PROCESS (Bruno Fabiano*, Andrea P. Reverberi, Adriana Del Borghi, Vincenzo Dovì)
• SDEWES11-0651 WATER-ENERGY CAPITAL: SUSTAINABILITY IMPLICATIONS THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WATER ALLOCATION IN TIAM-FR ENERGY MODEL. (Aurelie Dubreuil*, Edi Assoumou, Sandrine Selosse, Stephanie Bouckaert, Nadia Maizi)
• SDEWES11-0272 Ecological Footprint as a tool for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (Sofia Kessopoulou, Dora Papatheochari*)
• SDEWES11-0487 Operating Conditions of a CFB Biomass Gasifier to Produce Low-tar Syngas (Shiva Mahmoudi*, Jonathan Seville, Jan Baeyens)

Session resume:

Industrial production still requires a considerable and continuous supply of energy delivered from natural resources—principally in the form of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. The increase in our planet human population and its growing nutritional demands have resulted in annual increases in energy consumption. Furthermore, many nations have accelerated their development in the last 10 years, and countries with large populations (such as China and India) have seen even more significant increases in energy demands. This growing energy consumption has also resulted in unsteady climatic and environmental conditions in many areas because of increased emissions of CO₂, NO_x, SO_x, dust, black carbon, and combustion process waste.

It has become increasingly important to ensure that the production and processing industries take advantage of recent developments in energy efficiency and in the use of nontraditional energy sources. The additional environmental cost is related to the amount of emitted carbon dioxide (CO₂) and may take the form of a centrally imposed tax. A workable solution to this problem would be to reduce emissions and effluents by optimizing energy consumption, increasing the efficiency of materials processing, and increasing also the efficiency of energy conversion and consumption.

Although major industry requires large supplies of energy to meet production targets, it is not the only sector of the world economy that is increasing its energy demands. The particular characteristics of these other sectors make optimizing for energy efficiency and cost reduction more difficult than in traditional processing industries, such as oil refining, where continuous mass production concentrated in a few locations offers an obvious potential for large energy savings. In contrast, for example, agricultural production and food processing are distributed over large areas, and these activities are not continuous but rather structured in seasonal campaigns. Energy demands in this sector are related to specific and limited time periods, so the design of efficient energy systems to meet this demand is more problematic than in traditional, steady-state industries.

In recent years there has been increased interest in the development of renewable, noncarbon-based energy sources in order to combat the increasing threat of CO₂ emissions and subsequent climatic change. These sources are characterized by spatial distribution and variations as well as temporal variations with diverse dynamics. More recently, the fluctuations and often large increases in the prices of oil and gas have further increased interest in employing alternative, non-carbon-based energy sources. These cost and environmental concerns have led to increases in the industrial sector efficiency of energy use, although the use of renewable energy sources in major industry has been sporadic at best. In contrast, domestic energy supply has moved more positively toward the integration of renewable energy sources; this movement includes solar heating, heat pumps, and wind turbines. However, there have been only limited and ad hoc attempts to design a combined energy system that includes both industrial and residential buildings, and few systematic design techniques have been marshaled toward the end of producing a symbiotic system.

Another important resource is water – both as raw material and effluent. Water is widely used in various industries as raw material. It is also frequently used in the heating and cooling utility systems (e.g., steam production, cooling water) and as a mass separating agent for various mass transfer operations (e.g., washing, extraction). Strict requirements for product quality and associated safety issues in manufacturing contribute to large amounts of high-quality water being consumed by the industry. In addition, large amounts of aqueous streams are released from the industrial processes, often proportional to the fresh water intake. Stringent environmental regulations coupled with a growing human population that seeks improved quality of life have led to increased demand for quality water. These developments have increased the need for improved water management and wastewater minimization. Adopting techniques to minimize water usage can effectively reduce both the demand for freshwater and the amount of effluents generated by the industry. In addition to this environmental benefit, efficient water management reduces the costs for acquiring freshwater and treating effluents.

This session provides a platform for development of modern technologies for energy and water efficiency and for exchanging ideas in the field. They include, beside the others, the Process Integration and optimisation methodologies and their application to improving the energy and water efficiency of mainly industrial but also nonindustrial users. An additional aim is to evaluate how these methodologies can be adapted to include the integration of waste and renewable energy sources for energy conversion and water supply/purification. The session is outlining the field of energy and water efficiency, including its scope, actors, and main features. The deals with energy and water saving techniques. An increasingly prominent issue is assessing and minimizing emissions and the the environmental footprints: carbon and water footprints. The carbon footprint (CFP) is defined by the U.K. Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology as the total amount of CO₂ and the other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a process or product. IN a similar way the water footprint embodies the various water quantities used for the manufacturing and delivery of a product. For energy supply, there have been numerous studies that emphasize the \"carbon neutrality\" of renewable sources of energy. However, even renewable energy sources make some contribution to the overall carbon footprint, and assessment studies frequently do not account for this. The carbon footprint should also be incorporated into any product life-cycle assessment (LCA).

• SDEWES11-0449 A possible approach to take into account the presence of green roofs in the energy certification of buildings (Giorgia Peri*, Gianfranco Rizzo, Giovanni Lascari)
• SDEWES11-0561 Micro wind turbines for urban energy generation (Francesco Patania, Antonio Gagliano*, Francesco Nocera, Aldo Galesi, Alfonso Capizzi)
• SDEWES11-0570 Evaluation of the thermodynamic performance of the traditional passive systems (De Vecchi Antonio*, Colajanni Simona, Lanza Volpe Annalisa)
• SDEWES11-0588 The importance of reliable climatic data in the urban energy policy (Giancarlo Sorrentino*, Gianluca Scaccianoce, Vincenzo Franzitta, Massimo Morale)
• SDEWES11-0599 Greenhouse gas emission reduction in an Italian medium size town according to the European Directives (Concettina Marino, Antonino Nucara, Matilde Pietrafesa*, Alfredo Pudano, Michelangelo Rizzo, Margherita Tripodi)
• SDEWES11-0647 Evaluating the environmental performance of green roofs by a life cycle approach: an application of the LCA method on a case study in Italy (Giorgia Peri*, Marzia Traverso, Matthias Finkbeiner)
• SDEWES11-0836 Infrastructure, tariff and legal action: how to achieve a climate-friendly transport system (Salvatore Amoroso, Luigi Caruso, Francesco Castelluccio*)
• SDEWES11-0905 A new indicator for the assessment of road traffic air pollution: a case study (Concettina Marino*, Antonino Nucara, Matilde Pietrafesa, Alfredo Pudano, Margherita Tripodi)
• SDEWES11-1011 PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF A CHP HYDROMETHANE SYSTEM (Livio De Santoli, Gianluigi Lo Basso*)
• SDEWES11-0772 EVALUATION OF SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS FOR RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS (Marina Jovanović*, Naim H. Afgan, Valentina Turanjanin, Biljana Vučićević, Vukman Bakić)
• SDEWES11-0745 The role of passenger modal shift nodes in the interaction between land use and transport system (Marco Migliore, Valeria Cardaci*)

Session resume:

Towns, that are the main contexts where people live and work, have experienced a significant worsening of the local microclimatic conditions, mainly due to the rising of the amount of fossil energy sources for accomplishing the growing level of the life style required by inhabitants and of the services related to these needs. As that, towns must be considered as crucial areas for implementing effective policies, able to readdress countries toward a sustainable path, both from the energy and environmental points of view. In this sight, buildings management, urban transportation and commercial activities are the key elements for suitable energy policy interventions.

Anyway, although environmental and energy performance of urban contexts are gaining a rising importance among architects and policy makers, there is a wide gap between the available methods for assessing such performances and the needed level of analysis, chiefly due to the improvement of the level of technologies that are continuously embodied in the design of urban systems.

For example, new building components like green roofing, which are capable of mitigating the heat island effects in towns, are not properly taken into account in the methods currently available to technicians. Moreover, the environmental consequences of changes in the transportation modalities in urban areas (e.g., shifting from private to public means) can be evaluated with difficulties.

Then, what is needed is the availability of simple but reliable methods that, in an integrated way, can evaluate the effects on the environmental performances of urban contexts of different energy scenarios adopted by public administrations. With this aim, the suitability of such integrated methods of analysis (e.g., life cycle analysis, dashboard of sustainability, ecological footprint, etc.) will be focused on this section, by pointing out the current status of this field (also by means of the presentation of relevant case-studies), along with the new incoming methods.

• SDEWES11-0626 Technologies for renewable energy in heating and cooling systems (Maral Rahimi*)
• SDEWES11-0707 Intelligent Demand Response Electric Water Heating to Integrate Wind Power in Ireland (Niall Fitzgerald, Aoife Foley*, Eamon Mckeogh)
• SDEWES11-0855 Study of the hydrogen role in the stand alone solar house (Mihajlo Firak, Miri Motalleb, Ankica Đukić*)
• SDEWES11-0879 Medium term development prospects of cogeneraton district heating systems in transition country – a Croatian case Medium term development prospects of cogeneraton district heating systems in transition country – a Croatian case (Dražen Lončar*, Iva Ridjan)
• SDEWES11-0967 Primary Energy Factors, Primary Energy Use and CO2 emissions – the new indicators for evaluating the overall energy performance of buildings (Rolf Ulseth*, Maria Justo Alonso, Monica Berner)
• SDEWES11-0624 Mapping heat demand and supply in renewable energy systems (Bernd Möller*, Steffen Nielsen)
• SDEWES11-0254 Mismatch regarding heat supply for net zero energy buildings (Steffen Nielsen*, Bernd Möller, Henrik Lund)
• SDEWES11-0880 Medium term development prospects of cogeneration district heating systems in transition country – a Croatian case (Dražen Lončar*, Iva Ridjan)
• SDEWES11-0819 Gas grid scales and the value of and incentives for biogas production (Martin Börjesson, Erik O Ahlgren*)
• SDEWES11-0754 Heating technologies for limiting biomass consumption in 100% renewable energy systems (Brian Vad Mathiesen*, Henrik Lund, David Connolly)
• SDEWES11-0840 Efficient district heating in the future energy system (Marie Münster*, Poul Erik Morthorst, Lars Bregnbæk, Hans Ravn, Jesper Werling, Hans Henrik Lindbo, Helge Larsen)
• SDEWES11-0751 An optimization methodology for the design of renewable energy systems for residential net zero energy buildings with on-site heat production (Christian Milan*, Mads Pagh Nielsen, Carsten Bojesen)
• SDEWES11-0609 Contribution of Domestic Heating Systems to Smart Grid Control (Fatemeh Tahersima*, Jakob Stoustrup, Henrik Rasmussen, Soroush Afkhami Meybodi)
• SDEWES11-0725 The Role of Cool Thermal Energy Storage in Integration of Renewable Energy Sources and Peak Load Reduction (Marko Ban*, Goran Krajačić, Marino Grozdek, Tonko Ćurko, Neven Duic)
• SDEWES11-0627 Technologies for renewable energy in heating and cooling systems (Maral Rahimi*, Brian Vad Mathiesen)
• SDEWES11-0708 Intelligent Demand Response Electric Water Heating to Integrate Wind Power in Ireland (Niall Fitzgerald, Aoife Foley*, Eamon Mckeogh)
• SDEWES11-0573 MODELLING OF THE HEAT PUMP OPERATION IN TYPICAL CROATIAN CLIMATIC CONDITIONS (Ante Ćurko, Ivan Jurić, Igor Balen*)
• SDEWES11-0582 Heat pumps and user practices – energy reductions or increased comfort? (Kirsten Gram-Hanssen*, Toke Haunstrup Christensen, Poul Erik Petersen)
• SDEWES11-0809 District heating versus individual heating in a 100% renewable energy system by 2050 (Kenneth Karlsson*, Olexandr Balyk, Erika Zvingilaite, Karsten Hedegaard)
• SDEWES11-0322 Developing a regional energy plan for two counties in Ireland (David Connolly*, Henrik Lund, Brian Vad Mathiesen, Paddy Finn)
• SDEWES11-0621 Primary Energy Factors, Primary Energy Use and CO2 emissions – the new indicators for evaluating the overall energy performance of buildings (Rolf Ulseth*, Maria Justo Alonso, Monica Berner)
• SDEWES11-0736 Seasonal solar thermal energy storage through ground heat exchangers – Review of systems and applications (Georgi Pavlov*, Bjarne W. Olesen)
• SDEWES11-0326 Solar, pellet combisystem for apartment buildings (Aivars Žandeckis, Claudio Rochas, Marika Rošā, Dagnija Blumberga, Kaspars Siliņš*, Lelde Timma)
• SDEWES11-0177 A Detailed Thermal Model of a Parabolic Trough Collector Receiver (Soteris Kalogirou*)

Session resume:

Buildings account for a substantial part of the energy supply. The development of sustainable buildings plays an important role in the transformation of national energy systems into future sustainable energy supplies aiming at reductions in fossil fuels and CO₂ emissions. In such a perspective the design and interaction between buildings and the energy systems surrounding it becomes important in the analyses of which heating systems are able to facilitate these technological changes.

The required technological changes are different in the renovation of existing buildings than in new buildings, however in both cases the concept of zero emission buildings and improvements in energy efficiency cannot be seen isolated from the renewable energy sources and the energy system surrounding them. In some cases individual solutions are most suitable but in other cases district heating is a more fuel and cost efficient solution.

This session focuses on the interaction between the heating technologies in buildings and renewable energy systems. The issues addressed range from technical system analyses to environmental and economic feasibility and public regulation in the interaction between heating technologies and renewable energy systems.

• SDEWES11-0130 Rural Electrification and Sustainable Development in Developing Countries (Annabel Yadoo*, Heather Cruickshank)
• SDEWES11-0408 Delivering off-grid electricity systems in the Brazilian Amazon (Maria F. Gómez*, Semida Silveira)
• SDEWES11-0341 The Zanzibar Blackout - a case study on consequences from the electricity power crisis (Elisabeth Ilskog*)
• SDEWES11-0612 Rural electrification through decentralized concentrating solar power: technological and socio-economic aspects. (Sylvain Quoilin*, Matt Orosz)
• SDEWES11-0987 Universal Access to Electricity in Sri Lanka: Opportunities and Challenges (Brijesh Mainali*, Nizam Salih)
• SDEWES11-0765 Electricity production from residual biomass in Brazil: the potential contribution for the regional development and reduction of GHG emissions (Pedro Gerber Machado*, Camila Ortolan F. Oliveira, Arnaldo Walter)
• SDEWES11-0965 Energy and water linkage in Mexico (Claudia Sheinbaum*, Carlos Chavez, Sebastian Lelo De Larrea)
• SDEWES11-0239 The CLEW Model – Developing an integrated tool for modeling the interrelated effects between Climate, Land use, Energy, and Water (CLEW) (Sebastian Hermann*, Holger Rogner, Mark Howells, Manuel Welsch)
• SDEWES11-0787 Power generation from sugarcane biomass – a complementary option to hydroelectricity in Nepal and Brazil (Dilip Khatiwada*, Joaquim Seabra, Semida Silveira, Arnaldo Walter)
• SDEWES11-0275 Modelling Elements of Smart Grids for Least Developed Countries (Manuel Welsch*, Mark Howells, Morgan Bazilian)
• SDEWES11-0717 Smart grid could improve energy business and environmental sustainability in developing countries (Carlos Alberto Fróes Lima*, Gilberto M. Jannuzzi)
• SDEWES11-0986 How Rural-Urban Migration Affects CO2 Emissions? Evidence from Jakarta, Indonesia (Andrey Kalugin*, Satoru Komatsu, Shinji Kaneko)

Session resume:

Electricity is an important pre-condition for sustainable development in a modern society, albeit not a sufficient one. Properly applied to the benefit of development, the access to electricity can make clear contributions to employment generation and the formation of markets for new commodities produced in developing countries while also contributing to address a number of environmental problems including climate change. The result is a win-win situation with reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved energy security, at the same time that employment and development is generated. Thus efforts should focus on how access to electricity can play a role and become a vector to promote sustainable development in developing countries.

A major challenge for the developing world is to provide universal access to electricity to its population observing requirements of reliability, affordability and sustainability. One should not consider only the provision of electricity per se (technology focus), but rather treat technology as one element among others in the development process, thus taking a system solution approach. This special session will review the financial, institutional and environmental aspects and their linkages to the context of electricity provision and sustainable development. The session will also discuss the role of renewables in developing countries.

We aim to invite papers for this session that focus on models for sustainable development that apply the provision of electricity as a catalys for mechanisms to promote sustainable development. The papers can assess policy strategies, institutional aspects in the electrification process, economic issues and environmental impacts of electrification programs in various developing countries. We aim to select the best papers for inclusion in a  publication that we are preparing at our division, possibly in the form of a book.

• SDEWES11-0158 Coal Combustion Products in Europe - Sustainable Raw Materials for the Construction Industry (Hans-Joachim Feuerborn*)
• SDEWES11-0279 Full probabilistic service life prediction and life cycle assessment of concrete with industrial by-products in a submerged marine environment: a parameter study (Philip Van Den Heede, Mathias Maes, Elke Gruyaert, Nele De Belie*)
• SDEWES11-0635 Sustainable development in the cement industry through promoting clinker factor reduction; the effect of new generation SCMs (Stylianos Antiohos*, Stamatis Tsimas)
• SDEWES11-0144 USE OF STEEL SLAG AS COARSE AGGREGATE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PERVIOUS CONCRETE (Georgia Vardaka*, Kiriakos Thomaidis, Christos Leptokaridis, Stamatis Tsimas)
• SDEWES11-0720 Environmental assessment of concrete incorporating high volume of industrial by-products (Eleftherios Anastasiou*, Ioanna Papayianni)
• SDEWES11-0804 Earth-block building. An energy efficient alternative for rural housing (Ioanna Papayianni*, Kleio Axarli, Kyriaki Papadopoulou, Katerina Manolopoulou, Morfoula Vaskou, Vera Galanidou)
• SDEWES11-0748 Coal Combustion Products in road construction (Tomasz Szczygielski*, Zbigniew Becker)
• SDEWES11-0242 Reuse of by-products from ready-mixed concrete plants for the production of cement mortars (Monika Zervaki*, Christos Leptokaridis, Stamatis Tsimas)
• SDEWES11-0376 Precise and quick determination of silica in industrial and agricultural by-products for the production of new additive value materials (Christina - Amalia Drosou*, Angeliki Moutsatsou)
• SDEWES11-0243 By-products: oil sorbents as a potential energy source (Olga K. Karakasi*, Angeliki Moutsatsou)
• SDEWES11-0581 The effect of particle size on the adsorption mechanism of Zn2+ and Cd2+ from liquid wastes by marble and calcite tailings (Sofia Farmaki*, Angeliki Moutsatsou)
• SDEWES11-0262 Effect of Waste Activated Sludge age on the energy production through gasification (Apostolos Vlyssides*, Aimilios Stamatoglou, Sofia Mai, Elli Maria Barampouti, Emmanouil Tsimas)

Session resume:

The aim of the proposed Special Session is to highlight the decisive role that utilization of industrial byproducts in new application fields plays to sustainability and exchange experience concerning how innovative research findings may be transferred to industrial scale.

Even though such cases and examples usually address to Coal Combustion Products utilized in the construction sector, the session welcomes scientists and experts from other relative fields.

 CCP’s are a very good example of byproduct’s exploitation since more than 100 million tons are produced every year in Europe. Their application rate differs in relation to the different countries and products but approaches a mean value of 50%. The benefits that arouse from their use encourage the efforts in laboratory and industrial scale for the extension of their uses.

A holistic approach of the subject would also include:

• Development of new managerial methods and strategies for increase of the byproducts’ utilization rate.
• Proposals for new business opportunities.
• Ways to target corresponding legislation towards the sustainable development of the countries.

The session is open to scientists showing new and innovative methods and thoughts for recycling or reusing industrial byproducts in several application fields and also experts from the exploiting industries and companies with their approach to the specific issue.

• SDEWES11-0463 CORPORATE EDUCATION FOR GREEN MANUFACTURING FROM THE DISCOURSE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (Vesna Nikolic*, Sanja Dankovic, Dejan Vasovic)
• SDEWES11-0542 Developing a Sustainability Thrust in McMaster University’s Engineering Programmes (Arthur Heidebrecht*, B.w. Baetz, James Cotton, Robert V. Fleisig, Gordon Irons)
• SDEWES11-0812 Sustainable Development as a Meta-Context for Engineering Education (Cheryl Desha, Karel Mulder*, Karlson \'charlie\' Hargroves)
• SDEWES11-0703 Educating engineers for Sustainable development – a workshop approach (Christina Grann Myrdal*, Jette Egelund Holgaard)
• SDEWES11-0225 THE SOCIOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (Jelena Puđak*)
• SDEWES11-0457 HIGHER EDUCATION IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VALENCIA: INITIAL DIAGNOSTIC. (M Angeles Ull*, Pilar Aznar-Minguet, M. Pilar Martinez-Agut, Albert Pinero)

Session resume:

Many universities developed a specific course for SD. However, these courses are often rather marginal in the engineering curriculum. For real sustainable ‘Sustainable Education”, a next step is required. How could Sustainable Development become a guiding principle for an ongoing process of educational and research reform and university outreach?

The challenge is to change Sustainable Development from a new and often peculiar element in an engineering curriculum to a guiding principle for university strategy. That is a challenge for changing university culture but also for bridging the gap between the disciplinary depth of science and societal engagement. Societal engagement requires not just contributing knowledge that researchers think is useful for society, but also to listen to stakeholders and interact with them.

The session welcomes papers that analyse local processes of integrating SD in Engineering and Natural Science curricula and Engineering Universities, and reflect on the way forward to integrate sustainable development in engineering institutions.

• SDEWES11-0557 Long Distance Transmission Systems for the Future Electricity Supply - Analysis of Possibilities and Restrictions (Christof Humpert*)
• SDEWES11-0558 Large Scale Energy Storage in Geological Formations (Jürgen Kepplinger*, Sabine Donadei)
• SDEWES11-0583 Integrated planning of electricity, gas and heat supply to municipality (Bjorn H. Bakken*, Silke Van Dyken)
• SDEWES11-0504 Consequences for district heating and natural gas grids when aiming towards 100% electricity supply with renewables (Wolfgang Kusch*, Tim Schmidla, Ingo Stadler)
• SDEWES11-0926 Contribution of e-mobility to a sustainable energy system (Michael Metz*, Christian Doetsch)
• SDEWES11-0608 The integration of transportation with energy system in China (Wen Liu*, Henrik Lund, Satish Kumar Beella, Han Brezet)

Session resume:

100 % electricity supply by renewable energies is content of several scientific studies. Nowadays, they exist for many countries or even transnational regions like e.g. the EU-MENA-region combining the electricity markets by large so-called overlay-grids. Today, it is not any more questioned whether it is possible to have a 100 % renewable supply or not. The controversial issue is more the best way on how to arrive there – the best future system configuration.

This special session does not want to answer this question about the best way. But the session wants to highlight the extremes between positions and to illustrate how heat, cold and transport are affected by different approaches to a 100 % electricity supply by renewables and to present current scientific discussions. Among these:

Centralized or decentralized? Renewable resources have the big advantage that they are widely distributed and that electricity could be produced by small and decentralized converters. On the other hand some locations in the world have better renewable resources than other locations and it is proposed to interconnect even continents via grids. What is best? Or is there a compromise in between?

Balancing renewables via energy storage, via large interconnected areas or via renewable overproduction? Most renewables are of intermittent nature. Anyhow, basically three ways could lead to stable electricity systems. Renewable electricity could be stored in times of overproduction in order to be used during times of underproduction. Renewable converters could be interconnected in order to better balance weather dependent generation. Or, when renewable generation is continuing with decreasing costs simply renewable overproduction could be the solution. What is the best way?

What are ways to sustainable transport? Electric vehicles? Fuel cell cars? The session will not answer this. But the balancing of future electricity systems requires storage. Depending on the storage requirements from the perspective of electric grid operation different opportunities can be derived for future transport: short-term storages in a day-night cycle might encourage electric vehicles with battery storage in so-called plug-in-hybrid operation mode. Long-term storage on a more seasonal cycle encourages hydrogen production or renewable methane production out of electricity and encourages more fuel-cell cars or (renewable) natural-gas cars. How does the electricity system provoke changes in transport?

With the requirement for seasonal storage in large quantities maybe only hydrogen production and storage or renewable methane production and storage are feasible ways to go. Especially the least one opens the opportunity to mesh electricity system with supplies for heat and cold – and this without changing the current infrastructures. How do storage solutions interact with heat and cold supply?

• SDEWES11-0916 Potential of Manketti Oil (Schinziophyton Rautanenii) in Non-Catalytic Supercritical Reaction for Biodiesel Production (Gerald Kafuku, Lee Keat Teong*, Makame Mbarawa, Kok Tat Tan)
• SDEWES11-0113 Biodiesel Production by Non-Catalytic Supercritical Methyl Acetate using Jatropha Oil: Optimized and Thermal Stability Study (Noorzalila Muhammad Niza, Kok Tat Tan, Lee Keat Teong*, Zainal Ahmad)
• SDEWES11-0435 EVALUATION OF SEVERAL ROUTES FOR OBTAINING FUELS, LIPIDS AND MONOSACCHARIDES FROM THIRD GENERATION ENERGY CROPS UNDER BIOREFINERY CONCEPT (Angel Gonzalez*, Vyacheslav Kafarov, Yury Alvarez)
• SDEWES11-0790 THIRD GENERATION ENERGY CROPS CULTIVATION EFFECT OF CARBON/NITROGEN RATIO (Paola Andrea Hernandez Benitez, Carlos Fernando Rosas, Andrés Barajas*, Crisostomo Barajas Ferreria, Vyacheslav Kafarov)
• SDEWES11-0912 Biofuels Sustainability Evaluation through the Supply Chain (Teresa Mata*, António Martins, Subhas Sikdar, Carlos Costa, Nidia Caetano)
• SDEWES11-0914 Raceway Cultivation of Isochrysis galbana for biodiesel production (Angeles Cancela, Rocio Maceiras*, Alfonso Perez, Angel Sanchez)
• SDEWES11-0928 Process integration study of a biorefinery producing ethylene from lignocellulosic feedstock for a chemical cluster (Roman Hackl*, Maria Arvidsson, Björn Lundin, Simon Harvey)
• SDEWES11-0929 Reactive distillation for process intensification in the biodiesel production (Mauro Banchero*, Ratna Dewi Kusumaningtyas, Giuseppe Gozzelino)
• SDEWES11-0930 Design and techno-economic evaluation of biodiesel production from microbial oil (Dimitra Marouli, Jimmy A. López, Isabel Lopez García, Nikos Kopsahelis, Seraphim Papanikolaou, Stavros Yanniotis, Apostolis Koutinas*)
• SDEWES11-0932 Consistent assessment of the energy and economic performance of second generation biofuel production processes using energy market scenarios (Stefan Heyne*, Simon Harvey)
• SDEWES11-0934 Biofuels in Colombia: Present and Future (Jorge Bendeck*)
• SDEWES11-0944 Bioehtanol production and power generation for co-production (Atsushi Tsutsumi*, Yasuki Kansha, Akira Kishimoto)

Session resume:

 Biofuels gain market as an energy source that can increase security of supply, significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions as compared to fossil fuels and provide a new profits flow for farmers. However, many of the biofuels that are currently being supplied have been criticized for their unfavorable impacts on the environment, food security, and land use.

Sustainability of a biofuel needs to be guaranteed in a transparent way; this includes aspects such as the social and economic development of local, rural communities, land use, agricultural practices, competition with food, air quality, water resources, agricultural practices, labor conditions, energy efficiency and GHG emissions, life cycle analysis (LCA), etc.

The challenge is to support sustainable biofuel production, including the development of biorefineries, new second and third generation biofuels technologies as well as bio-hydrogen production systems in the most cost-effective way, with a commitment to improve production efficiency and social and environmental performance in all stages of the biofuel production system, together with responsible economic policies to secure that a biofuel commercialization is also sustainable. The session welcomes papers dedicated to different aspects of biofuels sustainability.

• SDEWES11-0537 THE FUTURE OF HYDROPOWER; A SCENARIOWORKSHOP APPROACH FOR STAKEHOLDER LEARNING (Karel Mulder*, Olga Petrik, Frederick Grondahl, Alireza Parandian)
• SDEWES11-0037 Interrogating water governance approaches in India (The case of water provision in the city of Hyderabad) (Maryam Nastar*)
• SDEWES11-0538 The Dutch dominant perspective on water: risks and opportunities involved (Astrid Offermans*)
• SDEWES11-0089 The role of land-based sector climate change mitigation in North East Scotland in supporting sustainable development: challenges and opportunities (Diana Feliciano, Gullaume Pajot, Maria Nijnik, Bill Slee*)
• SDEWES11-0244 Learning to adapt to climate change in participatory settings (Merel Van Der Wal*)
• SDEWES11-0831 SCENARIO BASED LEARNING REGARDING CONTESTED ARTICULATIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY THE EXAMPLE OF HYDROPOWER AND SWEDEN’S ENERGY FUTURE (Karel Mulder*, Olga Petrik, Frederick Grondahl, Alireza Parandian)
• SDEWES11-0680 Public Perception of Risk on Nuclear Installations (Felipe Kiipper*, Antonio Carlos Barroso, Diógenes Bido)

Session resume:

Consumer demands, human behavior, perceptions and objectives influence the way we (prefer to) arrange our environment. Changes in the environmental system may subsequently influence human demands and objectives. People and policy makers experience and observe events and developments in the environment, and respond (also influenced by external events, developments and the media) through acting in and influencing our environment. Environment and society are inherently interrelated. Better understanding of these reciprocal relations helps to explore the nature of sustainable or unsustainable decisions, allowing to adapt to possible unsustainable practices and steer towards sustainable transition pathways. It may help in exploring the (un)sustainability of strategies by looking at the strategy’s robustness under several climate change scenarios and societal scenarios (changing perceptions). Making strategies not only climate proof, but also future proof.

Papers focusing on understanding (changing) human behavior (consumers, individuals or policy makers) in relation to sustainability issues are welcome. Multiple domains and topics may be discussed including energy, water, waste, agriculture and the building sector.

• SDEWES11-0155 Measuring sustainable development in the energy sector in absolute and relative terms (Holger Schlör*, Wolfgang Fischer, Jürgen-Friedrich Hake)
• SDEWES11-0396 Sustainability of the energy sector in the Mediterranean region (Nicola Cantore*)
• SDEWES11-0510 Modelling and analysis of a sustainable global development with an integrated assessment model (Baris Özalay*, Philipp Frenzel, Rafaela Hillerbrand)
• SDEWES11-0622 An ethical framework on how to assess sustainability. Making use of Sen’s capability approach (Rafaela Hillerbrand*, Matthias Dumke)
• SDEWES11-1003 An ontology-based semantic representation of energy policy goals in the optimisation of electricity generation mixes (Aidid Chee Tahir*, Rene Banares-Alcantara)
• SDEWES11-1004 Environmental and economic sustainability assessment of an innovative building complex in Italy, designed through energy efficiency coordination® (Stefania Proietti*, Paolo Sdringola)

Session resume:

The IEA stated in the World Energy Outlook 2008, that “the world’s energy system is at a crossroads. Current global trends in energy supply and consumption are patently unsustainable - environmentally, economically, socially. But that can - and must - be altered.” A sustainable development is now regarded as a solution for present and future societal problems and Dennis Meadows defines “sustainable development is not the place where you are going. It is how you make the journey.” Two sustainability concepts are currently being discussed to shape this journey: the weak sustainability and the strong sustainability concept.

Sustainability indicator systems such as Ecological footprint, Genuine Savings approach, Genuine Progress Indicator, and Energy Indicators for Sustainable Development of the IEA provide the measuring framework for this journey. The question of the measurability of sustainability is the key for the implementation of a sustainable development of the energy sector, because if current systems of sustainability indicators do not clearly signal that the economy is on an unsustainable path, policy errors will be made based on this data.

Energy models could provide the data for the particular sustainability indicators of the sustainability indicator systems. The model results thus deliver data and information for political measures for shaping sustainable development in the energy sector by avoiding policy errors and hence deliver orientation for the Meadows journey.

We are looking for all different kinds of energy models to measure sustainable development in the energy sector from the perspective of both the weak and the strong sustainability concept. We encourage both sector-specific bottom-up models and overall top-down models, such as Energy-economy-environment models, Engineering bottom-up models of energy systems, Socio-economic micro simulation models, Economic models of sustainable development (Overlapping generations models, Stochastic models, Neoclassical models, Evolutionary models, Ecological economic models, Models based on Input-Output analysis, Models of game theory), Multi agent models, Multi Criteria analysis models, Ecological footprint models. The models should thereby enable the analysis of the causal chain between energy policy and its economic, ecological and social effects and make a contribution to the issues addressed by the IEA.

• SDEWES11-0337 Energy plus standard in buildings constructed by housing associations? (Werner Stutterecker*, Ernst Blümel)
• SDEWES11-0481 Aspects regarding prediction of housing energy consumption (Nicoleta Arghira*, Lamis Hawarah, Stéphane Ploix, Mireille Jacomino)
• SDEWES11-0399 From the “technical energy efficiency” concept to a human centred “user energy efficiency” in buildings (Hervé Chenailler*, Stéphane Ploix, Frédéric Wurtz)
• SDEWES11-0420 Heterogeneous IPv6 Infrastructure for Smart Energy Efficient Building (Bernard Tourancheau*, Leila Ben Saad, Cedric Chauvenet)
• SDEWES11-0229 Eco-design of buildings using thermal simulation and life cycle assessment (Bruno Peuportier*, Stéphane Thiers, Alain Guiavarch)
• SDEWES11-0843 Advanced platform for the Home Energy Management System (HEMS) development (Duy Long Ha*)
• SDEWES11-0498 Smart Grid and Renewable Energy: a new role for homes and offices but also new issues for research (Stephane Ploix*, Mireille Jacomino)
• SDEWES11-0288 Energy efficiency potential of intelligent lighting controls in buildings (Ardeshir Mahdavi, Sokol Dervishi, Matthias Schuß, Kristina Orehounig*)
• SDEWES11-0403 Energy-efficiency opportunities in the residential sector and their feasibility (Kenichi Wada*, Fuminori Sano, Junichiro Oda, Takashi Homma, Keigo Akimoto)
• SDEWES11-0078 The subjective view of energy in the urban built environment: what are the social factors that affect our interaction with energy? (Marcos Pelenur*, Heather Cruickshank)
• SDEWES11-0157 A contemporary interpretation of energy-efficient passive environmental controls in buildings (Ardeshir Mahdavi*, Matthias Schuß, Claus Pröglhöf, Kristina Orehounig)

Session resume:

The energy consumed in buildings in industrialized nations represents near half of the global energy consumption and the quarter of greenhouse gases emissions. This consumption could be seriously reduced by acting on the design of the buildings, including more efficient architectural choices, materials and equipments.  But it can also be seriously limited by acting on the use of the energy through the energy management adapted to the inhabitants’ behavior.

This session aims at reviewing challenges in designing energy-saving buildings and in using and managing smart  buildings. The current scientific discussions among the followings will be presented in this session:

Design of sober buildings: How laws and labels can be decided and implemented to be a tool in order to reach the international commitments about decreasing of the energy consumption? What are the experience feedbacks checking the actual energetic performances of the used buildings? What are the potential energy savings all over the life cycle of a building?

Users’ behavior: How energy efficiency can be improved by taking into account the users’ behavior in the design of buildings? What kind of tools of energy management can be implemented in buildings in order to keep under control the energy consumption in one hand and to satisfy the users’ requirement in the other hand? How to design and implement relevant services for energy savings?  

Energy prices on the retail market: How to imagine, decide and implement new energy pricings for the retail market in order to induce the users to have sustainable sober behaviors? Different policies for energy pricing have been experimented. How to analyze the impact of such pricings upon the behaviors and the sustainability of the behaviors’ changes if they exist?

 The session is open for presentation of studies and projects dealing with energy in buildings. Technical studies of system design as well as economical and social studies of how to educate and incite changes in inhabitants’ behaviors are welcome.

• SDEWES11-0292 Large-Scale Ecosystem Rehabilitation and Poverty Reduction Programmes: Ex-Post Sustainability Assessment of a Chinese Case Study (Heather Cruickshank*, Brad Hiller)
• SDEWES11-0442 Optimization and lay out of a chlorine self-production plant for applications in Gaza and Tanzania (Alessandro Dell\'era, Nicola Iannuzzo, Enrico Bocci*, Andrea Micangeli, Danilo Antonio Sbordone)
• SDEWES11-0649 The role of GIS technology in monitoring sustainable and participatory management model of the forest resources in the Logone Valley between Chad and Cameroon (Andrea Micangeli*, Luisa Bianca Santoro, Giovanni Santuopoli)
• SDEWES11-0320 RAES Project: Towards sustainability in developing countries (Rita Paleta*, Carlos Silva)
• SDEWES11-0794 ToSIA as a communication platform for stakeholder interaction and decision support (Diana Vötter*, Erik Valinger, Staffan Berg, David Edwards, Marja Kolström, Bernhard Wolfslehner, Tommi Suominen, Marcus Lindner)
• SDEWES11-0071 Tourism Practices and Approaches for its Development in the Uttarakhand Himalaya, India (Vishwambhar Prasad Sati*)

Session resume:

Researching on technology for the environment and society is an essential activity within the research applied to International Cooperation for Sustainable Development.

We refer to “technology for self-reliance” for all the processes, the structures and the products aimed at developing a “sustainable design and development” finding the basis on technological principles, instruments and models.

This session aims at investigate on technology systems related to:

• Permanent area of crisis or of social tension both urban and rural;
• Rural and small scale solution for energy and water supply systems;
• No environment-impact energies in developing countries;
• Local chlorine production;
• Energy and Water supply systems for disadvantaged groups;
• Renewable energy small Enterprises and employment opportunities for disadvantaged groups.

People become active actors in their lives without developing a dependence strategy. Self-reliance means building productive social relationship, but not dependent relationship. Self -reliance processes must guarantee the ecological and social self-reliance of its component.

From experience it is known that the sustainability aspect of energy and water needs is often not sufficiently addressed by those who provide assistance in humanitarian or natural crisis response operations in post-conflict and post-disaster situations. Despite the fact that the main emergency aid agencies and organizations have included substantial elements of sustainable energy and water supply in their policies and plans, implementation is often late or insufficient.

In emergency and post-emergency situations, many of them extended during several years and even decades, the environmental impact of the temporary settlements is often not recognized, in particular the use of wood and other biomass as fuel can be locally devastating. Energy supplies are usually not among the first priorities faced by relief agencies, which tend to focus initially on food, shelter, water and sanitation.

Sustainability has become a priority in international affairs, and on many regional, national, and local agendas. Though visions of sustainability vary across regions and circumstances, a broad international agreement has emerged that its goals should be to foster a transition toward development paths that meet human needs while preserving the earth’s life support systems and alleviating hunger and poverty – i.e. that integrate the three pillars of environmental, social and economic sustainability. This should be achieved through forms of governing that are empowering and also sensitive to the needs of future generations.