Urban Energy System Design

URBAN ENERGY SYSTEM DESIGN
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Urban Energy System Design
[Name]
[Course]
[Tutor/Prof/Lecturer]
[Date}
Table of Contents

URBAN ENERGY SYSTEM DESIGN
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Introduction............................................................................................3
Background............................................................................................4
Systems Approach....................................................................................4
Systems Diagrams....................................................................................5
Strategy Alternative 1: Traditional supplied electricity from the grid and gas........6
Strategy Alternative 2: Biomass fired CHP supplemented with traditional supplied
electricity from the grid and gas................................................................6
Strategy Alternative 3: wind turbine(s) providing electricity, the surplus electricity
being stored as gas.................................................................................7
Input Information and Calculations...............................................................7
Supplies..............................................................................................7
Conventional Grid Power.....................................................................7
Wind and Biomass Fuel Energy..............................................................8
Energy Utilities.....................................................................................8
Energy Storages....................................................................................8
Calculations............................................................................................8
Strategy Alternative 1.............................................................................8
Strategy Alternative 2:..........................................................................10
Strategy Alternative 3...........................................................................11
Results and Discussion............................................................................12
The first alternative..............................................................................12
The second Alternative.........................................................................13
Third alternative..................................................................................13
Discussion............................................................................................14
Conclusions..........................................................................................15
References...........................................................................................15

URBAN ENERGY SYSTEM DESIGN
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Introduction
Each country globally today is having an increase in the growth of urbanization,
where towns are quickly transitioning into cities. This forms a platform for a thrive in social
lives, economic activities, technological advancements, and these have brought with them
more demand for energy system and environmental sustainability. The last decade marked a
vital watershed in the history of humanity, where more than half of the world population
lived in urban centres. From the same report by UN estimates that by the year 2050 the world
population living in the urban areas will be more than two – thirds of the population of the
world. With this, it is estimated that around three-quarters of global energy, final, is used by
the persons who live in the urban centres. At the same time, the primary energy and the
carbon emission becoming comparable (United Nations, 2018).
Given the population increase in the urban centres in the developed world, like the UK, the
energy and sustainability challenges of equitable clean-energy services access, there’s no
discourse that can develop around that without addressing explicitly the urban energy systems
considerations. In addressing this, the paper will use a University setting to model the urban
centre, (since it has lecture halls, Office, catering, and residential buildings), assuming it
represents the day-to-day human activities that takes place in an urban centre. While
focussing on the university, the paper shall consider three alternatives strategies to provide a
sustainable energy services required by the University.
Background
Half of the population in the world have dwellings in urban centres, and energy
consumptions percentage in the cities range from about 60 – 80% of the energy resources of
the world and in return produce about 70% of carbon emission. That means the weight of
achieving sustainable development and consumption lies in the shoulders of those in
authorities in the cities. A city with a planning and good management mechanisms can
minimise the energy consumed and allow its citizens to efficiently consume the resources.
Energy access remains a major challenge in achieving sustainable development, others are:
energy sufficiency, the demand management of energy, and renewable energy systems
deployment, and relevant technologies (UN-HABITAT, 2019).
System thinking approach is a way of understanding how things, which are
known as systems, affect one another within a whole (Kishau, 2020). In this context, the
asses to energy has to be viewed in the realms of sustainability, where the system thinking
will help in determination how the energy options are sustainable or support sustainable
development. Sustainable development, when it comes to energy systems could mean that the
energy demands are met, presently or in the current framework, but not hindering the ability
of posterity to meet their own, or depleting mechanisms that could allow them generate their
own energy. Energy system and the interaction of its different components is a very
complicated phenomenon and simple solutions will not be able to bring the desired outcomes.
The system thinking will be helpful in unravelling the transformation in each element of
energy system or how they are related affects the system wholesomely. For instance, if
there’s a development in the radiator or the piping system, this could bring out a change in
how the heating takes place.

URBAN ENERGY SYSTEM DESIGN
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Systems Approach
A collection of various components coordinated to work together, and
interconnected to each other, so that a final product comes out which otherwise would have
not been produced by one component is called a system. The quality of what is produced at
the end depends on the elements depend on each other and how they are interconnected, or
programmed. For instance, the electrical system in the UK, where electricity reaches each
home after being generated, transmitted and distributed through cables or different sizes to
homes in an appropriate capacity (voltage). Throughout the journey, there are losses incurred
in between transmission, and distribution
At the moment, energy efficiency represents one of the key challenges to
achieving the transformation into a less carbon world. The reduction of the energy use brings
with it a range of technicalities and spatial scales: from the equipment to the building energy
systems etc. The enhancement of energy efficiency is understood as very relevant point of
consideration in the planning at the urban development framework, which is represented by
the university. However, there have been studies that give evidence of major gaps that do
exist while trying to enhance the efficiency of energy systems within a locality. The starting
point to efficiency enhancement being a comprehensive assessment of the energy system.
Most of the times assessment is done at the point of use (which is a point where the product
or service is consumed). Assessing energy at this point, for electrical system means no
accounting for the losses, and for hot water system means not accounting for the temperature
loss when the water is flowing (Energy Star, 2020).
The ecosystem approach is a concept that work within a framework of land, water
and living resource management in a way that is in line with the conservation procedures and
equitable (Convention on Biological Diversity, 2019). When ecosystem is mentioned,
the three primary natural resources comes to mind, water, land and living organisms, and all
these are supported by the sun When considering ecosystem approach when mapping, it
shows where to start, by looking at the end product you can know where to start. For
instance, electricity generation for domestic use, if the electricity is from a solar PV, the
major question is where to locate the solar panels (land), if my system is to boil, then the
source etc.
Systems Diagrams
The university shall be supplied with energy from three alternatives strategies, the
conventional electrical supply from the grid and gas, Biomass fired CHP supplemented with
traditional supplied electricity from the grid and gas, and wind turbine, where the surplus
electricity shall be stored as hydrogen and the heat exported.