Energy Optimised Regions – A Process Synthesis Problem?

摘要

In the time of increasing concern about global warming and peak production of crudernoil energy optimisation of society becomes ever more important. Usually this is seen asrna problem of optimising single sectors (e.g. industry), single activities (e.g.rntransportation) or the implementation of new technologies (e.g. photovoltaic) or newrnand environmentally acceptable energy carriers (e.g. biofuels).rnThe contribution will address the energy optimisation and reduction of environmentalrnpressures in a systemic way based on the view that regions may be seen as complexrnnetworks of material and energy flows based on autochthon as well as importedrnresources. This view allows on the one hand tackling the problem on a spatially definedrnconcept (the “region”) that usually also features social and political institutions tornimplement change. On the other hand this approach allows the application ofrninstruments that have already shown their efficiency in process technology, namelyrnprocess synthesis and life cycle assessment.rnProcess synthesis using the p-graph method (Friedler et al., 1995; Halasz et al., 2005) isrnemployed to find stable options for technology networks linking (regional as well asrnimported) resources and demands of regional actors (including households andrnbusiness). These networks will be optimised on the base of optimal value added for thernregional actors, using the picture of the region as a “company”.