Energy efficient architecture 
Ecotect Architects is a world class architectural practice that provides leading edge services 
Solar Energy Programs have been cut back drastically once again, this time to pay for the floods. The Australian Prime Minister has just announced cuts totalling $495 million to offset flood reconstruction budget spending.
John Grimes, CEO, Australian Solar Energy Society reports on the solar energy programs affected:
Cuts are targeted at:
Solar energy passive design considerations have not yet become mainstream building industry practice in Australia, despite its many positive advances in the built environment.
In my opinion, conservative forces in the building industry are still going out of their way to stifle progress by lobbying government for negligible changes to the building code compliance system and even pushing to water down the debate, so that the long established building industry approach to land subdivision and the building of packaged ‘project’ homes remains largely unchanged.
Built Environment South Beach House
Image: 2010 Residence located at South Beach, Western Australia Designed by Ecotect-Architects
This design is passive solar with solar water heating, photovoltaic and water conservation technologies which will save 80 – 90% energy and up to 60% water usage, when compared to the average luxury home or “Mac-Mansion”! A 2005 award-winning solar passive house also designed by Ecotect-Architects is featured in the Swanbourne Centre blog.
The image shows the western façade with the north solar collection façade running down the block to create maximum privacy. (Note: for buildings in the northern hemisphere the aspect would be to the south rather than north.)
Solar energy studies were my strong interest as a student architect in the late 1960s. Later, after my architectural degree a combination of engineering and science studies between the years 1977 – 1993 convinced me that the use of solar energy would be a major challenge for my generation.
In order to hand over a functioning sustainable world for the next generations it has been obvious to me that we need to overcome the ultra conservative forces and vested interests who see change as the enemy and will do just about anything to maintain the status quo.
Over the last 100 hundred years, energy generation in Australia has mainly been tied to the multi-national companies using coal, oil and gas. The recent campaign by nuclear is now expanding the multi-national corporation involvement potentially to uranium, albeit to a lesser extent.
At the AuSES 2010 conference, I was delighted to hear about the latest advances in research and development of renewable energy sources and the dramatic progress being made.
The main message from the recent Australian Solar Energy Society [‘AuSES’] 2010 Conference in Canberra, Australia, was very optimistic about the widespread use of solar energy in all its forms.
Having been involved with International Solar Energy Society [‘ISES’] since 1979, through the West Australian branch and then the Australia & New Zealand Solar Energy Society [“ANZSES’] as an incorporated body, when it came into being in 1984, one could understand my optimism to see something I have passionately believed in as the most sustainable way forward for mankind, has started to become a reality.
No longer will the use of solar energy in all its forms be considered a fringe, “thing of future” any more. I have written a series of articles that distil my perceptions of the proceedings from a professional standpoint and the political implications of holding this landmark conference in our nation’s capital, Canberra.
Solar Energy - Watts installed
Graph: showing the explosion of installed PV in Australia in the last decade
The way forward from hereon is the encouragement of more focused research in the various fields of endeavour in the diverse world of solar energy applications.
AuSES is destined to have a pivotal role in the next 50 years to ensure that planet earth no longer lives on the edge of energy and environmental uncertainty.
A series of articles that covers what happened in Canberra will be published on solar-e over the next month or so.
Garry Baverstock AM, CEO of www.solar-e.com
2010 President of AuSES, WA
The following aspects will be discussed in articles posted from December 2010 onwards:
– The Week that Canberra Became a National Focus for AuSES in 2010
– The Role of the Built Environment in Using Solar Energy and Addressing Climate Change – A Viable Direction for AuSES
– Political Will and Systems Thinking for Climate Change Needed – How AuSES Can Help
– Nuclear Politics a Real Danger for Progress of Solar and Renewable Energy Progress – Collaboration Needed Not War
– Open Learning and Presentation of Facts – the Key for Greater Use of Solar Energy – AuSES Leading the Way
– New Solar-e.com Will Soon be Ranking Solar Societies and Associations Conference Papers – First Step AuSES
– The List of ‘solar-e’ Best Papers at Solar 2010 – AuSES Conference in Canberra
Valuable solar-e links:
