Evaluation of measures to promote urban renewable energy use.

Within the current context of the UK's commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, a clear understanding of the nature of the problems, obstacles and complexities facing the implementation of renewable energy technologies, in particular, in urban areas is urgently required. Technical and economic obstacles are often regarded as the most important problems facing the use of renewable energy technologies. However, with the promise that the most significant technical and economic obstacles will be overcome in the foreseeable future, it is essential to determine whether any other obstacles exist. Given a better insight into what key stakeholders, namely energy suppliers and end users, expect from energy supplies and services, respectively, it is possible to have a clearer understanding of the issues involved with such non-technical and non-economic obstacles. Whilst technical and economic considerations should not disregarded, a systematic approach, which encompasses a means of establishing different stakeholder expectations, provides an analytical tool with which to assess the ability of the existing energy system and renewable energy technologies to satisfy the energy requirements of stakeholders.Using Sheffield as a case study example, the relative potential contribution which renewable energy could make in reducing carbon dioxide emissions is assessed by means of an energy study. This provides a helpful framework for identifying key areas of energy consumption and carbon emissions, ways of reducing energy consumption through energy efficiency measures, and the impact of utilising local renewable energy resources. Substantial opportunities for reducing carbon dioxide emissions throughout Sheffield are established, especially in connection with utilising renewable energy technologies to supply energy efficient buildings.Both renewable energy technologies and energy carriers, which are relevant to Sheffield, are examined systematically. This involves establishing the technical and economic status of passive solar design, active solar systems, photovoltaics, wind power, biomass energy and small-scale hydro technologies, followed by an evaluation of each technology against the relevant stakeholder demand criteria. The key issues facing the utilisation of existing energy carriers of electricity, gas networks and district heating systems, all of which link energy supply to demand, are also examined. The uses of hydrogen as a new energy carrier are explored in more detail to establish the technical and economic status of hydrogen technologies and its performance against the stakeholder demand criteria.The result is a better understanding of the nature of the obstacles facing the implementation of renewable energy technologies in Sheffield. In addition to technical and economic issues, the influence of wider non-technical and non-economic obstacles on the uptake of renewable energy technologies in Sheffield is considered. Solutions to the problems are put forward and their likely ability to promote the implementation of renewable energy technologies in urban areas is briefly assessed. The overall outcome is that the potential exists for Sheffield and other urban areas in the UK to utilise local renewable energy resources provided that effective solutions, such as those proposed here, are instigated to ensure that established stakeholder expectations are met in full.