VGU Urban Development Planning Overview over Modules and ...

Univesity of Technology Darmstadt
International
Co-operation
and Urban
Development
Module description
Year One
1 Module identification
2.4.3
2 Thematic field
Urban development
3 Name of module Energy and Environmental Policies
4 Module instructor Prof. Dr. Jochen Monstadt (TUD)
Prof. Dr.phil.habil. Wolfgang Schluchter (BTU Cottbus)
5 Contents /syllabus
This module researches the preconditions and
necessary Stepps of setting up an urban power grid
that is based upon sustainable energies. As an
introduction, the multiple options of energy production
and possibilities to improve energy efficiency will be
discussed. This poses the need to work out several
scenarios for energy policy and their testing for local
urban viability.
The critical political decisions are discussed with
regard to different and partially opposed interests of
users. Besides instrumental methods, some socioeconomic
approaches like equity principles, social as
well as psycho-social acceptability will be taught.
The socio-economic approaches refer to the
possibilities of the different actors to communicate,
access information and participate. Their aim is to
guarantee acceptable living and housing conditions as
well as to realize strategies to protect the environment
and available resources. Finally, the idea of a “virtual
power plant” will be introduced to sketch out the need
for a paradigm shift from energy supply to energy
demand and from energy supplier to energy service
provider.
The German examples of EEG (renewable energy
law) and KWK (law on combined heat and power
generating) demonstrate the political and
administrative procedures for a shift in energy
structures. The future energy supply will rest upon a
few large power plants for baseload demand as well
as many small scale power generators that are
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