doi: 10.18178/ijesd.2016.7.7.838
Integrated Energy Solution towards Sustainable Isolated Communities
G. Hejazi1
,
C. Wimmler1 ,
E. de Oliveira Fernandes2 ,
M. A. Matos3 ,
S. R. Connors4
- 1the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, INEGI – Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and INESC TEC – INESC Technology and Science (formerly INESC Porto), Porto, 4200-465 Portugal
- 2the Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Porto, and INEGI – Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Porto, 4200-465 Portugal
- 3the Electrical Engineering Department, University of Porto, and INESC TEC – INESC Technology and Science (formerly INESC Porto), Porto, 4200-465 Portugal
- 4the MIT Energy Initiative, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA
Abstract
Since any activity requires energy, access to energy is an essential means for all. Especially isolated communities in developing countries often have no or limited access to affordable energy resources. Yet, more than 1.5 billion people do not have the possibility to use electricity and around 2 billion people also rely on premier resources such as dung and wood for heating and cooking. It is often those premier resources that cause indoor air pollution and health problems. Besides, the minimum level of energy needs can frequently not be reached.<br />An integrated approach for isolated communities to improve access to energy and increase the level of health and well-being in housing will be presented. Housing and other physical elements and conditions of such communities will be analyzed so that sustainable livelihoods can be achieved. Thereby the needs and opportunities for the enhancement of housing and living in general have to be balanced. In the end, planning for sustainable livelihoods requires an integrated framework to guarantee sustainable development and growth.
Keywords
- Energy access
- energy planning
- intermediate and renewable energy technologies
- sustainable development
How to Cite
G. Hejazi, C. Wimmler, E. de Oliveira Fernandes, M. A. Matos, and S. R. Connors, "Integrated Energy Solution towards Sustainable Isolated Communities," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, vol. 7, no. 7, pp. 553-558, 2016. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijesd.2016.7.7.838
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2016 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).