This active-learning workshop will explore the challenges of sustainable design in developing countries.  Following a brief presentation and discussion of recent projects, participants will be divided into small groups for a charrette focusing on two current projects where resilient design and energy independence are critical.  One project is at the very beginning stage while the other is further advanced, leading to a variety of design challenges to address.  The workshop will conclude with group presentations and an open discussion.

As solar prices plummet and heat pump performance continues to improve, the combination of grid tied solar electric systems and cold climate heat pumps presents a remarkable opportunity on the mechanical side of net zero building performance. Participants will learn how heat pump technology works, to perform a basic load analysis, to estimate annual electric consumption using heat pump performance specs, and to estimate a solar system size in order to achieve zero carbon heat. Actual results will also be compared to design phase modeling projections.

While the concept of microgrids and their attributes continue to generate hype, there are few guidelines on microgrid best planning and implementation practices. Microgrids must be able to function on their own (in islanded mode), integrate intermittent generation (such as solar or wind) with baseload generation, and balance overall generation with internal loads. Additionally, interconnection practices with the local utility grid are evolving for behind-the-meter installations.

Over 150 villages in Germany produce all of the electricity and most of the heat they consume.  In these so-called "bioenergy villages," renewable energy systems are driving economic growth.   This session will provide an overview of the growing movement in Germany toward communally-developed and owned energy systems, focusing particularly on two villages in northern Germany.  The development process for these villages will be explored, as will the factors contributing to their success.

Session two will dig deeper into two solutions – both fresher paths forward than the expensive model of centralized-systems solutions. First is a look into cities such as Atlanta, where the cost of water and wastewater have soared but the system and the treatment technologies are working. Second is the promising practice of source-separating urine for fertilizer production—a pilot in Falmouth, MA is demonstrating cost-effective alternative to building a new treatment plant.

This session is in two parts.Water is scarcer. Systems for both fresh and waste water are vulnerable. Water standards are increasingly stringent to protect ecosystems and public health. Since water and energy are so inextricably intertwined, the term, “water grid" provides a unique frame for exploring how to operate a more closed-loop system of water production and use. As architects, engineers, builders and municipal planners, what will we have to rethink and re-do about processing fresh and waste water in developing the next generation of the built environment?

Is the rapidly declining cost of solar turning the loading order on its head? Our speakers will describe the latest developments in solar technology, and the effects of a variety of innovations on solar economics.