The ‘built environment’ includes buildings and structures of all kinds, including residential homes and apartments, commercial offices, and facilities in sectors such as retail, education, health, entertainment, defence, and many others.
According to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) buildings account for more than half of Australia’s electricity consumption and are a major driver of ‘peak demand’ or electricity demand spikes. On-site renewable energy generation coupled with energy efficiency, smart building controls and energy storage can help reduce the load buildings place on the electricity grid, improve grid management and help reduce energy costs for households and businesses.
Renewable energy and related technologies relevant to the built environment include:
Electricity generation
- Rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems, which generate electricity directly from the sun using solar panels usually mounted on the roof
- Building-integrated PV systems, which generate electricity directly from the sun using solar panels that are integrated into building structures, either on the roof, walls or even windows (using transparent panels) in some cases
Hot water systems
- Solar thermal systems, which heat water directly from the sun
- Heat pumps, which heat water using warmth from the surrounding air, water or ground
Solar heating and cooling systems
- Solar thermal cooling, which uses the heat of the sun to drive cooling and/or dehumidification processes
- Solar heating systems such as heat pumps, which draw and boost heat from the surrounding air, water or ground
- ‘Passive’ solar design solutions, which naturally heat or cool buildings without the need for ‘active’ heating and cooling systems
Energy storage systems such as batteries and thermal storage, including hot water storage and storage of warmth and “coolth” in building structures
Control systems that manage energy flow into and out of properties to increase the total amount of renewable energy used.