Technologies and Tools for energy efficiency - Overview
The technologies and techniques being considered under the aspect of energy efficiency range from cleaner technologies, cleaner production, renewable energies, environmentally sound technologies which are providing a wide spectrum of applications in all industrial, private and public sectors.
Clean technologies are suitable to save energy by improving existing facilities. The reactive and curative approach to environmental protection has predominated since the 1960´s. Mostly, problems with emissions of pollutants from industrial sources were addressed by the utilization of end-of-pipe pollution control technologies. These approaches reduced the direct release of some pollutants to achieve regulatory compliance, but did not really solve the problems. Additionally end-of-pipe treatment causes extra costs.
On the contrary clean technologies look like a common sense approach: Instead of treating waste and emissions in end-of-pipe treatment plants, we try to define ways to prevent the generation of waste and pollutants. This approach includes organizational changes, motivation and training for good housekeeping as well as changes in raw materials, process technology, internal and external recycling.
Clean technologies can be divided in technical solutions and new management models.
- Technical solutions are as mentioned the substitution of old machines through new ones. Often this techniques are very simple cheap and can be installed in existing households or fabrics. One simple example is the substitution of light bulbs through new less energy wasting bulbs.
- New management systems means good-housekeeping and an efficient resource management. New management schemes for air-conditioning and heating and which is very important awareness building among the people for energy wasting.
Due to the wide range of this topic we propose preliminary only few points of technical solutions for industry, buildings and households, which are most important in our point of view: isolation techniques - household electronics - water saving technologies - software for managing electronically, heating and cooling systems. The range of examples can be enlarged by further focusing to the individual demand.