ZERO CARBON ARCHITECTURE AND RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES; A PERISCOPE

Ferdinand F.O.Daminabo¹  &  Ramota Ruth Obagha²

^11,2Department of Architecture

^1,2Rivers State University of Science and Technology; Nkpolu, Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt. Rivers State, Nigeria.

E-mail; ferdydaminabo@yahoo.com, ramota.obagah@ust.edu.ng

Abstract

The United Kingdom first announced its Zero carbon home policy in 2006 by the then chancellor Gordon Brown who said Britain was the first country to make such an announcement. From Hong Kong to the United Kingdom, governments across the globe pursue greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.  In retrospect, Hong Kong’s electricity generation accounted for 67% GHG emissions in 2008. Buildings account for 90% of total electricity consumption in Hong Kong. It is well established that the greatest source of greenhouse gases is from buildings and building operations capsuled as embodied energy, transport and operational energy with fossils as primary source of energy. This paper focuses on pathways to zero carbon Architecture and enabling Renewable Energy Technology options for a sustainable Zero Carbon template of the future. The need to examine energy efficiency strategies and fabric energy efficiency targets will come into a sharp focus. The fact that the UK had recently backtracked on its earlier commitments, does not diminish the significance of such a laudable scheme in ensuring that emissions from buildings are minimized and that our planet is safe and not consumed by the severe effects of global warming and climate change.

Keyword: Zero carbon Architecture, Renewable Energy Technologies, Fabric Energy.