A sustainability assessment framework for geothermal energy projects: Development in Iceland, New Zealand and Kenya

2015 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 372-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Shortall ◽  
Brynhildur Davidsdottir ◽  
Guðni Axelsson
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Energy Projects

scholarly journals Sustainability Assessment of Modern High-Rise Timber Buildings

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8719
Author(s):  
Laura Tupenaite ◽  
Viktorija Zilenaite ◽  
Loreta Kanapeckiene ◽  
Tomas Gecys ◽  
Ineta Geipele
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Economic ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Existing Buildings ◽  
High Rise

As woodworking and construction technologies improve, the construction of multi-storey timber buildings is gaining popularity worldwide. There is a need to look at the design of existing buildings and assess their sustainability. The aim of the present study is to assess the sustainability of modern high-rise timber buildings using multi-criteria assessment methods. The paper presents a hierarchical system of sustainability indicators and an assessment framework, developed by the authors. Based on this framework, the tallest timber buildings in different countries, i.e., Mjøstårnet in Norway, Brock Commons in Canada, Treet in Norway, Forte in Australia, Strandparken in Sweden and Stadthaus in UK, were compared across the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic/technological, and social). Research has revealed that none of the buildings is leading in all dimensions of sustainability. However, each building is unique and has its own strengths. Overall multi-criteria assessment of the buildings revealed that the Brock Commons building in Canada has received the highest rank in all dimensions of sustainability. The paper contributes to the theory and practice of sustainability assessment and extends the knowledge about high-rise timber buildings. The proposed sustainability assessment framework can be used by both academics and practitioners for assessment of high-rise timber buildings.

scholarly journals An integrated fuzzy intuitionistic sustainability assessment framework for manufacturing supply chain: a study of UK based firms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alok Choudhary ◽  
Arijit De ◽  
Karim Ahmed ◽  
Ravi Shankar
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Mixed Method Approach ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Intuitionistic Fuzzy ◽  
Intuitionistic Fuzzy Topsis ◽  
Method Approach

AbstractThe increasing importance of sustainability has put pressure on organisations to assess their supply chain sustainability performance, which requires a holistic set of key performance indicators (KPIs) related to strategic, tactical and operational decision making of firms. This paper presents a comprehensive set of KPIs for sustainable supply chain management using a mixed method approach including analysing data from the literature survey, content analysis of sustainability reports of manufacturing firms and expert interviews. A 3-level hierarchical model is developed by classifying the identified KPIs into key sustainability dimensions as well as key supply chain decision-making areas including strategic, tactical and operational. A novel multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) based sustainability assessment framework is proposed. The proposed framework integrates value focussed thinking (VFT), intuitionistic fuzzy (IF) Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and IF Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods. The novelty of the research lies in (1) using a rigorous mixed method approach for KPIs identification and industrial validation (2) the development of a novel integrated intuitionistic sustainability assessment framework for decision making and (3) the innovative application of the proposed framework and associated methodologies in the context not explored before. The practical data on the performance ratings of various KPIs were obtained from the experts and a novel intuitionistic fuzzy TOPSIS was applied to benchmark the organisations for their sustainability performance. Furthermore, the case study shows the applicability of the proposed framework to evaluate and identify the problem areas of the organisations and yield guidance on KPIs by recognising the most significant areas requiring improvement. This research contributes to the practical implication by providing an innovative sustainability assessment framework for supply chain managers to evaluate and manage sustainability performance by making informed decisions related to KPIs.

A planning-oriented sustainability assessment framework for peri-urban water management in developing countries

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (20) ◽  
pp. 7175-7183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Starkl ◽  
Norbert Brunner ◽  
Eduardo López ◽  
José Luis Martínez-Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Urban Water Management

CROWDTHERMAL – A vision for citizens’ empowerment in geothermal projects

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gauthier Quinonez ◽  
Isabel Fernandez ◽  
Jan Hildebrand ◽  
Georgie Friederichs ◽  
Christina Baisch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Third Parties ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
European Federation ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
Alternative Finance

<p>CROWDTHERMAL is an EU Horizon 2020 project, developing alternative funding schemes for geothermal energy. CROWDTHERMAL supports the European Green Deal aiming at reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. To reach this goal the involvement of society is needed. In 2017, renewable energy accounted for 17.5% of the European gross energy consumption, of which only 3% were geothermal energy – despite its upsides and positive impact regarding decarbonization and heating and cooling in Europe. Geothermal is green, available 24 hours a day. CROWTHERMAL contributes to decrease dependency on fossil fuels in Europe by empowering local communities to directly participate in the development of geothermal projects via alternative financing schemes and engaging communication strategies.</p><p> </p><p>To support the participation in geothermal projects, CROWDTHERMAL is analysing the perception of geothermal energy and will develop a public engagement approach making extensive use of social media. Since our project started in September 2019, the CROWDTHERMAL team has developed a set of reports, addressing social, environmental and financial aspects of community financed geothermal projects.</p><p> </p><p>With regards to finance, CROWDTHERMAL formulates new financing models for community funding at national and international levels covering Member States and the EU alike. Community funding will enable citizens to collectively finance geothermal projects that will not only benefit them but also the society as a whole. The positive effect of citizens’ participation in energy projects was showcased by a report on renewable energy projects in Europe using alternative financing methods at different stages of their development published in 2020. Furthermore, an alternative finance risk inventory and potential mitigation tools have been developed. The deliverables compile the advantages, potential risks and possible risk mitigation measures for different alternative finance methods, each from a project developer’s and from a community investor’s perspective. The financial models are currently being developed and will be validated with the help of three geothermal Case Studies in Iceland, Hungary and Spain and through an European survey conducted by European Federation of Geologists’ (EFG) Third Parties.</p><p> </p><p>For the remaining 1.5 years of its funded period, CROWDTHERMAL will create Core Services and a social media powered platform that will support the deployment of integrated development schemes for geothermal energy utilising alternative finance and community engagement tools. It is targeted at project developers and citizens with an interest in energy empowerment. The aim is to connect the new approaches brought forwardhighlighted by CROWDTHERMAL with conventional financing, public engagement and risk mitigation schemes. It is also planned to launch a European mobilisation campaign via social media and conferences and workshops and by mobilising EFG Third Parties and the Altfinator Network. The CROWDTHERMAL Core Services will be designed to be operated after the EC-funded period helping geothermal projects tapping into alternative finance during the years to come.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Finally, CROWDTHERMAL started to strengthen ties with the Cost Action Geothermal-DHC and lately organised two joint meetings to identify synergies and potential opportunities for cooperation. The goal is to further expand the CROWTHERMAL network to provide opportunities to test CROWDTHERMAL concepts in a growing European geothermal energy market.</p><p> </p><p> </p>

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