Enhancing community energy resilience, QSAND and Loughborough University Research collaboration
|
| Dr Long Seng To. Photo Credit: Loughborough University. |
Goal number 7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to ‘…ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all’. From 2000 to 2016, the proportion of the global population with access to electricity increased from 78 per cent to 87 per cent, but that still leaves just under 1 billion people worldwide living without electricity. Finding energy solutions for people in developing countries is therefore of great importance in progressing towards SDG 7.
QSAND, a shelter and settlement sustainability self-assessment tool developed by BRE, focuses on sustainable, resilient energy solutions through its energy component.
BRE were therefore happy to contribute towards a proposal for the Engineering for Development research fellowship funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering when approached by Loughborough University.
Dr Long Seng To’s project, titled ‘Enhancing community energy resilience using renewable energy in developing countries’, was to focus on finding solutions for the provision of affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all, globally, with part of the research focusing on the energy component of QSAND. Dr To has been awarded a five-year Engineering for Development Research Fellowship and will be undertaking projects in Nepal and Malawi with QSAND as one strand of her research focus. The research aims to use participatory design methods to include community members, engineers, academics and local government in the creation of resilient energy solutions.
Dr To said that the fellowship will enable her to; “…unlock local sources of innovation for decentralised, networked and resilient energy systems”.
The aim of this research is closely linked to the goals of the QSAND tool, which also has a focus on the use of local resources and expertise in developing resilience and sustainability in the aftermath of disasters. This research will hopefully provide valuable insight into ways to further develop the tool in order to support local innovation in the creation of sustainable energy solutions.
Yetunde Abdul, QSAND Programme Manager said; “We are excited to support this research and the development of the energy component of QSAND moving forward. This project will provide some very useful data on QSAND’s energy component, and we hope that QSAND can support the implementation of sustainable and resilient energy systems in Nepal and Malawi’.
The research will support the SDGs and, by helping to evaluate and build upon QSAND’s energy component. It should also assist QSAND to improve its own contribution to reaching the SDGs by 2030. This is a great opportunity to gather evidence that can help QSAND to demonstrate its endorsement of the UN development goals.
Dr To said; “I am excited to be collaborating with BRE to further develop the energy component of QSAND and integrate my research directly into engineering practice. As QSAND covers multiple sectors such as shelter, water and sanitation, communications, and waste, this will put energy resilience in a broader infrastructure context.”
This article was originally published by BRE Buzz on 12 December 2018 at: http://brebuzz.net/2018/12/12/enhancing-community-energy-resilience-qsand-and-loughborough-university-research-collaboration/
--BRE Buzz
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
HSE simplified advice for installers of stone worktops
After company fined for repeatedly failing to protect workers.
Co-located with 10th year of UK Construction Week.
How orchards can influence planning and development.
Time for knapping, no time for napping
Decorative split stone square patterns in facades.
A practical guide to the use of flint in design and architecture.
Designing for neurodiversity: driving change for the better
Accessible inclusive design translated into reality.
RIBA detailed response to Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 report
Briefing notes following its initial 4 September response.
Approved Document B: Fire Safety from March
Current and future changes with historical documentation.
A New Year, a new look for BSRIA
As phase 1 of the BSRIA Living Laboratory is completed.
A must-attend event for the architecture industry.
Caroline Gumble to step down as CIOB CEO in 2025
After transformative tenure take on a leadership role within the engineering sector.
RIDDOR and the provisional statistics for 2023 / 2024
Work related deaths; over 50 percent from construction and 50 percent recorded as fall from height.
Solar PV company fined for health and safety failure
Work at height not properly planned and failure to take suitable steps to prevent a fall.
The term value when assessing the viability of developments
Consultation on the compulsory purchase process, compensation reforms and potential removal of hope value.
Trees are part of the history of how places have developed.