IEA SHC Solar Academy: Solar Energy in Urban Planning

A webinar of the IEA SHC Programme's Solar Academy, hosted by the International Solar Energy Society (ISES). More information will be updated here soon. Please check back soon.

An increased use of solar energy is a key ingredient for forging resilient cities. This recognises the importance of the urban fabric being able to use renewable energy sources to become increasingly self-sustainable. In that regard, the integration of active solar energy systems in the built environment will allow cities to reach a high level of sustainability. In this framework, the main objective of the “IEA SHC Task 51 Solar Energy in Urban Planning” was to provide support to urban planners, authorities and architects to develop urban areas with architecturally integrated solar energy solutions, as a long term urban solar energy strategy. The scope includes solar energy issues related to new and existing urban development areas and sensitive solar landscapes.

Researchers and practitioners from twelve countries have worked intensively during the last four years to develop and prepare material such as reviews on legal framework, barriers and opportunities, on planning processes and on educational issues. Results also include approaches, methods and tools related to solar energy issues in urban planning as well as a collection of international case studies with lessons learnt and a web-based learning platform.

The experts of Task 51 have addressed many challenges and key findings of their work will be presented during a webinar. The speakers will highlight the current status of solar energy legislation for participating countries and present key issues and possibilities associated with the application of solar energy technologies in urban areas. This includes consideration of solar access rights and heritage controls from an urban planning perspective, as well as reviewing legal precedents and comparisons between different local, regional and national jurisdictions. Furthermore, the importance of understanding solar issues in relation to energy and urban planning processes will be highlighted. A brief summary of a range of approaches, methods and tools that supports solar energy in urban planning will also be presented.

We invite all stakeholders to join the 1.5-hour webinar scheduled for Wednesday, 13 September 2017, from 10 to 11.30 am GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). You can register online.

This will be the third of a series of webinars organised by the IEA SHC Programme’s Solar Academy and hosted by the International Solar Energy Society. A recording of the event and the presentations from the webinar will be made available on the IEA SHC website, www.iea-shc.org, after the live stream. Join us for a discussion about the opportunities and challenges of solar energy in urban planning! 

Panellist speakers and topics:

• Maria Wall: Overview of the Task 51 work
• Mark Snow: Legislation and voluntary initiatives – barriers and opportunities to solar energy in urban planning
• Johan Dahlberg: Solar energy in urban planning processes
• Marja Lundgren: Approaches, methods and tools – Examples for different stages in the planning process.

The SHC Solar Academy is a means to share key results of the IEA SHC Programme with stakeholders from business and science. The webinars are one of four ways in which the IEA SHC is reaching out to a global audience to exchange information and to support R&D efforts and the implementation of solar heating and cooling projects all over the world. For more information on other Solar Academy activities, please go to: https://www.iea-shc.org/solar-academy

More information on Task 51: http://task51.iea-shc.org