SOLAR ENERGY IN THE URBAN PLANNING PROCESS: NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND NEW TOOLS

摘要

The environment as a fundamental issue regarding the future is gradually becoming less a problem of fighting the dysfunctions affecting the environment caused by wrong decisions or mismanagement of the natural resources. The time is ripe to adopt a prospective view of the impact of all factors of pressure on the environment prior to committing to any major action regarding the use of the territory. Energy is certainly the most relevant factor of pressure on the environment with the particularity that the conversion and use of most of its forms, mainly fuels, may produce pollution that by its quantity and nature will have a strong impact at all environmental scales: indoors, local, regional and global. For about two centuries energy was mostly identified with fossil fuels and seen as a commercial good or a production factor. Quite recently it became clear that energy must not be used without closer reference to environment values. This leads to a much wider approach to the energy issue in which solar energy must and surely will play an important part. Solar energy, one of the basic energy resources for thousands of years, was not ready to compete neither in quality nor in quantity with fossil fuels. A new era for technological solar energy emerged with the exploration of outer space and the oil crisis of the 70's and 80's. However economics kept solar energy applications from being promoted, as they should for the last 20 years. The best compromise between energy and environment implies the appropriate balance of both the energy supply and energy demand perspectives. Cities are called to play a crucial role both in the management of the best opportunities regarding the energy options for their citizens and in the articulation of energy options with environmental objectives. Solar energy can be managed from both sides at the city level.