Energy Optimised Regions - A Process Synthesis Problem?

In the time of increasing concern about global warming and peak production of crude oil energy optimisation of society becomes ever more important. Usually this is seen as a problem of optimising single sectors (e.g. industry), single activities (e.g. transportation) or the implementation of new technologies (e.g. photovoltaic) or new and environmentally acceptable energy carriers (e.g. biofuels). The contribution will address the energy optimisation and reduction of environmental pressures in a systemic way based on the view that regions may be seen as complex networks of material and energy flows based on autochthon as well as imported resources. This view allows on the one hand tackling the problem on a spatially defined concept (the “region”) that usually also features social and political institutions to implement change. On the other hand this approach allows the application of instruments that have already shown their efficiency in process technology, namely process synthesis and life cycle assessment. Process synthesis using the p-graph method (Friedler et al., 1995; Halasz et al., 2005) is employed to find stable options for technology networks linking (regional as well as imported) resources and demands of regional actors (including households and business). These networks will be optimised on the base of optimal value added for the regional actors, using the picture of the region as a “company”.