Social Business in Transition Engineering

Professor Susan KrumdieckDepartment of Mechanical Engineering University of CanterburyAdvanced Energy and Material Systems Lab

ENERGYMechanical Engineering

Problem: Energy

Solution: Transition Engineering

Exemplar: Social Business – From the Ground Up

Energy Poverty

Google Image Search: Energy Poverty

Energy ScarcityWorld Oil Supply

Krumdieck, S., S. Page, A. Dantas,Transportation Research Part A: 44 (2010) 306-322

Herculean Efforts to get More

Fracking

Tar Sands

Deep Sea

Mad Rush for Green Energy

Palm Oil Rapeseed Oil

SugarcanePhotograph: Sean Smith for the Guardian

Food vs Fuel – Corn Ethanol

22.5 gal tank = 270 kg of corn

32 people for 1 yearWestern Diet

10 people for 1 year3rd World Diet

Seed corn could feed 1000 people for 5 years

Mandated

10% by 202020% by 2022

Energy Injustice

People already using copious quantities of energy trying to get more

Degradation of people’s environment, food, health in far away places where the resources are extracted

People using copious quantities of fossil fuels degrading the wellbeing of ALL other people – Now and in the future

Problem Statement:

30% of the people alive today use way too much energy

1st Rule of Engineering:Know what problem you are working on

Rotumans use < 20 W We use > 1000 W

Rotuma, Fiji

Transition Engineering

Transition EngineeringIs not about how much energy you use

Transition Engineering

4

2

Development Timeline

Energ

y S

upply

/Dem

and

1

3

5

6

History

Present

Future Scenariosand Risk Assessment

Path-Break Concepts

Forward Operating Environment

Trigger Events Chang

e Projects

Back-Casting

7

History

Transportation Energy

Present Oil Adaptive Capacity

Future Scenario

Ex-Urban Sprawl

WE NEED:15,000 people housed nowWithin the urban area

We can’t fix this with• Biofuels• Electric Cars• Hydrogen• Light Rail• Buses• Internet• Self-Driving Cars

Forward Operating Environment

Path-Break ConceptChristchurch City that is affordable, accessible, vibrant, prosperous, educated…..

Without Using Oil

Google Image: Utopia

100 Year TransitionQuantitative Analysis • Transportation Energy• Connectivity• Accessibility• Adaptability• Soils, Water, Infrastructure• Markets• Building Stock

From the Ground Up Method: Quantitative Multi-Criteria Analysis

Soil Stability Property Re-Development Index Age of Buildings

Fuel Use

Trigger:From the Ground Up

University Village area information

New Riccarton Ave

New University Village Main Street

New University Village Student Commons

Re-worked “open” infill neighbourhoods

Diversity, Texture, Amenity

Source: Institute for Transportation and Development Policy/ITDP, Jun. 26, 2010

High Street

Re-New-All Re-Development

Community InvolvedTransition Design for 100 YearsPassiveHaus ConstructionEconomy of Scale

Affordable Housing

Transition: Social BusinessUses business best practice to solve a problem, rather than provide shareholder dividend

From the Ground Up

Public Infrastructure

Public Services

Public Planning

Market & Development

Investment

Design & Construction Community100 Years

Affordable HousingSustainable City

Thank Youwww.transitionengineering.co.nz