Page 37 - Analysis and Design of Energy Geostructures

6 Analysis and Design of Energy Geostructures

Figure 1.2 Energy definitions and pathway of supply and consumption.

cold and heat. From the final energy to the net or effective energy that is eventually
used, however, there are in many instances various losses associated with the use of
devices for further refining, storing, or delivering energy. These losses comprise (1)
generation losses, (2) storage losses, (3) distribution losses and (4) output losses and
characterise the so-called net energy. The net energy consumption represents the con-
sumption of energy in its desired form, usually drawn from a consuming device. In
the context of constructions this term is usually associated with the thermal energy to
be delivered to, or extracted from, a conditioned space by a heating or cooling system
to maintain the set-point temperature during a given period of time for the comfort
of the occupants.
Often the consumption of final energy is termed, although inappropriately, energy
demand. In reality, energy consumption and demand are two related, yet different,
variables. The former refers to the quantity of energy added to or removed from a
space, whereas the latter is the immediate rate of that consumption, that is the power
at a particular instant in time. For this reason, final energy consumption is measured in
kilowatt-hours, whereas the energy demand, that is the rate of that consumption, is
measured in kilowatts.
In the European Union and in developed countries such as the United States, three
dominant end users have characterised the final energy consumption over recent dec-
ades: the building sector, the industry sector and the transportation sector. In 2015
these three sectors contributed to the total final energy consumption of the European
Union by 25.4%, 25.3% and 33.1%, respectively (cf. Fig. 1.3)(Eurostat, 2017).
In Switzerland, as in many other developed countries, approximately 60% 85% of
the final energy consumption associated with the building sector is used for space
conditioning and the production of domestic hot water (Kemmler et al., 2013)
(cf. Fig. 1.4).
Along with the aforementioned statistics, the world final energy consumption and pri-
mary energy supply continue to rise to meet the increase in world population and the
expansion of economies (cf. Figs 1.5 and 1.6)(International Energy Agency, 2016c).