Toward a Self-sustaining Energy Management Future: Participatory Planning for Low Carbon Communities

• Main Authors: LI-WEN LI, 李麗雯
• Other Authors: 於幼華
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/99023998459051449346

博士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 環境工程學研究所 === 101 === In the knowledge of planning low carbon communities, it is still a challenge to find a discussion of how to systematize and establish planning and management methods. How to plan an exploratory, qualitative and interdisciplinary research, for generation of planning and management methods is the focus of this work. The participatory action research and case study are methods that were used to produce sequences of planning and managerial steps for building future sustainable energy communities. This research presents the key findings of a planning and design project aimed at building the first Taiwanese low carbon community in Pinglin District, where there has been long-term conflict over the Feitsui Reservoir Watershed protected area. Developing a sustainable energy community however has a gap and barriers related to empowering community self-sustaining energy management by external public and private sectors supports at the initial planning phase. To demonstrate this, a participatory action research method with (our) recommended five preliminary planning principles was applied in the first Taiwanese low carbon community project-Pinglin. It is also used to explore the critical success factors in building capacities for community empowerment and green technologies development of Taiwanese existing polices. The findings indicate that supporting factors may involve 1) preferences of residents; 2) trust and capacity through partnership to ownership; 3) energy price, the maturity of community-scale technologies and the financial systems; 4) land use and planning permission 5) transparent information and flexible approaches in micro data; and 6) the availability of appropriate technical support and institutional change. The authors are also aware and strongly emphasise that the success of the planning process and outcomes will depend on building trust and niche initiatives which are appropriate and relevant within a 3R management system - reduce, renew and recheck. Taking this approach will help to contribute to a financially successful and eco-friendly project.